The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-01-10
FREDERICK COOK.
TALKS TWO HOURS
Raps Peary, and Tells Audience
How He Suffered in
the Cold.

For moro than two hours last night.
In tho City Auditorium. sometimes in
facctious vein and at other times
handling his subject seriously, DR..
Frederick Albert Cook, some time hero
of the frozen North and claimant of
polar honors, completely convinced an
audience of 1000 souls that there real
~ is, geographically. at least a North
Pole, and that Mt Mckinley does pos
itively exist.
With the aid of colorcd slides, some
OF which appeared. Just appeared, mind
you, to have been used over frequently
In illustrated songs, he showed, how
sinGlehandcd ho fought the ferocious
polar bear, spurred to fents OF untold
uuiihs ~ the gnnwing hunger which
" had not fed upon. Truly. the doc
tor is heroic figure. over the ice Hoes
ne Travelled. not in the pursuit Of
filthy lucre. not financed by an un-
thankful government but merely that
he might do sometning which would
cause his name and the names of the
two faithful followers, I-Took- A Shoe
al URa- LIFE to be writ largo in
the hall of fame.
Those Awful Nights.
The North Pole was the end to be
achieved. and the end was achieved.
DR.. Cook admits 1t himself Hard
ships We're endured. loved ones were
left behind. nights OF four months
duration were sat out. with not u SIN
waiting and watching and dreaming
an hoping. merely for love of coun-
try. Can there be n nobler exhibition
of patriotism? Can man do more for
love of flag? Arc these deprivations
not enough to cause thankful ma
tic to bend a united knee before the
returning conqucror?
Blu, what was his reward upon his
n h ta al, HlnC
nights and days OF vigil? What We're
the emoluments which were heaped
upon his careworn brow? How was
his ow-distortcd brain, grown weary
through n tramp which lasted from
July 3. 1907. until April FL, 1905. eased?
Were honors showcred upon him? Was
he made the recipient of the glad hand
by the National Geographical Society?
Did unanimous populacc accord him
the homage which was his rightful
due? Nay, nay. and again nay. Robert
e. Pcary, guilty OF all the crimes in
the decaloeue, yea In the duodeci
he 1t was who received the honors, and
tho emoluments. not that DR.. Cook
cared one Whit for the mere money.
Severe on Pcnry.
Really DR.. Cook, Instead of bringing
forth his claims TO be known rs the
discoverer OF the North Pole. launched
into an arraignment of Reer-Admiral
Peary. He told so many things which
do not speak well for the admiral, and
told them so rapidly. that thie chron-
icler. at least. was unable to record
them all. But he said that hea could
suhstantlate what he said and would
do so with his own money and with
his fists, which ne held UP menacinGiy,
II necessary. tltuch appiause.>
art of the doctors narrative was
str..>inS. His hairbreadth escapes. his
finding OF just the things he need
, cd. az just the moment he needed
them, and IN just tire place they should
be. caused the hair to stand on end.
The "olorins of the slides was mar
velou" and tho camera work must have
been OF high order. especially as
some OF the pictures from which the
slides were made were taken during
the long night, when the sun neither
rose nor set 1t was quite an enter
tanning lecture. strikinsiy frigid. and
! DR.. Cook is a pleasant speaker.
He was introduced by Councilman
George Med. Blake, who eioquently
told who DR.. Cook was. what he had
accomplished, and averred that had the
doctor been in the United States Navy.
he. personally. did not believe that
the question as to who had discovered
/ the pole. would have been raised.
at that, DR.. Cook convinced some.