The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1909-10-10
LIKE PEARY-COOK CLASH
Condolences History and Simultaneous Discoveries Are
Not Rare.

What has doubtless struck msny as
the most noteworthy point about the dis
covery OF the north pole is that after
so many years Of endeayor. during which
explorer after explorer has gone into the
frozcn north. some never % return, TWO
men should claim 20 have found the
coveted goal practically az the same
time, for the year intervening between
the two dates mentioned by Cook and
Peary can hardly be said 10 be a long
period. Yet this Simultaneous attain
ment Of an end long sought by men IS
10y no means new in the history OF the
world. Il has cropped up again and again
in connection with some Of the greatest
achievements in science and other fields
Of research.
1t is, after all, nothing so wonderful
Each successive expedition that pushes
farthest north. ever q bit farther away
from Us, adds UNNECESSARILY, as is the
case with parallel exploits in science. TO
the data upon which subsequent expior-
ers can base their "dashes 10 the pole
This has been so true Of many Of the
greatest OF human achievements that il
is extremely difficult 20 say 10 whom be-
longs the ultimate credit for some Of
them The invention Of the telephone
for Instance. claimed by several men,
made necessary a decision OF the Su-
preme Court OF the United States 10 clear
up the tangle-a decision so close that
the judges stood five to four, 50 good was
the case OF the losing side
Another case in point. likewise Of spe-
cial interest 70 Americans is that of the
telegraph. almost any American asked
offhand who invented it. would confident
~ name Samuel r. B. Morse. Yet the
case is by no means clear.
Shares Credit with Partner.
Morse. 10 begin with, based his discov-
cry on principles laid down by Joseph
Henry. whose great mistake was that he
made no practical application OF them.
In addition. Morse owed some Of the
most important and ingenious features OF
the invention, for which he gets the lions
share of the credit, to Alfred Vail, his
partner
Nor is this all Morse managed 70 get
a telegraph line In operation between
Washington and Baltimore in 1874 Yet
in England as early as 1887 there was a
line in operation. the first TO be used
for commercial purposes.
And Germany gees Morse one better
still. There people consider Sommering.
of Munich. the inventor Of the telegraph.
AS early as 1909 ne is said 20 have had a
telegraph apparatus in operation.
Another case OF particular interest Just
at present is that Of the invention Of the
sextant. most necessary OF all things 10
polar explorers. since hy its help alone
can they determine whether or not they
have reached their goal II started with
the cross-staff, a primitive instrument
for taking observations. much improved
by John Davies. who described his per
fected Instrument IN 1894. Further in
provements were made in 1929 by Pierre
Bougeur. In 1880 Thomas Godfrey de-
signed a sextant. soon after put TO use
by nRvigators, and close on his heels IN
1871 came John Hadley with another. II
IS claimed that. whereas the latters sex
tant traces its descent from the inven-
ton Of Bougeur. that OF Godfrey was
entirely Independent both Of the latter
and OF the Hadley sextant Sir Isaac
Newton, too. evolved something like
sextant. but apparently no developments
Of the instrument were ever based on H.
One Of the most curious Instances on