The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1910-01-13
DANISH REPORT
IS At WASHINGTON
Is Reviewed by Geographic So
ciety's Committee.
NO COOK DATA is WITH IT
University Of Copenhagen Commission
Declare Nothing Was Submitted
That Contained Proof Elk.
plorer Reached Pole.

Washington, Jan. 10.-The long-de-
layed report of the University of
Copenhagen to the National Geographic
society has arrived in Washington. 1t
was written in Danish, and though
brief, was to the point.
After being translated the report
was reviewed by DR.. ]. Howard Gore,
Rear Admiral III. N. Pillsbury and
Prof. c. Willard Hayes, chief geolog.
list Of the United States Geological
society, constituting the special COM
mittee of the Geographic society APP
pointed to review the Cook data
No Cook Data Is Received.
None of the Cook data accompanied
the report which is in part as follows:
Astronomical Observatory, Copen.
hagen, Dec. IS, 1909.
The documents which were handed
to the commission for examination
are: r." #'&
1. A typewriter report of DR..
Cooks north pole journey, made by
Mr.. Lonsdale (61 folio pages).
2. A typewriter copy made from
DR.. Cooks notebooks, covering the
period from March IS, 1908, until
June 13, 1908, the time in which, &C.
cording to DR.. Cooks statement, he
journeyed to the pole and back to an
underlined point ON the polar ice west
OF Axel Heibergs land (16 folio
pages). "t'
These two documents by DR.. Cook
through Mr.. Lonsdale, December OF
this year, to the rector of the univer.
sity, Prof. Salmonsen, and to Prof.
Stromgren.
Notebooks Sent Another Route.
The papers named were not accom-.
panied by any letter from DR.. Cook,
but Mr.. Lonsdale stated orally that
the original notebooks, which for
safety's sake had been sent to Eu-
rope by another route, would be
turned over to the university in the
course of few days.
The second document, according to
Mr.. Lonsdale's explicit and repeated
assurance, was complete and &C.
curate copy of all the information
contained in the notebooks which, &C.
cording to the opinion of DR.. Cook,
could be of any use for the uniyer-
sity's examination. These notebooks,
In spite of the promises given, have
not yet come into the hands Of the
commission, and up to the present
time it has been impossible to estab.
fish communication with DR.. Cook,
whose address Is unknown, even to
his secretary.
After the members of the commits.
sion had individually familiarized
themselves with the material submit.
ted and in this way, the conclusion
that it was absolutely worthless for
deciding the question as to whether
DR.. Cook had reached the north pole,
the chairman called meeting for Fri.
day, December II, for the purpose of
preparing report to the university.
To this meeting Mr.. Lonsdale was In.
vited to be present and to answer
some questions. He brought with him
on this occasion a letter from DR..
Cook in his own handwriting, upon
which there was neither the place nor
the date of writing, but on the en-
velope was stamped "Marseiiles, IA
Decbr., 1909"
Observations Left at Etah.
In this letter DR.. Cook stated that
not only instruments, as he had an
nounced in his telegram to the uni.
Versity of October %, 1909, but also
the most of his astronomical observa-
tions had been left behind at Etah,
and that without these 1t seems un-
wise and impossible" to pass final judg-
ment upon his journey. -.
In consequence of the conditions
just stated, the commission gives as
the result of its examination OF the
material submitted the following as
its conviction:
The report Of the expedition re-
ferred to under "a is essentially the
same that was published during Sep
TENDER and October of this year in
the New York Herald.
The copy of the notebooks referred
to under (2) contains no original as
Economical observation whatever, but
only results. r..
The data in the documents submit
ted to us are of such an unsatisfac-
tory character that 1t is not possible
to declare with certainty that the as
Economical observations referred to
were actually made; there is likewise
lacking details in practical matters
such as sledge journeys which could
furnish some control. The commits
sion is therefore of the opinion that
the material transmitted for examina-
ton contains no proof whatsoever
that DR.. Cook reached the pole.