COOK'S STORY OF HIS DISCOVERY OF NORTH POLE 31 



Franke, one of the Bradley crew, who aided him in his preliminary 

 work, but did not go with him on his long journey. 



On August 27, 1907, Mr. Bradley bade good-bye and wished 

 good luck to his late companion and sailed away to the south. The 

 first week after his departure was spent by Dr. Cook and Franke in 

 building a house, aided by Eskimos. By the middle of September 

 they had comfortable quarters built and then proceeded to lay in a 

 stock of meat to last them through the long winter. The whole of 

 the next month was devoted by Dr. Cook and Franke to hunting. 

 At the beginning of the long Arctic night the temperature was 

 between thirty and forty degrees below zero. 



Notwithstanding the intense cold the ice was not always firm, 

 according to Franke, and traveling was dangerous, especially in the 

 morning and evening. Dr. Cook and Franke found a new way to 

 prepare dog food, the secret of which Franke afterwards refused to 

 disclose, but said Dr. Cook counted upon it giving him a big advan- 

 tage over other explorers. Furs, clothing such as the Eskimos use, 

 and harness for the dogs, were purchased by Dr. Cook on trips he 

 made at great risk and personal danger to Inglefield Gulf and North 

 Star Bay. The house they lived in during the winter of 1907-08 was 

 built of boxes and consisted of one room, twelve feet square. In this 

 room was done the carpentering, meat curing, baking, cooking, 

 living and sleeping. It was also the reception hall for visiting 

 Eskimos. 



Ever since his first trip to the Arctic Dr. Cook had declared that 

 the only way to reach the Pole was to make a start in the height of 

 the Arctic winter, and thus get the advantage of a continuous ice 

 passage. He also declared that compressed or tabloid foods were 

 useless that the only way to do was to live as the Eskimos do and 

 eat their food. He had no faith whatever in balloons or other 

 modern schemes for reaching the Pole, contending that the only 

 effective method was by walking and hard work. 



For years his fellow members of the Explorers' Club had been 



