262 COOK'S RETURN 



The trip up the river was a triumphal one. The Grand RepubHc was greeted 

 with the siren shrieks of hundreds of craft, small and large. Dr. Cook stood on 

 the upper deck. 



The steamer after reaching the foot of West 130th street went up the North 

 River as far as Spuyten Duyvil and then retraced its course to the Battery and 

 proceeded up the East River to the foot of South 5th street, in Brooklyn, where 

 Dr. Cook was landed. 



The ceremonies on the Grand Republic during the three hours that the 

 explorer and the reception party were aboard were necessarily informal, owing 

 to the crowd that pressed about Dr. Cook, all eager to shake his hand and 

 exchange words of greeting. The first person to greet him was Ida A. Lehmann, 

 a daughter of one of his old Brooklyn friends, who had been delegated to decor- 

 ate the explorer with a wreath of roses, in accordance with a custom followed 

 at Coijenhagen. As Miss Lehmann threw the garland about Dr. Cook's neck, 

 she said : 



"You hero of the north, come to us, your friends, associates and business 

 acquaintances of your own neighborhood, Bushwick. Your record with us 

 was one of honor, character and conscience, and your word the synonym of 

 truth. We believe you from the far north, and are here to proclaim you a 

 'gentleman of Bushwick !' " 



Dr. Cook wore the garland during the rest of the reception ceremonies. 



Bird S. Coler, borough president, welcomed the explorer aboard the steamer 

 on behalf of the borough of Brooklyn. "I regret," he said, "that we have not 

 a mayor as big as our town to receive you. You are not only a great explorer, 

 but a thorough American gentleman, and Mrs. Cook is a thorough American 

 lady." 



Speaking for the Arctic Club of America, Capt. Bradley S. Osbon, its 

 secretary, read a letter from the president, Rear-Admiral Winfield Scott 

 Schley, in which the admiral expressed regret that his health made it impossible 

 to be present. "I hope you will carry to Dr. Cook," he said, "my congratula- 

 tions and abiding faith in the great achievement he has accomplished." 



One of the first to greet Dr. Coc^k after the speechmaking was over was his 

 sister, Mrs. Joseph Y. Murphy of Tom's River, N. J. The bronzed explorer 

 took her in his arms and hugged and kissed her regardless of the cameras 

 trained upon him. After that he kissed his niece, Miss Lilyn Murphy, and 

 shook hands with Joseph Murphy, his brother-in-law. 



It was a disheveled discoverer that finallv retired to his cabin, where he 



