THE NORTH POLE

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVI, Issue 47, 25 January 1926, Page 7

THE NORTH POLE

HAS IT BEEN REACHED? OLD CONTROVERSY REVIVED. CONFLICTING OPINIONS. (By Electrio Telegraph—Copyrights Received January 25, 10.35 a.m. NEW YORK, Jan. 24. The question as to who discovered tho North Pole has been reopened following a lccturo by Captain Amundsen before a Fort Worth tent audience, in which he said that Dr. Cook’s story of the discovery was just as plausible as Captain Peary’s, and deplored the weight given to the testimony of Eskomos whereon Dr. Cook was discredited. Captain Amundsen recently visited Dr. Cook in prison and talked over old times, both having been together in Antarctic explorations in 1597. Stcfansson is inclined to credit Peary’s data, pointing out that his own observations in 1915 showed land which Peary called Crocker Land. Major-General Adolphus Greeley, the noted Arctic explorer, commenting on Captain Amundsen’s statements, said that neither Cook nor Peary ever reached the North Pole.

Major General Greeley conducted an arctic expedition as early as 1881, reaching tho furthest north up to that time, and discovering new land north of Greenland. —A. and N.Z. cable.

Dr. Cook, who is now 60 years of age, came into world-prominence about 16 years ago through his claim to bo the first man to reach the North Pole, a claim that was afterwards proved to be without foundation.. He had had considerable experience in both ' Arctic and Antarctic regions, and accompanied an expedition to tho Arctic regions in 1907, prepared to make an attempt to reach the Polo if opportunity offered. Nothing was heard of him for some time, and it ’' is believed ho had perished, but he returned to Europe from Greenland by a Danish ship on September 1,1909, making tho claim that he had reached the North Pole on April 21, 1908. According to his story he had left the expedition with which ho sailed, taking with him on his sledge journey only two Eskimos. He was given a rapturous reception at Copenhagen, and in other countries he was hailed as an explorer of the first rank. Then on September 5, 1909, came news that Captain Peary had actually reached the Pole on April 6 of year. Cook’s claim to have forestalled Peary was at first credited in various circles, but scientific opinion in Britain and tho United Stutes was more reversed. Eventually after, a prolonged dispute a special committee of tho Copenhagen University, to which his documents were submitted, declared that it could find no proof that he had reached the Pole. Dr. Cook did not appear to challenge this decision.