The Pioche record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1908-1925, 1909-10-02
COOKS DASH TO
NORTH POLE,
Explorers Owl Story Of Finding
the "Big Nail"
LIVED LIKE THE EsKIMos.

Started at Lands End, $50 Miles From
tire PoIe--Averased Little Over Four
teen Miles g Day and "Raised the
United States Flag" at Ninetieth
Parallel at Noon on April Fl, 1908.
Left Two Days Later.
William I. Stead. the English Jour
nalist who interviewed DR. Frederick
A. Cook at Copenhagen for the New
York American concerning his march
TO the north pole. said that there are
certain things upon which DR.. Cook
Insisted. without variation or without
she shadow Of turning. from first TO
last.
The statements lie persisted in were
these.
First he discovered he north pole
Second be had hi data hi the shape
Of scientific Observations diary and
the like by Which he could convince
any competent scientific authority as
to the truth Of his assertions
1suiIQ. .tiffft uulii III uat lilttNt f-Otu
his claim by The production Of these
data he asked for nothing more han
70 be left alone to complete his book
snd present his case az a whnlc 70 The
scientific world
after describing the fortunate com
bination Of circumstances that brought
him TO the edge Of the arctic circle at
time when good dogs. plenty Of Es-
KINGS and lots of food were there DIR.
Cook Told me the story Of his polar
march rs follows:
Il started away from Annootok,
near Eluh. on Feb 10. which was the
sunrise of 1908. ! had ten Eskimos.
eleven sledges heavily laden with sup
plies and 1903 dogs. II was the cold
est part Of the winter. The thermom-
ster registered SO degrees below zero
as we passed over the heights Of
Ellesmere strait. We were bound for
Lands End, 10 the west. where we
were 70 begin our Ice journey During
the trip we struck several fine game
trails and secured l01 musk oxen. 1856
hares aud seven hares. We reached the
end OF the land and the beginning of
the lee on March Is. 1908
Started Dash AGO Miles From Pole.
"There we established a supply sta
ton, aud | picked out the best two
men and twenty six Of the best dogs
Tor the dash across the ice The Es-
KINDS were Eutikishook and Ahwelsh,
bravest and strongest Of the tribe. We
We're then al latitude S233. or 400
miles from the pole We started our
advance three days later. Oh March q.
During the first days we made long
marches. The cold persisted and there
were strong winds.
II lived as the Eskimos did and man.
aged to get some comfort by sleeping
In snow houses which we dug out. eat
Ing tallow and drinking tea. The sky
during these days was overcast by
smoky mist, SO that no observation
could be- taken, but on March 80 an
observation gave our position as lati-
tude SAT-. We had covered. therefore.
more than 1870 miles in nine days, Be-
yond this point we encountered mere
~ desert Of Ice There was no life,
Tracks Of animals aud blowholes of
seals We're absent. Nor was there
trace Of vegetation
DAY after day from then on we pro-
gressed monotonously. The surface of
the Ice grew smoother and smore level.
1t was still cold, and there was bit
ter wind. ! recorded daily our posi-
ti0n and the incidents of the march,
but one day was much like another.
April was worthy Of especial note
because the sun at midnight appeared
over the edge Of the northern Ice. The
next day ] made an observation which
placed our position al latitude 1886.
Our speed had increased slightly. We
had traversed more than $50 miles In
seventeen days.
eunburnsd and Frostbitten Same Day.
I'VE were then tribe more than 200
miles from the pole. We were sun
burned and frostbitten on the same
Gay. but the light enabled us to ad-
vance more easily.
BEYOND the eighty-sixth parallel the
crevices became fewer and narrower.
and between the eighty-seventh and
elghty-eighth parallels was surprised
to find indications OF land Ice. For
two days we travelled over Ice that
looked like glacial surface. But
there was no perceptible elevation.
and therefore It was impossible to tell
whether we were on land or sea.
ION April "A we reached latitude
1921 and were within little bit less
than 100 miles Of the pole. We no
longer had energy to make snow houses
and slept In silk tent which we car.
raed. In the DAYS that followed we