Saturday, 11 September 1909

Amundsen

The North Pole, a photo taken in 2006 by the NOAA/Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory. [1]

The New York Times printed a cable from Peary in Labrador, saying that Cook had "not been at the pole on April 21st, 1908, or at any other time. He has simply handed the public a gold brick." [2]

Controversy still remains today over which, if indeed either, Cook or Peary had been first.

Amundsen was again interviewed by the press, who asked if he believed in Cook. "'Unreservedly,' he replied. 'How can you explain this affair with Peary?' 'Well,' answered Amundsen, 'Peary has got it into his head that he is entitled to a monopoly of everything up there in the North.'" [3]

The next day, Amundsen cabled Daugaard-Jensen to double his order of Greenland dogs, from fifty to a hundred.


Notes:

[1] Wikipedia.
[2] "Peary Denounces Cook", New York Times, 11 September 1909.
[3] Aftenposten (Christiania) afternoon edition, 11 September 1909, quoted by Roland Huntford in Scott and Amundsen (New York : Putnam, 1980, c1979), p.220.