Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-10
Shows Clearly Copenhagen Univer.
sity's Distrust of Data.
NO ACTION AT PRESENT
American Committee to Reserve
Judgment Until Papers Now Be-
ing Considered Are. Received.

data now being considered by the con-
sistory at Copenhagen is received by the
committee. The letter of transmittal
from Rector Salomonsen accompanying
the report of the findings of the con-
sistory states that further documents
are being considered by the consistory,
although it fails to state exactly what
these documents are. 1t is thought they
may be some of DIR. Cooks notebooks.
Prof. Gore and the other members OF
the special committee held a session yes
terday after the report from the uni.
versity had been translated from Danish
into English by Prof. Gore. and it was
then decided to await the arrival of the
further data before making report to
the board of managers of the National
Geographic Society. a statement to this
effect has been sent to each member OF
the board.
Contradiction of Dates.
There is a slight contradiction in dates
in the report as given out by the uni
versity. In one place it states that the
documents were transmitted by DR.. Cook
through Mr.. Lonsdale December 10, and
later on it states that after the men,
bers of the commission had individually
fan,lliarized themselves with the ma
terial submitted the chairman called a
meeting for December IL. This inaccu-
racy and contradiction is contained In
the original report as received from the
university, and caused some amusement
among those who read the otherwise
carefully prepared report of the scien-
fists.
:.some friend of Cook will now prob
ably come out with the argument that
according to its own signed statement
the consiStory of the university passed
on the records two days before 1t re-
ceived them," laughingly remarked a
member Of the National Geographic So
ciety today. You can't be too careful
in dealing with polar affairs" he added.
Findings of the Consistory.
The findings Of the consistory. which
are signed by Rector Carl Jul Salomon-
sen and V. Benton, are as follows:
Copenhagen, December 81, 1909.
For the purpose of judging the journal
which was given to the University of
Copenhagen by Mr.. Walter Lonsdale.
the secretary of DR.. Frederick A. Cook,
the consistory of the university appoint
ed a committee consisting of the follow
ing specialists: Ellis Stroemgren, profess
sor of astronomy In the University Of
Copenhagen. chairman of the committee:
Folke EngStrom, observer at the astro-
IOIHlCdl ODSeTNdlOTy COMMANDER
Gustav Holm, chief pilot, Copenhagen: /:
Commander l. A. d. Jensen, director of
navigation, Copenhagen; c. f. Pechule,
observer at Copenhagen astronomical OBJ
servatory; Capt. Carl Ryder, director of
the Meteorological Institute. The coun-
mission associated with itself the author,
knud RammuSSen.
The Examiners Report.
The consstory received from the COM
mission a report as follows:
Astronomical Observatory.
Copenhagen, December IS. 1909.
The documents wheich were handed to
the commission for examination are:
1. A typewriter report of DIR. Cook
north pole Journey. made by Mr.. Ions
dale (sixty-one folio pages).
2. A typewriter copy made from DIR.
Cooks notebooks covering period
from March Is, 1908, until June 13, 1908,
the time in which. according to Dr.
Cooks statement, he journeyed to the
pole and back to an underlined point on
the polar ice west of Axel Heiberg's s
Land tsixteen folio pages).
ted by DIR. Cook through Mr.. Lonsdale
on December 10 of this year to the
rector of the university. Prof. Salomon-
sen and to Prof. Stroemgen.
Inc papers named were not accom-
panied by any letter from DR.. Cook, but
Mr.. Lonsdale stated orally that the or
iginal notebooks, which. for safety's sake,
had been sent to Europe by another
route, would be turned over to the uni
versity in the course of a few days.
The second document, according to Mr..
Lonsdale's explicit and repeated assur-
ance. was a complete and accurate copy
of all the information contained in the
notebooks, which. according to the opinion
IS l. x~f., r.
university's examination. These note
books, 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 establish COM
munication with DIR. Cook, whose address
is unknown even to his secretary.
Final Inquiries of Lonsdale.
After the members of the commission
had individually familiarized themselves
with the material submitted, and in this
way reached 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 Friday, December
II, for the purpose of preparing a re-
port to the university.
To this meet ng Mr.. Lonsdale was in
vited to be present and to answer some
questions. He brought with him on this
occasion a letter from DIR. Cook in his
own handwriting, upon which there was
neither the place nor the date of writing.
but on the envelope was stamped Mar
seilles. IA Decbr. 19O9.''
In the same envelope there was a let
ter from DR.. Cook to the then rector,
Prof. Torp. dated New York. September
q, 1909. In this letter DR.. Cook stated
that not only his instruments, as he had
announced in his telegram to the uni
versity on October %, 1909. but also the
most of his astronomic observations. had
been left behind at Etah, and that with
out these it seems unwise and impos-
sible to pass final judgment upon his
journey.
In consequence of the conditions just
stated, the commission gives as the re-
suits Of it's examination of the material
submitted the following as its conviction:
Conclusions Of the Commission.
The report of the exp edition referred to
under l is essentially the same that was
Continued on Fourth .Page.)