The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1910-12-16
COOK COMES BACK"
In MAGAZINE STORY
Arctic Explorer Lays Foundation for
the Defense Of His Honesty In
Believing He Discovered the
North Pole

New York, Dee 49,. NO one should
discredit me until he knows what
endured the two and half years of
arctic experience until he hungers with
me. freezes with me, shudders with me
in the specter-ridden arctic night and
grows mad with me in the glaring, burn
ing, long and cracking arctic day. Not
until then can be understand my mutual
condition at the time and appreciate
lust how ! feel now and what | believe
to be true"
In these words does DR. Frederick A.
Cook, in the first installment Of his
"own story in the January number Of
Hampton's Magazine, issued to-day, lay
the groundwork for his defense, not Of
his north pole discovery claim, which
he now admits may be without merit,
but of his honesty in believing that he
accomplished this marvellous feat.
"If ! did believe in myself, honestly
and sincerely, if l felt convinced Of my
claim when reached Copenhagen and
latter New York, Y the explorer says, is
it Just to call me the worlds most in
trepid fakir, a common, deliberate swind-
Ter? Unconseiousy | may have made
statements which | myself now ques-
ton That is ineNeusable, But most
emphatically and positively, | am not
a thief; most certainly there was no
plan to hoay the world to my own fnan-
cial profit.
Dr. Cook says that he has been ac-
cused OF being colossal liar and yet
that many lies have been told on him.
He cites the gum drop story as a sample,
He says he took no gum drops wSth
him and never heard the story until he
got to New York Cook says that the
trip was not undertaken for scientific
attainment "It was personal con.
quest, in which | expected only the re-
turn due pathfinder"
Continuing, Dr. Cook says; II shall
mot give in this story my scientific OBJ
servations They have been published
and seinetifc authorities have rejected
them as inadequate. It may seem a Gu
rious thing, as so much is made Of fig
ures-which can be manufactured by the
ream-for me to say that figures of in
strumental observations are only self
convincing. But / am telling the truth,
as | see it frankly
"My conviction that | reached the
pole never was based solely upon OBJ
servations, figures or mathematical cal
culations. ] did take these, of course.
Sometimes ] took them hastily, again
working them out with most painstak-
ing accuracy. Sometimes my mind was
clear rs crystal, again was dazed with
hunger, thirst and cold. These figures
did not convince me Of my achieve
ment They only corroborated my inner
conviction of progress
WAS my inner conviction that | at
tanned the pole insane Perhaps. Which
raises the whole problem of the border
line of sanity. | was, | feel, no more
insane than any man who frantically
pursues an ideal-an ideal which may
seem hair-brained to the practical man
and who finally to himself, if to no
other, is Nsatisfed that he has accom-
plished hiS desire My conviction may
be beyond the bounds Of reason. Some
times now ! feel that it is. Again
do not do not know. Moreover, and
especially since have viewed men from
peculiarly suspicious, though unen-
NtHptF dHEAfs VI lhbts 2 iipNt fNtH III
pressed with the stability, the illogical
ity of all human reason
As an illustration Of the peculiar ef-
feet the far north has on one, DR. Cook
says that after leaving Heiberg Land
the fantastic unrealities of the north
began TO manifest themselves most
Peaks of snow were transformed into
volcanoes, belching smoke; ont Of the
pearly snow were marvellous cities, with
fairy castles; huge creatures, misshapeu
and grotesque. writhed along the horizon.
These spectral denizens of the north ac-
companied US during the entire jour
pey and when tagged Of brain and
sspped of bodily strength, / felt my
mind swimming in a sea Of half-con-
seiousness, they filed me almost with
horror, impressing me as the monsters
one sees in a nightmare
Cook explains his mental condition
partially by his inability to sleep Amy
one who has suffered from insomnia,
says, may be able in a small degree to
guage my condition when sleep became
impossible. To reach the end OF my
journey became the haunting, ever pres
ent, goading thought of my wakeful ex-
istence."