THE NORTH POLE AGAIN.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 606, 8 September 1909, Page 6

THE NORTH POLE AGAIN.

■*'-'.■ We- were, all very: greatly! astonished when■jit.-was reported ; last weclrthat Dr, r CopK had 'discovered tho'North Polei |Tho. news, of to-day is still -more aston-'. ' ishjng..-.;: r Commander Pbamv ;:has' 'also'j •reached.the,tpp' of ; the world, and! 1 , is 'hastening South 'with a wonderful tale: to ; ;;tell;. : Although' ;We:'observed, \when! ■the news.,respecting ;-Dit;'--,Cook arrived, that'wo should'doubtless have';the' Tolo regularly -discovered, 'on". tho' prinoiplo that; it.neverrains but it pours, wo were ■not propared'. for so early a verification ofioiir prddi'ctiori.' It would almost 1 apis a .rush on tho Pole;: Few people' .will doubK for a moment that Jeart has - stated. the . truth . (respecting, his expedition; while everyone will agree 'that .his- courage • and ' persistence,'■ •'.ex- T hibjted'.ovor''a : ;perio'd of'yoa'rs,:hav'e tho-' roughly merited 'the. great success, to which they have led him at- last. 1 . Al-' though it iß'not' outsido'the possibilities of coincidence':tha't 'two"independent explorers should. discover the Polo. within a year, and bring the news of their dis-. coveries within a few days of each other, there .is perhaps somo ground for: the doubts that appear to havo arisen already in the minds of somo people ,■, respecting the bona fides of one of .the claims put forward; ' Sin'Qeokge'Naees appears to insinuate that De.! Cook v did, not react the, Pole at all, and that his.report was hurriedly mado: on his shearing, of ; , Commander Peary's success. But the same.reasoningapplios with equal:! force ; to the case 'of/ PEAtiy. 'Until ; tho facta : aro proved/to be otherwise, it !is best to accept the stories of both explorers as true, and to congratulate "America on having all the'glory of the crown of Polar enter.,prise., : •■-',....