Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1909-09-18
COOK DESCRIBES
DASH TO POLE
Explorer Tells OF 460-Mile Trip
Over the Ice,
FACED STARVATION
FOR MANY DAYS
Return Trip Was Far More Difficult
and Full Of Suffering Than His Up
ward Ossh-Had to Forage For Food
While Weak and Exhausted.

and Ful OF suffering ] nan MS Up
ward Ossh-Hsd to Forage For Food
While Weak and Exhausted.
London. Sept. 16.-William r. Stead,
who is said TO have beer the only
Journalist t whom DR.. Frederick A..
C0ok. the American Arctic explorer,
while II Copenhagen, Denmark, CAV a
detailed account Of his trip to the
North Pols, tells of his interview. Or.
Cook sailed from Copenhagen on the
ateamer Oscar II. for New York, where
hs will arrive on the 21st inst. Mr..
stead tells OF the interview In the fol-
lowing words:
After describing the fortunate com
Blnation OF circumstances that brought
aim To the edge of the Arctic circle
n q time when good dogs, plenty Of
Eskimos and lots of food were there,
DIR. Cook told me the story of his polar
march as follows:
az started away from A%nnatook,
rear Etah, on Feb. 10. which was the
sunrise of 1908. | had ten Eskimos,
eleven sledges, heavily laden with sup
sIies. and 103 dogs. 1t was the coolest
cart OF the winter. The thermometer
registered SO degrees below zero as
ae passed ovsr the heights of Els
IDers strait.
We were bound for Lands End, to
che west, where we were to begin our
Z Zoe Journey. During the trip We struck
several fine game trails and secured
aAT xruclr Dzan 0QE horaa unA anupD
bears We reached the end OF the
Land anc the beginning of the ice on
March is, 1908.
46o-MlIs Dash to the Pole.
"1'here we established a supply sta
ion, and ! picked out the two best
man and twenty.six of the best dogs
for the fash across the ice. The Els
simos were tntikishook and Ahwelsh,
Oravest and strongest OF the tribe.
1--WE were then at latitude 1898, or
$50 miles from the pole. We started
N1r advance three days later, on
March 81. During the first days we
made long marches. The cold persist
~ and there were strong winds.
~ Nged as the Eskimos did and
EaidflAkbu 10 EEA NDAEAt NOAAAOA ~ SA@NH
ing In snow houses which we dug out,
eating tallow and drinking tea. The
zky during these days was overcast
by smoky mist. 50 that no observation
could he taken, but on March 80 an OBJ
~SsrvatiOu gave our position as latitude
RAT. We had covered, therefore, more
Ghan a30 miles In nine days.
beyond this point we encountered
merely a desert of ice. There was no
Nfe Tracks Of animals and blowholes
OF seals were absent. Nor was there a
trace OF vegetation.
April 7 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 at latitude $685..
Dur speed had increased slightly. We
aad trayersed more than $50 miles In
seventeen days.
I'VE we're then a triae more thar
200 miles from the pole. We were sun
surned and frostbitten on the same
say. but the light enabled us 10 at
vance more easily.
Beyond the S6th parallel the Grew
5,as became fewer and narrower, ant
sstEseen the S7th and SSth parallels J
xsS surprised TO find indications of
lAna ice. For two days We travelled
esver ice that looked like a glacial sur
Fare. But there was no perceptible
elevation, and, therefore. It was impos-
slble 10 tell whether we were on land
Dr sea
con April "A we reached latitude
1921. and were within a little bit less
ehaD 100 miles OF the pole. We n0
songer had energy to make any snow
houses n slept in a silk tent which
se carried.
"n the days that followed we saw
mirages, inverted mountains and queer
objects that seemed to dance about
The horizon itself seemed 10 dance
But | made careful Astronomical oh
s~ervations and always knew Il po
Rition.
~On April Fl my observation-cor
4 -FsxSsd-showed that W. had reached
latitude So degrees. SO minutes and Al
sec1nds, and were therefore within
zlnne's throw, almost, of the Goth par
r4AA We advanced the IA seconds
y mately a quarter of a mile
xnc {t5zsre | made the double round o
1ssssrE4kions which confirmed u 20
sitiun
This ~7Es at noon OF April 21, 1905
My observations showed that the lat
anae wss 1-eciseIy 80 degrees. Tn
a1slnperaLuFs was 3S degrees beloV
xzxn- The barometer stood at 29.8
inches. There Nas no land In sight
nothing but a depressing waste of &c
and Snow, whfsb appeared purple /
the light.
RAISED Flag to the Breeze"
~zYhs Bskimos told me that at las
ansy had reached the Big Nail an
xexa the hrst OF their race ever TO hay
x4 aoot there, celebrated with savag