Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1909-09-09
POLE IS FOUND.
Frederick Cook, American Explorer,
Reaches Most Northern Point.

| al ioI oCpts nltCA q PloiobS5CN
fight with famine and frost, we at last
have succeeded in reaching the North
Pole"
Thus declares DR.. Frederick A. Cook
in signed statement this morning in
the Paris edition of the New York
Herald. The statement, which is
dated "Hans Egede, Lerwick, Wednes-
day." continues:
"A new highway with an interesting
strip of animated nature has been ex-
plored and big game haunts located,
which will delight sportsmen and ex-
tend the Esquimo horizon.
"Land has been discovered on which
rest the earth's northernmost rocks.
A triangle of 80, 900 square miles has
been cut out of the terrestrial un.
known.
"The expedition was the outcome of
summer cruise in the Arctic seas on
the schooner Bradley, which arrived at
the limits of navigation in Smith sound
late in August, 1907. Here conditions
were found favorable for launching a
venture to the pole. j. r. Bradley
literally supplied from his vessel suit
able provisions for local use. My own
equipment for emergencies served we'll
for every purpose in the Arctics.
"At sunrise of 1908-February 19-
the main expedition embarked on it's
voyage to the pole. 1t consisted of ii
men and 1O3 dogs, drawing II heavily
laden sledges. The expedition left the
Greenland shore and pushed westward
over the troubled ice of Smith sound.
"The gloom of the long night was
relieved only by few hours of day
light. The chill of the winter was
felt at its worst. AS we crossed the
heights of Ellsmere sound to the Pa
ciic slope, the temperature sank to
minus 83 centigrade. Several dogs
were frozen and the men suffered Sc
verely, but we soon found the game
trails, along which the way was easy.
"There was an unknown line 46O
miles away which was our goal. We
made encouraging progress. A big
lead. which separated the land from
the ice of the central pack was crossed
with little delay.
"We advanced steadily over the
monotony of moving sea ice and now
found ourselves beyond the range of all
life-neither footprints of bears nor
the blowholes of seals were detected.
Even the microscopic creatures of the
deep were no longer under US.
"Thus, day after day, our weary legs
spread over great distances. Incidents
and positions were recorded, but ad
venture was promptly forgotten in the
next days efforts. The night of April
7 was made more notable by the swing
ing of the sun at midnight over the
northern ice. Sunburns and frostbites
now were recorded on the same day,
but the double days glitter infused
quite an incentive into ones life of
shivers.
1--WE were now about 200 miles from
the pole and sledge loads were reduced.
One dog after another went into the
stomachs of the hungry survivors, until
the teams were considerably diminish
ed in number, but there seemed to re-
main sofficient balance for man and
brute to push along into the heart of
the mystery to which we had set our
selves.
"On April 81 we had reached SO de-
grees SO minutes 46 seconds. The pole
was in sight. We covered the remain
ing ID seconds and made a few final
I told Etukishook and
Ahwelsh, the accompanying Eskimos,
that we had reached the great nail.
Everywhere we turned was south.
With single step we could pass from
one side of the earth to the other; from
midday to midnight. At last the flag
floated to the breezes at the pole. 1t
was April 21, 1908. The temperature
was minus 38 centigrade; barometer
29.S3; latitude, 80; as for longitude,
it was nothing, as it was but word.
Although crazy with Joy, our spirits
began to undergo feeling of weari-
ness. Next day, after taking all our
sentiment of intense
penetrated US while we looked |
at the horizon. Was it possible that
this desolate region, without a patch |
Of earth, had aroused the ambition of
SO many men for so many centuries?
There was no ground, only an immen-
sity of dazzling white snow, no living
being, no point to break the monotony.
"On April 23 we started on our re-
turn"