The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-01-10
DR.. COOK Tells
OF TRIP TO POLE
ONLY rAIR-sIzED AUDIENCE TO
HEAR EXPLORER IN CITY
: AUDITORIUM.
S HE ATTACKS PEARY
ACCUSES NAVAL OFFICES OF IN
BECOMING CONDUCT AND RE-
LATEs INCIDENTS TO SUP
PORT HIS ATTACK.

thH ttHfff ~ ucStAIpS thN hHPtoNV
ments / notice since my visit ten years
ago, but say, don't like to have you
treat me with snow. ! got enough OF
that around the eighty-eighth par
allel," said Doc Cook, the explorer.
as he was cornered on the port side Of
the City Auditorium stage last night
by Virginian reporter after his lee
! ture to an audience OF over 200 peo-
pie.
The doc" was looking remarkably
well and was attired In full dress
suit with white vest which as a dis
appointment to some no thought cure
he would appear In the fur suit which
he made his dash to 'the big nail"
However the doc" got "a warm re-
ception and II there were any pres
ent who thought he was fake and
imposter they didn't show II and-at
the conclusion of the lecture te peo-
sisted on shaking hands with the man
who says he reached the top of the
| world.
"Oh. doctor. I want to shake hands
| with you and tell you how much l
teffeve tn You and ISN'T that Admiral
Peary the most horrtd man." gurgled
one sweet young thing who pushed
her way to the front and grasped the
hand that tackled the United States
1ihR W tuo XNoTH VIC
Behind His Schedule.
DOC" was little behind schedule
last night and his audience. most OF
! whom had never seen him, were on
| the "qui vtve" when about $3.50 o'clock
! he walked onto the stage and started
his lecture. He told Of the trip to the
Pole and the hardship he endured.
entering into detail with the last dish
and the 100 days of suffering. which
1, 4, L. Jtx,rc
Ahwelah and Etukishook. went
through.
| When he began to talk about IS
and 80 degrees below zero his audi
ence shivered, the ladies pulled their
furs about their necks and one man
who had just taken off his overcoat.
got up and put it on again.
Doc" prefaced his lecture on the
trip to the Pole with a little side
| rate exploring expeditions and said
that he had given the country 30 OF
the best years of his life, wholly with
out pay.
| II / deserve nothing else, de-
| serve a fair hearing" said Doctor
| Cook in appealing to his audience
and he got 1t, in addition TO thun-
derons bursts Of applause. Then
| Doc" sprung little joke.
| springs L1ttle joke.
. Il was in a railroad station few
| days ago" said the explorer. and
heard several men talking about the
North Pole. One OF them said, The
North Pole isn't as cold as it used to
| be- Another said, How Is that.
| because it's been Cooked
That brought the audience right
over to Docs side and everybody was
as attentive as could be when he
went on with his talk.
| 1t was at the conclusion of his dash
| to the Pole, however, that Doe put
on his eight ounce gloves and put
several solar plexuses over on Ad-
] miral~ Pearyr that Mould have made
| the doughty naval officer vince. had
| he been there. He told or the
Francke episode when Peary even
refused the former. an American, a
| cup of coffee when he was seriously
sick at Etah and put him off the ship.
| Then, said Doctor Cook, when he
! found that Francke was in charge
OF my camp he sent for him. welcomed
him on board. gave him two big
drinks of whiskey and square meal,
after which he had Francke examin
ed by the Roosevelt's doctor. who
| said he might live IL he went home.
Talks About Peary.
Then" said the doctor, "Peary told
Francke he could go home on one of
the ships If he turned over $4,000
worth of furs and ivory and my camp
| supplies worth $4,000. to him.
Peary. He did this" added the doc
tor. ito prevent me from coming
back and it was nothing but at
tempted murder"
One statement Doctor Cook made
that brought forth thunderous APP
plause from his audience was that
tho Pole could have been reached ten
years ago, II an honest effort had been
made to get there"
Another statement was that Peary
got over $4,000 of unearned money
| from the United States government
and over $1,000 from the American
people for nothing more than to pro-
mese fur Industry in the Far
| North, out OF which Peary and his
friends made nearly a million dol
| lars.
''Peary has done things he would
be hung for in a mining camp" said
/ Doctor Cook in driving homo q
thrust Mt the naval offlcer.
doc ended his talk by stating
that many scientists who had dis
credited him when the Peary attack
was made, were not accepting his re-
/ port and observations AT their face
! value, and that .more people were be-
| lieving every day that ne was the
| first man to actually reach the Pole
and that he really did get there. His
! lecture was illustrated with stereop-
ticon views from photographs made
| by DR.. Cook himself.
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