Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 27, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 January 1914 — LATEST ADDITION TO ARCTIC MAP [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

LATEST ADDITION TO ARCTIC MAP

by MAJ. GEN. A.W. GREELY, U.S.A.

T BAS often recurred la polar exploration, as in many other phases df human activity, that the socalled last word 4s not the final one. When the remarkable Beries of arctic expeditions came to

, end, after years of fruitless search for the long-lost Sir John Franklin, - the fleet commander, Sir Edward Belcher, write “The Last of the Arctic Voyages.” No one was more surprised than Belcher when McClintock’s search in the Fox w* s initiated, and the final record was made of Franklin’s death and of the discoveries of his shipmates. An I then followed that line of heroic American explorations which opened up the wondrous waterways of the West Greenland coast and thus unbarred the hitherto closed gates to the very pole. In years Just ptssed, when the stirring dispatch caiue announcing that . Perry bad reached the north geographic pole, the acme of his ambitious struggles of a quarter of a century, the word went round that arctic exploration was at an end. Even that virile and indomitable descendant of the Norse Vikings, Roald Amundsen, was deterred from that arctic voyage on which he had already started. Turning the prow of the Fram from Bering strait he sailed southward, and, scaling high antarctic peaks with Norwegian ski and dogdrawn sledges, attempted the south geographic pole. When the yeajr 1912 opened there was noted a widespread recurrence of popular interest in arctic fields of research, so that there were no Isbb than six expeditions initiated, excluding those of Russia , The Dane, Koch, and the Swiss, de Quarvain, crossed the Greenland icecap at different points. The German SchroderStrauz, found disaster and death in North Spitsbergen. Meanwhile the Canadian, Stefansson, planned to reach the hypothetical continent long forecast by Americans. The American, McMillan, sought definitely to outline Crocker Land. The Frenchman, Prayer, re-explored that Franz Joqef Land which his father was first to traverse. Amundsen now starts via Bering strait to drift northwestward with the ice floes of the Siberian ocean. These .all represent what may be called foreign and idealistic exploration, as compared with the Russian expeditions, which are domestic and economic. Before describing the discoveries of Lieutenant Wilkitzky, the Russian, it will be well to sot forth foreign invasions into the Siberian ocean near- 1 est to Nicholas Second Land. First in order is the expedition of 1880, commanded by De Long, which drifted northwesterly from Bering strait until the Jeanette was crushed by the ice. Nansen followed in the Fram, adopting De Long's plan. The drift of the Fram was a practical continuation of that of the Jeanette, though no land was seen, and the ship passed into deep water about 250 miles to the north of the new Siberian islands. The most important addition to the hydrography of the Siberian ocean, time and means considered, was made by Capt. Edward H. Johanesen, in the sailing schooner Nordland. Leaving Cape. Mouritius, Nova Zembia, he found the ocean ice-free, so that he crossed to Cape Talihur, near Cape Chelyurskln. On August 16, 1878, he . discovered in 77 degrees 42 minutes north latitude, 86 degrees east longitude, an island named Eisamkelt (Lonely island), scarcely more than 100 miles to the west of Nicholas Second Land. Most interesting were the experiences of Byron A. E. von Nordenskjold, the greatest, all phases of action and of knowledge considered, of arctic explorers. In his unique voyage, the circumnavigating or Asia, he reached on August 19, iB7B, the north point of Asia. Captain Chelyuskin, which he determined to be in 77 degrees 36 minutes north latitude 103 degrees 17 minutes east longitude. As he wa* the first known visitor to the cape since its discovery by Chelyuskin by sledge journey in 1742, its surroundings were carefully noted. Nordensjold sent his supporting steamer, the Lena, seaward to dredge. ®he was stopped by heavy and very close ice in about 77 degrees 46 minutes north, some 7 S miles south of Nicholas Second Land, to which she made the nearest approach hitherto on record. The discovery of Nicholas Second Land is simply an incident in the economic development of the Russian empire. The general public is unaware of the astounding potential resources of arctic Russia. Its areas extends half way around the world—through

168 degrees of longitude—while the distance across it exceeds by many hundred miles' that from the northernmost point of. North America to the Isthmus of Panama. The survey of these remote regions was but one of the many progressive improvements for Russia initiated by that luminous character, Peter the Great. Planned in his last years, this most extended of geographic surveys ever attempted was known as the Great Northern expedition; it lasted 17 years, from 1725 to 1742. Its results gave fame to Bering, Muravief, to the Laptiefß, to Prontschischef and others. In later days they were followed by Kotzebue, Wrangel, Anjou and Sannikof. How Russia hah persistently pursued a maritime policy for the develop- ; ment of Siberian trade has been I fully set forth by Gen. J. de Schokalsky, Russian imperial navy, in various publications. Safe routes of navigation to and from the valleys of th,e Yenesei, of the Lena and of other lesser rivers are absolutely essential for the prosperity and development of this habitable empire, which is half as large again as is the United States. Siberia is no longerr a country of convicts, but a land swarming with pioneers, a wondrous leaven among its 10,000,000 of inhabitants. Routes via the Kara sea and around the north end of Nova Zembia have been tested, but neither has been found Bame for commercial ships year after year. It was then suggested that a satisfactory route could be found iby entering Bering strait. This would enable Russia to obtain a Siberian outlet, with Vladivostok as the main port, to which would be shipped the products of the vast region to the east of Cape Chelyuskin. In the summer of 1912 two powerful ice-breakers, the Taimyr and the Vaigatz, made safely a voyage via Bering strait to and from the Lena. Soundings and surveys were made en route, but ice conditions around Cape Chelyuskin prevented the ships from returning to Russia through the Kara sqa. Early in July, 1913, the ice breakers Vaigatz and Taimyr left Vladivostok to prosecute their surveys and to renew their efforts to round Cape Chelyuskin and return to St. Petersburg through the Kara sea. The expedition was under command of General Sergelef, imperial Russian navy, who s was incapacitated by a Stroke of apoplexy. Lieutenant Wilkitzky, imperial navy, succeeding to the command, made a running survey of the Asiatic coast from the Kolyma river, latitude 70 degrees -north, longitude 160 degrees east, to Cape Chelyuskin. It is the first time that this cape has been visited by a ship coming from the eastward. Wilkitzky’s hopes of completing the circumnavigation of Asia were destroyed in longitude 96 degrees east, where he found an impenetrable barrier of solid ice. As the sea was open to the north, he decided to explore this unknown area of the Siberian ocean. To his astonishment, he soon sighted high peaks, the summits of a new land. In latitude 81 degrees north, longitude 100 degrees east he landed, hoisted the Russian imperial colors, took possession of the land in the name of the czar and named it Nicholas Second Land. " Wilkitzky followed the land northward/ finding it with a continuing northwesterly trend. In latitude 81 degrees north, longitude 96 degrees east, he found a pack of Bolid ice, which forbade further progress, though the land reached as far as the eye could see. Retracing his course, the southern extremity of the new land was found fn latitude 79 degrees north, longitude’ 104 degrees east, whence the coast took a trend to the northeast. The land is thus

known to extend through more than two degrees of latitude, with a coast line of nearly 200 miles. While data to that/ effect are lacking, it is probable that Nicholas Second Land consists of a number of close lying islands, similar to Frank Josef Land'. Its high, abrupt, cliffs, and many isolated peaks seem to sustain Wilkitzky’s opinion that it may be of volcanic formation. Despite the fact that vegetation was scant at the landing place, the land evidently abounds in arctic game. Traces of reindeer were visible, polar bears were seen, and bird life was abundant. Off shore many walrus were seen. The large collection made by the Russian offlceru of specimens relating to the geology, the fauna and the flora will throw much light on its physical conditions. In the way of general knowledge it is evident that the continental shelf of Asians broader than has been generally supposed, being from 300 to 350 miles or more in width. When forced from the southern shores of Nicholas Second Land by the ice pack, Wilkitzky found the ocean to the east quite ice free. He steamed easily along the seventyninth parallel, through the sea where De Long and his gallant companions drifted for months, ice-beset until the Jeanette sank. Some additions and corrections were made in the number and position of thß De Long islander Most important was the discovery by Wil- . kitzky on Bennett island of the diaries and records of Baron Toll. This Russian explorer visited this island by sledge in 1902 and doubtless perished on his attempted return journey to Kotelnol island. The scientific world will await with interest the last message of this intrepid Russian scientist, who gave his life to advance geographic knowledge to Russian dominions. It is a happy coincidence that this very year a memorial tablet to Baron Toll iB in process of installment on Kotelnol island.

Nicholas Sacond Land and its relation to the North Pole