Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1909-09-15
A BIG POLAR CONTROVERSY is ON
Bennq Shot Fired Over Discovery of he North PoeOnal Geo
graphic Society Demands Proof From Both RenOes Postpone
Its Medal Until Commission of Experts Has Passed on the
Reports Nade by Commander Peary and Dr. Cook

A special cable says the Standards
Copenhagen correspondent quotes
Cook as saying:
Having suspicion that Peary had
succeeded, I was more than eager to
reach civilization in order to publish
my results, which 1 hope Peary will
testify to-"
Evidently with foresight OF the
coming conflict for the honors of dis
covery, the National Geographic So
ciety in Washington, while telegraph
ing 1Heartiest congratulations" to
Peary in answer to message an
nouncing his achievement, issued the
following guarded statement:
..The board of managers of the Ma.
tional Geographic Society. decided, to
take NO action with regard to honors.
to Arctic explorers until after detailed
observations and records are sub;
mitted to, and passed upon by, COM
petenti authorities. :"
This statement from the heads of
an organization OF which Peary and
Cook are both members showed plain
ly that the society, while not officially
corroborating Peary's claim, declined
to accept the decision of Danish scien-
lists that Cooks records proved he
reached the pole.
DR.. Cook, according to his present
plans, will arrive in New York Sep
tember 20 or 81, on the Scandinavian
American liner Oscar H., which means
that the two rivals for the first honor
Of the greatest feat Of exploration in
400 years may reach their home city
within a few days of one another
perhaps within few hours.
The following message from Peary,
received by Mr.. Bridgman, gave added
assurance that he will claim priority
over Cook in reaching the pole:
Indian Harbor, via Cape Ray.
Herbert L. Bridgman, New York
Kindly Rush following: Wire all
the principal home and foreign geo.
graphical societies of all nations, in
cluding Japan and Brazil. that the
North Pole was reached April by
Peary's Arctic Club expedition, under
Commander Peary. PEARY."
Mr.. Bridgman dispatched messages
to the Royal Geographical Societies
of London, Rome and Brussels.
New York City.-The people in
and around New York who lay claim
to some knowledge of polar explora-
tion, astronomy, navigation, ocean
currents, geography in general, and
any of the allied sciences that have
suddenly been brought into the fore
by the strangest coincidence in the
history of mans endeavor to lay bare
the secret corners of the earth, hast
ened to send to a central depot Of re-
ception all sort of kilograms OF con-
graduation for future delivery to
Commander Robert E. Peary when
he shall have left the deck of the
Roosevelt somewhere UP in the north
and returned by rail to New York.
In the flood of felicttation that poured
down upon the head of Herbert l..
Bridgman, of Brooklyn, the secretary
of the Peary Arctic Club. and one OF
the sponsors of Peary's many dashes
for the pole, there was evident the
first minor note of controversy which
is bound to follow the arrival of the
commander of the Roosevelt and the
coming 10 these shores OF the much
feted DR.. Cook, OF Brooklyn,