Wallowa County chieftain. [volume] (Enterprise, Or.) 1909-1911, 1909-09-09
POLE is FOUND.
Frederick Cook, American Explorer.
Reaches Most Northern Point

Reaches Most Northern Point.
Paris, Sept. S.-"After a prolonosd
nght with famine and frost. we At last
nave succeeded in reaching the North
Thus declares DR.. Frederick A. Cook
IN signed statement this morning in
Ine Paris edition of the New York
herald. The statement which ia
dated Hans Egede, Lerwick, Wednes-
day." continues:
A new highway with an interesting
strlp OF animated nature has been ex-
piored and big game haunts located.
which will delight sportsmen and ex-
tend the Esquimo horizon.
Land has been discovered on which
rest the earth's northernmost rocks
A triangle of 10000 square miles has
been cut. out of the terrestrial un.
known.
The expedition was the outcome of
a summer cruise in the Arctic seas on
the schooner Bradley, which arrived at
the limits of navigation in Smith sound
late in August, 1907. Here conditions
were found favorable for launching a
venture to the pole. j. R. Bradley
literally supplied from his vessel suit
able provisions for local use. NV own
equipment for emergencies served well
Tor every purpose in the Arctics.
AT sunrise of February l9-
the main expedition embarked on its
voyage to the pole. 1t consisted of IL
men and lOS dogs, drawing IL heavily
laden sledges. The expedition left the
Greenland shore and pushed westward
over the troubled ice of Smith sound.
"The gloom of the long night was
relieved only by few hours of day.
light. The chill of the winter was
felt at its worst. AS we crossed the
heights of Ellsmere sound to the Pa
cific slope, the temperature sank to
minus 80 centigrade. Several dogs
were frozen and the men suffered Sc
verely, but we soon found the game
trails, along which the way was easy.
There was an unknown line 460
miles away which was our goal. We
made encouraging progress. A big
lead. which separated the land from
the ice of the central pack was crossed
with little delay.
"We advanced steadily over the
monotony of moving sea ice and now
found ourselves beyond the range of all
life-neither footprints of bears nor
70 IF
Even the microscopic creatures of the
deep were no longer under us.
"Thus, day after day, our weary legs
spread over great distances. Incidents
and positions were recorded, but ad-
venture was promptly forgotten in the
next days efforts. The night of April
z was made more notable by the swing
ing of the sun at midnight over the
northern ice. Sunburns and frostbites
now were recorded on the same day,
but the double days glitter infused
quite an incentive into ones life of
shivers.
"We were now about 200 miles from
the pole and sledge loads were reduced.
One dog after another went into the
stomachs of the hungry survivors, until
the teams were considerably diminish
ed in number, but there seemed to re-
main sofficient balance for man and
brute to push along into the heart Of
the mystery to which we had set our
selves.
"On April 81 we had reached SO de-
grees SO minutes 46 seconds. The pole
was in sight. We covered the remain
ing ID seconds and made few final
observations. / told Etukishook and
Ahwelsh, the accompanying Eskimos,
that we had reached the great NALL
Everywhere we turned was south.
With single step we could pass from
one side of the earth to the other; from
midday to midnight. At last the flag
floated to the breezes at the pole. 1t
was April 81, 1908. The temperature
was minus 38 centigrade; barometer
1888; latitude, 90; as for longitude,
it was nothing, as it was but a word.
although crazy with Joy, our spirits
began to undergo feeling of weari-
ness. Next day, after taking all our
observations, sentiment of intense
solitude penetrated US while we looked
at the horizon. Was it possible that
this desolate region, without patch
of earth, had aroused the ambition of
so many men for so many centuries?
There was no ground, only an immen-
sity of dazzling white snow, no living
being, no point to break the monotony.
"On April 20 we started on our re-
turn"