The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-09-02
Stood in Latitude so and Every
where Was South.
WITH A SINGLE STEP
Could Pass From One Side Oh
Earth to the Other.
LONGITUDE Was Only a word
Where He Stood.

Paris Sept. 2-The Paris eoltloh
of the New York Herald publishes
signed statement from DR.. FREDERICK
A. Cook. which is dated Hans, Egede'
Lerwick, Wednesday. on his ex-
periences in the Arctic regions.
after prolonged fight with
famine and frost" says DR.. Cook
1--WE have at last succeeded in reach
Ing the North Pole. A new highway
with an interesting strip of animated
nature. has been explored and big
game haunts located which will de-
light sportsmen and extend the
Esquimau horizon.
Land has been discovered on
which rests the earths northernmost
rock. A triangle of $4,000 square
miles has been cut out of the
terrestrial unknown.
1.-The expedition was the outcome
of a summer cruise in the Arctic seas
on the schooner Bradley, which ar
rived at the limits of navigation in
Smith sound late in August, 1917.
There conditions were found favor
able for launching a venture to the
pole. j. r. Bradley literally sup
piled from his vessel provisions for
local use. My own equipment for
emergencies served we'll for every
Esquimaux had gathered on the
Greenland shores at Annatoak for the
winter bear hunt. Immense
quantities of meat had been col
1ected and in camp where plenty of
strong dogs. The combination was
lucky, for there was good material
for equipment.
"All that was required was con-
veniently arranged for at polnI only
seven hundred miles from the BoreaI
center. A house and workshop were
built of packing boxes and this north
ernmost tribe of ESQ people set them
selves to the problem of devis1ng a
suitable outfit. Before the end of the
long winter night We were ready for
the enterprise and plans had matured
to force a new route over Grinnel
and northward along it's west coast
out on to the polar sea.
Campaign Opens.
1.-THE campaign opened with few
scouting parties being sent over the
American shores to explore the way
and seek the game haunts- Their
mission was only partly successful
because of the storms. At sunrise of
February 10, 1908, the main ex-
pedition embarked on its voyage to
the pole. 1t consisted of eleven men
and 103 dogs drawing eleven heavily
laden sleds. The expedition left the
Greenland shore and pushed over
the troubled ice of Smith sound The
gloom of the long winter was relieved
by few hours of daylight. The chill
of the winter was felt at its worst
AS we crossed the heights of Elles-
mere sound to the Pacific slope the
centigrade. Several dogs were
frozen, and the men suffered severely,
but we soon found the game trails
along which the way was easy.
1--WE forced our way through Hazen
sound to Lands end. In this march we
secured 101 musk oxen, seven bears and
355 hares. We pushed out into the
Polar sea from the southern point Of
Herbert island on March Is. Six
Esquimaux returned from here. With
four men and 46 dogs moving supplies
for eighty days, the crossing of the cir
cumpolar pack was begun. Three days
later two other Esquimaux, forming
the last supporting party, returned and
the party had now been reduced by the
survival of the fittest. The two best
men and 26 dogs were picked for the
final effort.
Made Life Torture.
There before us in an unknown line
of 46O miles lay our goal. The first
days journey provided long marches
and we made encouraging progress. A
big lead which separated the land from
the ice of the central pack was crossed
with little delay. The low temperature
was persistent and the winds made life
torture. But cooped up in our snow
houses, eating dried beef tallow and
drinking hot tea, there were some ami
NAL comforts occasionally to be gained
For several days after the sight of
known land was lost the over cast sky
prevented an accurate determination 1r
our positions. On March 80 the horizon
was partly cleared and new land was
discovered. Our observations gave our
position as latitude S4.47 longitude Sc So
There was urgent need of rapid ad |
vance. Our main mission did not per-
nit detour for the purpose of explof-
ing the coast. There we saw the last
signs of solid earth; beyond, there was
nothing stable to be seen.
We advanced steadily over thu
monoton- of moving sea ice and now
found ourselves beyond the range of all !
life-neither footprint of bears nor the
blow holes of seals were detected. Even
the microscopic creatures of the deep
were no longer under us. The madden
ing influence of the shifting desert of
frost became almost unendurable In the
daily routine. The surface of the pack
offered less and less trouble and the
weather improved. but there still re
mained the life-sapping wind which
drove despair to it's lowest recess. The
extreme cold compelled physical acticii.
Thus, day after day our weary legs
spread over big distances. Incidents
and positions were recorded bu+ al
venture was promptly forgotten in the
next days efforts.
The Midnight Sun.
The night of April was made nota
Bile by the swinging of the sun at mid
night over the northern ice. Sunbeams
and frost bites now were recorded on
the same day, but the double davs plit
ter infused quite an incentive inio
ones life of shivers
Our observation on April placed
the camp in latitude S6.36, longitude
94.2.
I'm spite of what seemed long
marches, we advanced but little over
. hundred miles. Much OF our work