The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-12-09
Meet With Incredulity Among
Copenhagen Scientists.
STRENGTHEN HIS CASE
Astronomer Burrau Points Out
Glaring Discrepancies.
Affiant Loose Says Explorer
Was Grossly Ignorant.

the afnddv1tS Of persons claiming tn
nave aided DR.. Frederick A. Cook in the
preparation of his Polar data. published
IN London and New York today was
read here with amazement Scientific
circles are inclined to be incredulous
regarding the charges and some persons
like DR.. Carl Burrau, the astronomers
consider them SO improbable that their
erect will be to strengthen confidence
in Dr. Cook
In an interview Dr. Burrau said:
Passages in the story telegraphed
matter is thoroughly untrustworthy.
rake Tor instance the statement about
Capella. Capella neither rises nor sets
In the Polar regions but remains fixed
over the horizon. In order to make OBJ
servatfons at the North Pole more ex-
tended and a more detailed knowledge
is necessary than is enjoyed USUALLY bv
the average ships captain.
1t viii. however, be easy for the
university to determine the truth or
otherwise Of the charges"
The committee of six under presi-
dency OF Prof. Ellis Stromgren the as
tronomer, which is to examine the
North Polar records of DR.. Cook on be-
half of the University of Copenhagen.
will begin its work at the end of the
present week.
Aff1davits Of two men asserting that
DR.. Frederick A. Cook hired them for
$4,000 with promise of an additional
bonus of $500 to one of them. to fabri-
cate astronomical observations and cal
culations of latitude and longitude for
submission to the University of Copen-
hagen. were published in the New York
Times this morning. The men who say
they helped Cook in preparing records
of journey to the North Pole-George
H Dunk1e, an insurance broker and
Captain August Wedel Loose, a seaman
the affidavits known to the public was
that the explorer only paid them $3.50
for their work.
Captain Loose Talks.
New York, Dec. 9.-Captain A w.
Loose, the master pilot and navigator.
whose affidavit stating that he had
formulated a long series of Lbserva-
tions and data for DR.. Frederick A
Cook at DIR. Cooks request since his re-
turn from the Arctic region, was pub
lished today. talked at his home in
Brooklyn concerning the statements
made in the affidavit.
81 went to DR.. Cook said Captain
Loose, thinking might be of some as
sistance to him, but 1 never ex-
pected when approached
have. A short talk with DR.. Cook con-
vinced me he knew almost nothing about
navigation. He was ignorant OF some
of the essentials of the science.
"At first considered it at least likely
that DR.. Cook had got near the pole.
say to SO degrees or within so miles of
the pole. Even his observations would
have gwen him that accuracy. Later
was forced to change that opinion.
"A person not especially accurate
might have thought himself at the pole
when only within 60 miles of it: but as
1 got deeper into the matter 1 began
to suspect that DR.. Cook was never out
OF sight of land
No Opinion to Offer.
"Please notice that have never said
that DR.. Cook is about to submit my
calculations to the University of Copen-
hagen as his own observations DR..
Cook never intimated such to me.
was working for pay then and was in
different on that point. Now I haven't
received my pay. I don't express an
opinion when or how Dr.. Cook wrote up
his record books.
"Dr. Cook never allowed me to inspect
his original records or. indeed, any
more of them than has been published
in the newspapers"
Captain Loose said the writing
down of seconds in DR.. Cooks re-
ports of his observations did not show
ga skillfuI attempt to deceive" The
limits of error were so great that the
recording Of seconds would not be of
the slightest value in adding accuracy,
declared the captain. W
still, of course" he added, "Dr.
Cook could have looked at hts in
struments. seen the seconds and put
them down consciously If in ignorance
of their lack of Importance"
| AS to whether he thought it pos
sible for DIR. Cook to declare now,
that these calculated observations by
Captain Loose were simply for COM
parison of his own, Captain Loose
said:
"Dr. Cook probably would say this,
| but why did he need any such
calculations and reckonings back
| wards as 1 made for, him? Why did
he need any one to make calculations
for him if he is navigator and
mathematician and If he went TO
the pole and took careful observations
on the way to and from the pole ~
cave TucpE ApE nTuERc