Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1909-09-10
NORTH POLE REACHED By DR. COOK

oflCK Albert OOOh, tHC hiiCii0oH
explorer, reached the north pole
April 81, 1908, according to tele-
gram just received at the colonial
office here.
The message was received from
Lerwick, Shetland Islands.
DR.. Cook is on board the Danish
government steamer Hans Egede,
which passed Lerwick at noon to-
day enroute for Denmark.
The telegram announcing DR..
Cooks achievement was sent by q
Greenland official on board the
steamer, and reads as follows.
"We have on board the Ameri-
can traveller, DR.. Cook, who reach
ed the north pole April 81, 1908.
"Dr. Cook arrived at Uppernikvi,
the northernmost Danish settle
ment in Greenland, on an island off
the west coast, in May of 1909,
from Cape York Gin the northwest
part of Greenland, on Baffin Bay.)
1.-THE Esquimaux of Cape York
confirm DR.. Cooks story of his
journey"
New York, September l. DR.. R.
T. Davidson of Brooklyn, person
al friend of Dr.. Cook, received a
cablegram from DR.. Cook today,
saying that he was well and that
his expedition had been success
The message, which was dated at
Copenhagen, did not say whether
the explorer had reached the pole.
The information it contained was
forwarded to Mis-. Cook, the ex-
plorer's wife, at South Harpswell.
The last actually seen of DR..
Cook since he started on his dash
for the pole was March 3, 1908,
eighteen months ago, when he left
his base Of supplies at Annatok, on
the northwestern coast of Green
land, and disappeared in a north
westerly direction over Ellsmere-
land into the little known regions
toward the Arctic ocean.
He left his only American com
panion, a young German American
named Rudolph Francke, at Anna
tok, twenty miles north of Etah
which is the last inhabited settle
ment on the west coast of Green
land.
Just two weeks later DR.. Cook
sent a letter to Francke by anative
telling him that if he did not show
Sup by June Francke should return
to New York.
The letterreached Francke May7
He waited out the appointed time
From then until today there came
no word from the explorer.
Francke was picked up by Peary's
steamer Erik and brought to st
Johns, N. +. 1t has been grave
question whether or not DR.. Cool
was in the land of the living.
COPENHAGEN ACCEPTS REPORT.
Copenhagen, Sep. DIR. Fred
erick A. Cooks credit stands 81
high with Danish polar experts
that the first message announcing
his success in reaching the NORTH
Pole, meager as it was, received &C
ceptance as conclusive. Commo
dore Hovgaard said today:
Il believe the message is true be
cause DR.. Cook is most trustworth'
and opposed to all exaggeration.'
C. A. Nielsen, an official of tn
Greenland administration depart
ment, who is we'll acquainted witt
DR.. Cook and was associated witt
him in Greenland, said
when DR.. Cook says that h
reached the North Pole there Cal
be no doubt about it. His scientif
ic discoveries will prove that"
A committee under the preslden
cy of the Minister of Commerce ha
been formed to arrange q fitting re
ception to the intrepid explorer o.
his arrival at Copenhagen. DR.
Maurice F. Egan, the America
Minister, will be aboad the specia
steamer that will be sent out by tn
!