Evening star., 1926-01-24
COOKS CLAIM TO FINDING
POLE GOOD AS PEARY'S,
DECLARES RMUNOSEN

Continued from FIRST PageJ
ing of one night. and the Eskimo
nodded Yes That was the kind Of
evidence used to ,discredit Dr. Cook, "
Amundsen declared.
Stefansson Takes Issue.
DENVER. Colo. January 23 UP)--
With jalmur StetAnsson, noted Arctic
explorer. tonight took issue with the
statement made in Fort Worth. Tex,
today by Roald Amundsen, who de
CO., ed Or. Frederick \. Cooks claims
to discovery Of the North Pole We're
as plausible as those of the late
Comdr Robert l.. Peary.
If quoted correctly. Arnundsen's 3
statement IS most extraordinary. "
Stefansson, sail. 4 have always dis
agreed with Amundsen-even on i'm
portant pointS-but never more Vio-
lently than this.
"Peary had lifetime of integrity
behind him, while Cooks career has
been one Of consistent taking, ever
since he faxed the Mount Mckinley
climb, when he claimed TO have as
cended 70 the crest. and II was later
proved that he never was more than
half way 70 the top.
His career Of taking continued
from that time until it landed him in
the Federal penitentiary.
Reads Like Fiction.
Cook story reads throughout like
fiction, while Peary's reads like fact.
AmundsenS experience III the Arctic
has been on shlpbOard, on land or on
land fast polar ice until this Iast sum
rner when he experienced moving ice
f,.l ,rl HnS
the pole.
"Amundsen could not have said
Cook S claims We're as plausible as
Peary's if he had had any consider
able experience with the moving ice y
Stefansson then took out paper and
pencil and drew what he said was
conclusive evidence of Cook 5 fax
ing" Evidence based on the only
tangible thing he left to check He
referred to Cooks statement regard
ing an astronomical position he took
in 1903 near Ellsmere Island. Here
DR.. Cook said he made a sun and star
sight and located himself as 1912 de-
grees north and 1912 east" said
StefansSon. He also said at this
sight he looked eastward and saw only
a hazy outline Of Elismere Island.
HE saw Eller Ringnes to the south.
west and Amund RlngneS to The south
east This is correct, If ne was there,
but [ am convinced he never was
there; for eight years afterward-in
1916-on this identical spot, l looked
TO the east and saw an island.
Hitherto undiscovered, l named It
Meighen Island. EIllsmere Island lies
far 10 the east of this and ne could
not have seen Eliesmere Island from
this spot. If he had sighted any land
70 the east it would have been
Meighen Island
Peary Claim Secure.
ROCKFORD, Ill, January % CPl.-
Comdr Donald Z. Macmillan said to-
day he stood with the EskimoS of DIR.
Frederick a. Cook on the spot where
Cook raised his flag and called it the
North Pole" and it was 500 miles
from the North Pole.
This was the reply Of Comdr. Mac
MILAN, one OF three white survivors
of Comdr. r. Z. Peary's expedition,
to Capt Road AgnuaGsan's s assertion
that Cooks claims to having discov-
cred the pole We're as sound as
Peary's.
There is no doubt at all" said
Comdr. Macmillan, "in the mind Of
every man that went with Peary,
that Peary reached the North Pole.
There is doubt in the mind Of prac-
ticaliy everybody that DR.. Cook came
within 500 miles of it.
"Peary's claim TO having reached
the North Pole is fully as good as
South Pole"