Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-22
ASSOCIATED Pressl

NOPENHAGEN, Dec. 21.--The report
I of the special committee of scien-
~ lists which the University of Co
penhagen appointed to investigate DR..
Frederick Cooks claims that he had
discovered the north pole was sub
mitted to the consistOry of the Univer-
sity of Copenhagen this morning, in
dorsed and given to the public.
The report skaters completely, al
most contemptuously, the American ex-
plorers title to such discovery and fills
officials and people Of Denmark with
chagrin at the figure Denmark is made
to assume in the eyes of the scientific
world.
The public was prepared for a YER
dict of not proven" but did not eX
pect it's recent hero to be branded as
an impostor. Many still cling to the
belief that Cook acted in good faith,
but harbored a delusion.
| Explorers and scientists have almost
entirely lost faith in Cooks honesty,
while one of his warmest supporters,
Knud Rasmussen, helped to frame the
report. Evening papers. attack Cook
and severely reproach him for hiding,
which they regard as a sign of a guilty
conscience.
Will Withdraw Cooks Degree
The rector Of the university. DR.. SAL
monson, when questioned as to the pos
sibility of the university cancelling the
degree which it conferred on DR.. Cook,
said that no decision had been reached,
but he thought that the degree would
be withdrawn
Commodore Gustav Holm, Arctic ex-
plorer and member of the COMMITTEES,
said:
Cooks claim he made the observa-
tion SO degree SO minutes, 46 seconds.
near the pole proved Immediately that
l,a n had oh ht1f in
dicated that he was a swindler. Now,
his papers convict him of being 4
swindler. We agree unanimously that
Cooks observations We're worthless"
Prof Olufson, secretary of the Danish
Geographical society, said:
1T is the saddest event in my life.
As an explorer there seems TO be no
doubt that Cook is absolutely unre-
liable"
The National Tidende, while deploring
that the university conferred the de-
gree finds consolation in the fact that
others honored Cook.
THE president of his own country
and it's envoy at Copenhagen" says the
paper, were the guarantors of him.
Denmark did not blunder alone"
Care Used in Review
The committee appointed by the uni
versity to examine Cooks records re
sistory of the university, which re-
viewed the deductions of the experts
with the greatest care and discussed
the findings from every standpoint.
That both the committee and the
consistory were disappointed was soon
known.
The consistory met today and adopt
ed written report to the effect the
alleged records submitted for exam
ination by Cook failed to prove his
claim.
The report of the committee of
which Professor Stromgren was chair
man, as presented to the consistory,
states Cooks papers are without any
value; that his report to the University
of Copenhagen is virtually the same as
that published in the New York Her
aid on his return from his Arctic ex-
pedition.
The copies of his notebook submit
ted, says the committee, contain no
original calculations of observations,
but only results thereof. Accordingly,
the committee concludes, he affords no
proof of having reached the pole
There was produced before the com
mittee a letter from Cook postmarked
Marseilles, December a. This letter
lends color to the earlier report that
Cook sailed from New York for a Med
iterranean port.
Documents Submitted
The documents submitted for exami-
nation are:
First-A typewritten report prepared
by Cooks secretary, Walter Lonsdale.
and covering siXty-one pages of fools
cap
Second-A typewriter copy made by
Lonsdale from Cooks note books. This
occupies sixteen pages of foolscap and
includes a description of the period
from March IS, 1905 to June Is. 1908,
during which, according to the state
ment, Cook journeyed from Svartevog
to the north pole. and returned to a
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