The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-04-16
RUSK|N STANCE IN HIS DEFENSE OF EXPLORER COOK Naturalist Tells Something of His Two Trips Into
 the Arctic
ARCTIC NIGHT IS
 CHIEF HARDSHIP
Dr. Cooks Trials Have Seldom Been Eaualed for Human Endurance in the History of
 Mankind

1 There is a god deal of interest cen tered around Dr. John w. Ruskin, who 1 is appearing at the Bijou theatre with 1 his se-to-nature motion pictures, on
 account of his two trips into the Arc 1 tic and the fact that he was with the | Whitney party when they picked up tha much maligned Frederick A. Cook. | When asked to relate some of his ex periences in the frozen north by a rep. resentative of The Age-Herald, pr. Rus. | kin said:
 Arctic literature always held me fasci- mated, and before my first venture in the Arctic I had met personally nearly every explorer of the Arctic and Ant
 arctic, of the past 25 years. Sir John | Ross, first cousin on my mothers side | had also made a successful voyage many years ago, and this, coupled with my | love for animals, induced me to accept position as official photographer on the Whitney expedition said Dr. Ruskin. 'I we'll recall the terrible smelling old | Neptune as walked up the gang plank "a vessel used by seal fishers Leaving [. | 600 miles we lodged in between, round and about scores of immense icebergs, some of them towering above our ship masts. My eyes, already strained looking at these towers of ice, had by the time we reached Etah, practically become use- | less. Within two days after anchor l ing our vessels a mile off the shore of northern Greenland, I realized a sense of blindness overtaking me and two days after landing on the shore ice, the pupils
 of my eyes had become so enlarged that | I was compelled to be led around some- thing like a child.
 THE LURE OF THE ICE WORLD Twenty days after landing, I was able to start out and visit the little, greasy looking man of the north. I confess couldn't tell man from woman they both looked alike-but there was one thing I could tell and that was I had been bequeathed something more precious than a lion and harder to To- cate than an Arctic wolf, and I was aski1 my companions to punch me in the back, and rubbing against everything could see or that would stand rub- ping against.
 The igloo is a very uninviting place for a white man. Foul, with no ventilation
 and cold. lighted only with the flicker ing yellow kame of a moss burning lamp 1 using oil for fuel. For three or four days we amused ourselves watching the Eski- mo devour canned corned beef, and other | civilized foods which he only gets when l he sees a white man. Several plugs of 1 tobacco are consumed with as much rel ish as white boy would eat choco- l late; dollar watches are broken to pieces fO ont yUh fha rifles are examined with curiosity and 1 passed from one to another, while the | women pass to one another the glass
 beads with which they trim their bear skin pants and fox coats.''
 NOT INTERESTED IN POLE | Did you attempt to get to the north pole?' was the next question asked of
 pr. Ruskin.
 No. But I had the good fortune to l see man that did succeed in reaching | the axis upon which the earth turns,
 and that man was Dr. Frederick A. Cook,' declared pr. Ruskin with much l emphasis.
 1 Why, all the scientific bodies dis
 credited Dr. Cook" was the reply.
 | That's where you are in great ,error,'' 1 continued Dr. Ruslzin with eyes snapping like fire. You are entirely wrong. The only scientific body that ever attempted
 to judge Cooks case when he reached
 civilization was the University of Co., penhagen, and their verdict was neither l proven nor disproven, data insufficient Since that time the university, through Professor Salmonsen, has given Dr. Cook full credit, as have 53 other arctic ex- 1 plorers, not armchair geographers, like l the National Geographical who for s. will admit dogs, Eskimos skulls or wal
 ruses' heads or anything else if you 1 have the two per. This National Geo. graphical society-so- o-called-decried pr. | Cook when even had pr. Cook presented his data to them they could not have scientifically passed upon them.
 NEARLY SHOT FOR SEAL
 1 'It was only by good fortune that Cook ever returned to America alive
 Whitney saw three forms, looked like
 seals, crawling or wriggling over the
 ice. He raised his gun and would have
 shot had not the first man, pr. Cook
 raised his right arm from the ice. That
 act saved his life. When Cook was
 found crawling he was so absolutely
 ema cated that he was unable to stand
 lis very bones were about to protrude through his cheeks, at his knees ano toes He and his two EslSimos, Ahwelah
 and EtilSushook, had crawled for 1;
 miles over the ice on their hands and knees, trying to get back to Annatok Three more frightful looking human be- ings could not be imagined. Dr. Coof had succeeded in doing what no other white man in the world had accom- plished and that, had made over 300, miles over the ice, undergoing fright full hardships, living for four months in an underground den when all hi civilized food had gone and his las dog eaten. with no game in that region existing on stray birds and fish, ofter going without food for four and five days at a time.
 II INVESTIGATION UNDER WAY 'Dr. Cook about a month ago wa. summoned before the committee of edu cation of the House of Representative: and was given assurance that he will b, heard and an opportunity given him t, prove his claims. .
 If Rear Admiral Peary reached th' North Pole. why hasn't he proven it And, why is it that certain influences are at work to prevent the investiga ton at Washington taking place. an, ] why are thousands of dollars being spen
 in literature sent broadcast. asking peo
 pie to pay no attention to the proposes
 investigation, that there is nothing t . investigate? An honest man never nee, | fear an investigation and if I were il ! Peary's shoes I should corrt it, not tr. ! to prevent it." continued lsr. Rus n wit much heat.
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