Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1909-10-27
BORN IN POVERTY,
AMBITION MADE
DR.. COOK SUCCEED

ri. a.-- -" #a# TrtH##H# rErH ~
Having won His Medical Degree, He
dumped at the Chance to Go
North With Peary.
aaHs 2 2
The man who has accomplished
what daring. explorers for centuries
have striven to do was known in Sui
Ivan County, New York, where he
was born, as a "Callicoon Dutch
man." and for years was a partner
in the milk business with his brother.
DR. Frederick Albert Cook, physi.
clan, surgeon, scientist and explorer,
comes Of Pennsylvania Dutch stock,
the family name being Koch. His
father, DR.. Theodore Albert Cook,
settled with others of the same stock
near Calllcoon, a station on the Erie
Railroad in Sullivan County, and
there DR., Cook was born ~forty-four
years ago. His father died when he
was very young. He got his first
schooling in the primitive school
house at Hortonville, two miles from
Callicoon, and later in the. public
schools Of Brooklyn, to which his
family moved in his boyhood, and
where he has since lived when not
trying to reach the North Pole or
the South Pole, or engaged in other
scientific expeditions. He got his de-
gree of M. D. at the University of
New York in 1890 when twenty-five
years old.
From boyhood DR.. Cook was inter-
ested in scientific explorations and
in 1891, after struggling a year to
build up a practice, jumped at the
chance to go to the Far North as
surgeon with Peary, That first trip
gave him the Arctic fever and fired
him with ambition to be the first
man to reach the North Pole.
In 1894 DR.. Cook was in charge Of
an expedition for scientific research
along the coasts Of Newfoundland,
Labrador and Greenland In the
steamer Miranda. The party incrud-
ed fifty-four scientists and students.
All that this expedition planned was
not accomplished, an accident to the
Miranda forcing it to return at a
date earlier than had been fixed.
The years 1S97-S-9 he spent on an
Antarctic expedition on. the ship Bel
gica, commanded by Capt. Adrian de
Gerlache. On that expedition the
Belgica drifted more than 1000 miles
in the ice fields. The most southern
point reached while fast in the ice was
70 degrees. Much new land in Wen
del Sea was discovered and active
volcanoes e
Returning from his south Polar
trip, DR.. Cook devoted himself to geo
graphical exploration in this country,
his particular aim being to ascend.
Mount Mckinley, the highest noun
tain in North America and the most
conspicuous of the Alaskan range. It
is 20,400 feet high, dome shaped and:
with two SUBMITS about two miles.
apart.
In 1903 DR.. Cook made his first
attempt to scale Mount Mckinley,
and like all his predecessors, failed
He reached g height Of l1,400 feet
a little more than half the way to-
the summit.
In 1906 he made a second andssuc-
cessful attempt, profiting by the en-
rerience gained in his first venture.
He had to endure all manner Of hard
ships.
1t was in 1892 that DR. Cook mar
ried. His wife-and to her belongs
much of the credit Of his achieves
ments-was Miss Mary Fidell Hunt,
They have two children, both girls;
Ruth and Helen, who are seven and
eight years old respectively.
Mrs. Cook has contributed her
share to the success Of her husband
as al explorer. Without complaint
she has remained at home, caring for
their children, while he has been.
away. Her anxiety and worry for his
safety have been most keen, as more
than a year has elapsed at times with
out her receiving a single word from
him. Her a~nxieties have not been!
confined to worry for his safety. The
Cooks are not rich. The explorer has
no fortune, not even a competence.
Since he left New York in the sums
mer of 1907 Mrs. Cook has had to
bear not only the strain of not know
ing whether her husband was dead or
living, but also Of finding a way for
keeping the little EMILY together.
DR. Cook has had many honors
thrust upon him for his achievements.
He has been decorated with the Or
der of Leopold of Belgium, with the
gold medal of the Royal Society, Bel
GUM. and with the silver medal of
the Royal George Society, Belgium.
He is a member Of the American Ma
tional and Philadelphia Geographical
Societies and of the Kings County
Medical Society.
Baseball in Torpo 81