The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1909-12-23
DANES
AGAINST
DR.. COOK
Say Explorers Data
is Worthless.
DOESN'T PROVE CLAIM
DOESN'T PROVE CLAIM
Report the Same as Pub
IiShed in Newspapers.
He FOOLED THEM ALL"

Copenhagen. Denmark. Dec. p. -
The University of Copenhagen. the
FIRST institution OF learning to recog
nize DR.. Frederick A. Cook as the dis
covorer OF the North Pole. solemnly
declared and formally announced that
the explorer had failed to establish
the claim upon which his high honor
had been based.
The committee appointed by the
university 70 examine Cooks records
recently presented its report to the
consistOry of the University. which.
reviewed the deductions Of the eN-
perts with the greatest care and dis
cussed the findings from every stand
point. That both the committee and
the consisiory were disappointed was
soon known.
The conslstory adopted written re-
port to the effect that the alleged
records submitted for examination by
DR.. Cook failed to prove his claim that
he had reached the North Pole.
The report OF the committee. OF
which Professor Stronger. the motel
astronomer. was chairman. as pre-
scented to the cOnsistory. states that
Cooks papers are without any value
that his report 10 the university is
practically the same as that published
in the New York Herald upon his re
turn from his Arctic expedition.
The copies of his notebooks sub
mitted. says the committee. contain
no original calculations Of observa
tons. but only results thereof Accord
lngly the committee concludes that he
affords no proof of having reached the
North Pole
Danes Furiously Angry.
Widespread indignation over the de
cepton which has placed practically
the whole of Denmark in a somewhat
position has taken the
place Of the hero-wOrship heretofore
accorded 70 Dr. Cook While there
have always been some who doubted
that Cook would be able 10 prove sat
isfactorily that he reached the North
Pole. there WAS not a soul but expect
ed that he would at least supply some
plausible data and supporting material,
which. while it might not suffice to
establish his claim would furnish
some confederation of his earlier
statement
The public is unable to comprehend
why Cook sent his papers. when he
admits in a letter presented to Pro
fessor Torp by Lonsdale. his secretary,
that it seems unwise and impossible
to give final judgment because Of the
absence OF the instruments and Obscr
vatiOns which / left at Etah.'
The members Of the examining com
mittee are very angry over the doc
tors behavior. Professor Strongren
the president of the committee, IS fu
rious, and characterizes Cooks treat
ment of the university as shameless
Papers Examined.
The documents handed the commits
s Ion Of the University Of Copenhagen
for examination are:
First. a typewriter report prepared
by Cooks secretary, Walter Lonsdale.
and covering sixty-one pages Of fools
cap.
Second. a typewriter copy made by
Lonsdale from Cooks notebooks. This
occupies sixteen pages Of foolscap
and includes a description of the ex-
petition during the period from March
Is, 1908. to June 70. 1908. during
which. according to the statement
Cook journeyed from Svarteyog to the
North Pole and returned to q point on
the polar ice not specifically indi-
Gated. but west Of the Axel Heiberg
Land. i
The papers We're not accompanied
by private letter from DR.. Cook. but
I.onsdale said to the com
mittee that the original notebooks Of
the explorer. from which his copies
were made. had been sent 10 Europe
by another route as q measure of safe
ty and would be given to the uniyer-
sity in the course OF a few days.
In presenting the records Lonsdale
stated plainly and repeatedly that copy
numbered two was a complete and
truthful copy of the information con-
tanned in all of DR.. Cooks notebooks |
that could be Of any Importance to
the university for the purposes of this