The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-12-21
THE COOK PRELIMINARY.

effect that on n preliminary eNamina-
tion of the records of DR. Cook with
reference TO his claim of discovery of
the North pole these were not convlnc
ing to the scientists of the University
of Copenhagen. 1t would appear from
the meager information furnished, that
there is something of controversy
among the Danish scientists who are
making the examination Of the Cook rec
ords as to the suficiency of the proofs.
There are even intimations that the
final verdict, if not absolutely adverse,
may be mot proven But even so, it
would not necessarily mean that Dr.
Cook was a fraud or that he intended
wifully TO deceive the world. There is
was AT the pole when he waS not; and
so far as that possibility goes, friends
Of DR.. Cook would be entitled to urge il
IN his behalf against any charge of in
ternatopal fraud
There arc, however, n good many
things in favor of Dr., Cook that ought
in fairness to be said Mr. Wellman has
made n good deal of clamor about his
claim as to the insuflicieucy of the food
which DR.. Cook took on his trip. Well.
man claims that the amount was alto
gether inadequate The Springfield Re.
publican, however. by comparison with
Commander Peuy' supplies aud by
computation Of the needs of Dr. Cook
aud his EsquimauE. shows that there
is bsolutclv no objection against Dr.
Cock 5 claims :ro:u this source; the food
was enough 10 serve Another objcc
ton raised at first against Dr. Cook 5
report was that il was impossible for
RnT Cnt 10 travel nj the speed that Dr.
Cook claimed 20 have travelled in his
trip 10 the pole. But Dr. Cook : c!aim
in this was absolutely verified hv Com.
lHarder Peary, himself, who reported
even swifter travel.
There are three main points involved
IN Dr., Cook s claim wh'cr the Spring
fcld Republican lays stress upon ard
points ont with great clearncss aud
force. The first is that the ice be.
comes smoother and travel better after
the explorer gets beyond the point
where explorers heretofore have been
Obliged to stop. Between tnat point
(say about 50 degrees) and at the pole
the ice becomes smoother and travel
easier. so that far greater speed is pos
sible. Now it is true that one who
has never been there might guess this.
but the chance Of guessing right IL
certainly not more than even; but Com
mander Peary verIfcs this statement of
Dr. Cook s, so that il Cook were merely
guessing he guessed right.
The second point is that on arriving
at the north pole, DR.. Cook reported that
there was no land, and none in sight and
no land had been visible for many
days. travel. This, also, might have
been guessed, but Commander Peary con.
firms the fact; there is no land at all AT
or near the north pole, If we concede
that DR.. Cook made lucky guess in
these two cases, 1t must be admitted
that for man to make two exact
gucsscs on an unknown proposition of
this kind would be something far be.
yond ordinary expectation. To make
one guess might be about an even
thing, but to make two increases vastly
the improbability of a guess being cor
rect. So that on these two points DR..
Cook certainly has the advantage in bav~
ing stated as facts what Commander
Pcary later verified to be true.
The third point is that as an ex-
plorer reaches the pole the temperature
becomes warmer. This was certainly
not to have been expected, any more
than that the ice gets smoother and
tho travel easier as one approaches the
pole. The moderation of temperature as
reported by DR.. Cook was received by
his critics with scoff; and yet Com
mander Peary verifes this precisely.
He found the same thing
Here, then, are three points stated
correctly by DR.. Cook. If they were
mere guesses he hat them with a miracu-
lous fidelity to truth that is altogether
beyond the probability in human caIcu-
lation. The law of averages or of prob
abilities is 80 adverse TO a man making
three guesses Of this kind correctly as
to practically eliminate the idea that it
was guess work.
While it is true that the Danes have
been predisposed in DR.. Cooks favor,
it is not in the least to be assumed
that they would stretch point of fact
in his support. Those Danes are a
very hard-headed, insistent. wide.awake,
4. III m
port anything as being true unless they
are convinced that it is true. They be"
gan the INVESTIGATION evidently with the
idea that DR.. Cook is an honest mar
and had made an honest report, And
vet he cannot infer or expect anything