Abstract
THE Peary-Cook question still arouses controversy in the United States, and the author of the book before us, a former captain in the American Merchant Service and a past member of the Nebraska Legislature, has elaborately cross-examined the various narratives by Peary and his colleagues. He concludes that there is no conclusive evidence that either of the two claimants reached the North Pole. He states that he began his investigation with full faith in Peary; if so, his feelings have been so strongly roused that his statement is marked by the appearance of bitter personal bias. He maintains that the speeds claimed by Peary in his last marches are impossible, that Peary's photographs are shown by incompletely obliterated shadows not to have been taken in the latitudes claimed, and that Peary's different narratives are inconsistent and contradicted on essential questions by those of his negro companion, Henson. The author also claims that recent ascents of Mount McKinley show that Cook must have achieved the ascent of that mountain.
Has the North Pole been Discovered?
By Thomas F. Hall. Pp. 539 + maps, charts, etc. (Toronto: Richard G. Badger.) Price 2.50 dollars.
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Has the North Pole been Discovered? . Nature 106, 499 (1920). https://doi.org/10.1038/106499b0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/106499b0