24 DRAMATIC ANNOUNCEMENTS OF COOK AND PEARY 



erick A. Cook, were engaged in their pioneer Arctic adventures. 

 Peary had explored the inland ice-cap of Greenland, east of Disco 

 Bay, in 1886, and in 1892 crossed the north of that island to Inde- 

 pendence Bay, in latitude 81 degrees 31 minutes north. He made 

 a second voyage in 1893-95, in 1897 brought back an immense 

 meteorite discovered at Cape York, .Greenland, and in 1898 went 

 north and devoted a number of years in an effort to reach the Pole 

 by the aid of dogs and sledges. On this occasion he reached latitude 

 84 degrees 17 minutes, and in his next expedition, 1905-6, surpassed 

 all previous records by his "highest north" of 87 degrees 6 minutes. 

 His final expedition in 1908-9 led him to the Pole itself in April of 

 the latter year. 



Dr. Frederick A. Cook has a record of polar adventure almost 

 as long as that of Commander Peary. He went north first as 

 surgeon of Peary's expedition of 1891, gaining much experience in 

 sledging work. A few years later he was made surgeon of the 

 Belgian Antarctic expedition, in which he added materially to his 

 knowledge of the realms of ice. He had previously gone to Green- 

 land as the leader of the unlucky "Miranda" expedition, and sub- 

 sequently he climbed the difficult slopes of Mt. McKinley, the 

 highest mountain not only of Alaska, but of America. In 1907 he 

 went north again, and in 1909 the world received from him the 

 startling announcement above mentioned. 



We may complete this resume by briefly noting down the 

 course of south polar discovery. Comparatively little was done in 

 this field prior to the period 1838-40, when three expeditions were 

 sent to the Antarctic, a French, an American and a British. Of 

 these, the American discovered the seemingly continental stretch 

 of Wilkes Land and the British reached Victoria Land and sighted 

 the volcanoes Erebus and Terror. 



For over fifty years afterwards this region was neglected. 

 Then Antarctic exploration was resumed and became active. A 

 Belgian expedition, that on which Dr. Cook went as surgeon, was 

 despatched in 1897, and had the severe experience of drifting about 



