The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-12-26
DR, COOKS METHODS
 CALLED ABSURD
Danes Say That He Was Ignorant of Astronomy
VERY BUNGLlNG PROOFS
Commodore Jennsen Talks Very Sar- castically About Cooks Data and Says They Were
 Very Flimsy.

Copenhagen, December 25.-The records of pr. Cooks expedition to the Arctic regions have been found to be even more woefully lacking in correct data than was at first supposed.
 When Professor Stromgren looked over the typewriter documents delivered by Secretary Lonsdale he saw no evidence Of scientific proof of Cooks claim. Still it was thought the original records would put a different complexion on the af- fairs.
 Days passed and nothing was heard from Cook or Mrs. Cook. The commits sion on December r held plenary meet ing at which Cooks typewritten records were put under examination. How utterly inadequate they were as proof of his claim to have reached the pole Is perhaps most implicitly told by Commodore Jenn- sen. who in an article written for pub licatlon in the National Tidende today, says:
 "Dr Cook was not even possessed or the most elementary notions of astron- omy. Had he had any, knowledge what
  of scientists to examine his material.
 ..In a very detailed list of instruments which Cook declares he took with him on the trip, and which he clearly had no idea how to use, nor in his description of the rest of his admirable outfit which is so complete" Jennsen sarcastically in- terposes, that 1t includes even pencils. 1tn rQfT omical or nautical almanac and without such it is impossible to make any as- tronomical observations.
 "In the transcript of the diaries you find here and there some notes about longitude and latitude which are recorded as the result of astronomical observations or dead reckoning. For the calculations or the results which are found by such calculations there is not one single item of necessary material.
 From time to time Cook gives lati- tude and longitude observations sup posedly taken at the same time, which it was impossible to make by the sun alone. Presumab bly he made use of the moon. There Is no account of how he controlled his pocket chronometers. Even daily comparisons had not been made.
 Tt seems as though pr. Cook was totally unacquainted with the varia- tions of the compass. There Is nothing in Cooks records to show that he made azinuth observations. In the arctic regions where the variations of tfie compass are most important reading nearly 1S0 degrees, the needle instead of pointing north points almost direct ly south. The compass is of little use unless it's variations are controlled at short intervals.
 "When one realizes that Dr. Cook evidently knew about the deviations of the compass or the methods of control of them and yet set his course to the pole by the compass the most fantastic suppositions as to his wanderings are possible"
 Dr. Cooks letter sent from Marseilles asking for additional time until he could procure his other records from Etah drew from Professor Stromgre1 only sarcastic grunt.
 Professor Pechule, Professor Engs- trom and Director Ryder, whose scien- tific training and Arctic experience had been requitioned to settle any special ly knotty points in Cooks astronomical and other calculations had no need of doing even the smallest sum in the way of controlling his figures.
 Finally Knud Rasmussen, who only a few days before had publicly declared that his faith in Cook was still un- shaken, found so many absurdities on reading Cooks narrative that he was astonished that any man who had ever been in the Arctic regions could have perpetrated such blunders and show that he knew so little about them.