The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1909-09-23
NOW FOR THE PLANETS.

4NN% w Yin 4 IL GGAANA Os
But there came an end to this, as to
all things. On April u the first cor
rected altitude of the sun gave so de-
grees, 80 minutes, 46 seconds.
The pole, therefore, was in sight.
We advanced the fourteen seconds,
made supplementary observations and
prepared to stay long enough to permit
double round of observations.
Etukishook and Asewelab were told
that we had reached the "neig nail, F"
and they sought to celebrate by an adj
vance of savage joys.
At last we had pierced the boreal
center and the flag had been raised TO
The coveted brce2es of the north pole
The day was April Il, 1903. The sun
indicated local noon, but time was a
Negative problem, for here all meridi-
ans meet. With Il step ii was possible
to go from one part OF the globe TO the
opposite side.
rom the hour OF midnight 10 that of
midday the latitude was so, the tenn
peratule IS and the barometer 29.S3.
North, east and west had vanished.
1t was south in every direction, but
the compass pointing to the magnetic
pole was as useful as over.
though over0yed with the success
# the conquest our spirits began to
descend Gil the following day after all
he observations had been taken with
careful study Of the local coalitions,
a sense of intense loneliness came with
The farther scrutiny of the horizon.
What Il cherries spot TO have arous-
ed the ambition Of man for 50 many
ages.
All cndles field of purple SHOWS. No
life, No land. No spot TO relieve the
mOnotony of frost. We were the only
)ulsating creature in Il dead world OF
ice.-EXtract from DIR. Cook S cable.
For thousand years men have been
struggling TO reach the roof of the
world.
Cook has accomplished something
that has inspired the ambitions Ct ev-
cry man in whose blood there is the
wanderlust.
To reach the north pole millions
have been spent, thousands of Slips
and cargoes have been wrecked, and
thousands of men have lost their lives.
Men sought this region-the Morse
men in open boats, Others in cared GAL
leys, others in craft driven by sail,
some in great ships moved by the pow
er of steam, and in balloons and flying
machines, and all these failed. II re-
manned for a man to walk on his two
| feet across the two hundred miles
which for one hundred years has sepa.
rated the place where there is no north
from ali the rest of the world
And, the end of all this struggle il
as nothing.
Yet ii is the elimination of great
series of triumphs. The thing realized
is the success of the endeavor.
The region around the pole is froz
ell waste; it has been a dead woric
since it was hurled iRto space from The
hands of its creator.
1t is well that DR.. Cook makes hi,
discovery now. The things men create
that do things that man himself cal
not do are fast coming into US. There
is never-ending struggle upward be
tween man and the machinery tha
man makes for his own convenience.
Men have struggled for ages TO swim
the English Channel. They will prob
ably make that struggle no more, sine,
it is so easy to fly over it.
| Wellman had the right idea of reach
ing the pole, but his machine had no
yet reached the stage of efficiency equa
to the journey.
Zeppelin, however, next summe
| will probably start out from Spitzber
gen, go to the pole, sail above it ant
return to his landing place within
few hours.
But man on his two feet is rot out
stripped in this struggle with the arti
| fetal aids, and forces which come will
changing years and advancing civiliza
b ton.
Another goal in mans endeavor ha
been reached.
The greatest thing in exploration
that man has done was the rediscover,
of America.
Next was the circumnavigation G
the globe.
Next was the journey Of DIR. Cook o.
foot to the north pole.
The riddle of the world is all bu
solved.
When this problem is entirely out {
the way, man will then begin tn
work of unraveling the riddle of tn
universe, and some bright morning
thousand million years from this you
descendants will read how some enteI
! prising American, who will be then S
far developed as to be able 10 separat
his spiritual essence from his materi;
being, has returned to this planet aftt
successfully projecting himself to Mar
: -Commercial-Appeal.