The Florida star., 1909-09-17
Career Of
Famous Explorer:

York. but he decided 20 remain and
make a one man attempt to reach the
pole. One Of the crew Of the sehoon-
er, Rudolph Francke, a young German
American, volunteered ID stay at An
nootOk and guard the supplies.
The first week the two men began
building house for the long winters
habitation. Then they hunted for a
month, laying in a stock Of meat. The
thermometer went down steadily with
the approach OF the long arctic night,
and while they were hunting IT was
constantly between 30 or 40 degrees
below zero.
They spent the winter preparing the
Sledges and the supplies for DR.. Cooks
trip and discovered a way of prepar-
ing dog food which gave DIR. Cook a
great advantage in weight over all
previous explorers. During January
the thermometer registered 73 degrees
below zero. but DR.. Cook and his man
went out to look for some people who
were supposed to have been ship
wrecked in Flagler bay, but found no
body.
The last two weeks were spent I'm
testing out the sledges, the dogs and
the supplies. and on Feb. 20 DR.. Cook
started for the farthest north. Francke
went with him as far as Flagler bay.
and then Dr. Cook sent him back to
AnnOotok on March 3. 1908. to guard
the winter quarters. 1t was nearly
year later that Peary reached the
neighbOrhood OF Annootok. where
Erancke was keeping his lone vigil and
who claims that DIR. Cook had ordered
him to go back by one Of the whalers
ships at the end of the preceding
June.
1t is no new thing for DIR. Cook to
attempt difficult and extremely haz-
ardOus feats of exploration. In every
case in which he has set out to dis
cover new paths in the wilderness of
uncharted seas or mountains he has
displayed a dash and resourcefulness
which marked him as extraordinary
even among explorers. 1t was this
valiant courage and resOurcefulnesS.
added to a very vigorous physique,
which his many friends in Brooklyn
had in mind when they assured anx-
ious inquirerS that DR.. Cook would
appear somewhere In Norway or
Greenland alive and well.
DIR. Cook is a married man and has
a home in Brooklyn. where his wife
and two children live. He is not often
home. having been engaged in explora-
ton work on and off for the past
eighteen years. DR.. Cook was born at
Callicoon Depot, q very quiet little
hamlet in Sullivan county. n. Y, on
June 10, 1855. He received his early
education in Brooklyn aud graduated
with the degree Of doctor OF medicine
from New York university in 1890. He
was married in 1902 to Mary Fidel
Hunt in Brooklyn.
Exploration at both ends Of the earth
and near the top Of its highest noun
tains has attracted DIR. Cook for years
In 1891 and 1892. just after his gradu-
alton from the medical college, he
served as surgeon Of the Peary expedi-
ton to Greenland. In 1879 he was
surgeon Of the Belgian expedition to
the antarctic. He tried to ascend
Mount Mckinley, In Alaska, the high
est peak on the North American CONT |
nent. in 1903 and failed. In 1905 be
tackled Mount Mckinley again and |
won.
He is the author OF several books de- |
scriptive Of his travels and discoveries.
and he has lectured extensively. In
an interview about six months before |
he left on the fishing trip to Labrador |
DR.. Cook said:
Some day am going to find the
north pole"
DR.. Cook once had scheme for sail
ing to the south pole. and he worked
on this for some time. trying to figure
out exactly how to do it. His trip
with Amundsen gave him the inspira-
ton for this. He finally. in his efforts
to arrive at some method of reaching
the south pole. hit upon the idea Of an
with some arrangement for
travelling over ice fields He worked
upon this machine for some time at
Callicoon. The automobile was kept
In a barn. and DR.. Cook would allow
none excepting the workmen and him.
self to see il.
In speaking of the automobile at that