Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1909-09-09
flag: AT The POLE
THE STARS AND STRIPES WITH
DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE
LEFT THERE az COOK
ABOARD THE HANS fCEDE
A CoRREsPoNDENT INTERVIEWS
RETURNING EXPLORER
NEAR sKAGEN

London, Sept. "A dispatch from
Skagen, from correspondent who in
terviewed Cook aboard,the Hans Egede
says:
"As boarded the steamer somebody
gave DR.. Cook bouquet Tears dim
med his eyes as he buried his face in
the fragrance. Its years since have
seen flowers said the explorer
He looked the picture Of health.
Only when he smiled one noticed the
loss Of two teeth. A fight with a bear
did that he said.
You can tell the world I'm in better
condition than at any time, and look
forward with an appetite to, the prom
ised festivities. My dinners have been
poor for the past few years, and
have to make up for It,
Regarding the discovery, Cook said:
April II made several observa-
tions. Great Joy came over US. We
were only sixteen miles from the de-
sired spot. The last stretch was the
easiest | ever made, although the ice
was very broken. But / shouted like
boy. The Eskimos were surprised
at my gaiety. When I made my last
observation and found l was standing.
on the pole, l was too tired to feel
any sensation. ] planted the Stars
and Stripes in the ice field, and my
heart grew warm when saw it wave
HOW DOES THE POLE LOOK?
Glow does the north pole look?"
was asked
well, said Cook, there is nothing
to see but Ice. There are more holes
here than at the S7th degree, which
shows there is more drift here l
stopped for two days and 1T was not
easy to say goodbye to the spot
Sitting at the pole, could not
help smiling at the people who would
call the expedition humbug. The on
ly thing l will put up against this is
what the York Eskimos told Knud
Rasmussen Let the skeptics go to the
north pole. They will find small
brass tube which l buried under the
flag. The tube contains short state
ment about the trip. could not leave
my card, because l did not have one.
Perhaps l should have stayed there
longer. The Eskimos we're uneasy. the
dogs howled fearfully. and l turned
southwark. You cannot turn any other
direction at the pole.
Describing the return, Cook said:
GIVE did twenty miles a day until
we reached the S7th degree Then the
us and kept us for three weeks. We
rot +ho
Then began heavy walk towards Hell
bergsland and another three weeks
fog. When that cleared saw we had
drifted southwest to Ringnesland,
where we found open water and tower
high screw ice, which stopped the way
eastward.
'sSOur provisions were becoming ex-
hausted and we were unable to find our
depots. We entered Ringnesland and
on June 20 found the first animals on
the return-a bear and a seal We
shot the bear.
And now our goal was the whalers
at Lancaster sound. We followed the
drift ice south eight miles day, but
were stopped by pack ice in Wellington
channel, impossible by boat or sledge
Here was lots of game, but we did
not dare to shoot 1t as we had only
fifteen bullets left. In Jones sound
we found open water and met wolves
with which some f oursdogs ran away
ATE FOOD RAW
Now we spent day and night
in an open boat ten miles from shore
This lasted two months, while storms
often ragged. At last we, got ashore
again, but had no fuel and ate birds
raw. When we found fuel we had "a
feast. We had many fights with musk
oxen, which attacked us. Our best
weapon was the lasso. ~
The story quotes Cooks conslusion:
. Say that the day Wesreacned our
stores at Etah was greater than. April
81. 1 long to get back to civilization,
to press my wife to my heart am
the happiest man living. Tell the world
/ thank God am back. :"