The morning call., 1891-05-05
WHAT Is GREENLAND ?

The mantle of DR.. Kane appears to have
fallen on thesh0ulders of Lieutenant Robert
Peary Of the United States navy. This
gentleman, with the assistance of the
Philadelphia Academy of Sciences, the
American Geographical Society and the
National Academy of Sciences, proposes 10
explore part of the world which, so far as
is known, has never been trodden by the
foot of man-namely, the north end of
Greenland. Twice within a few years
Southern Greenland has been crossed by
daring travellers, who marched on foot from
a point near Cape HildebTandt, on the east
coast. to the neighboThOod of FredeTikshaab,
on the west They reported sea of ice Of
unknown depth, which covered the face Of
the land and never melted. Except as rec
Ords of human endurance their journeys
were unfruitful Of result Southern Green
land has often been circumnavigated, and
exploration of the interior added nothing to
the knowledge which had been acquired by
observations from the decks of ships.
But the northern point of the island or
peninsula, or whatever it may be, is an IN
raVeled mystery. From Cape Bismarck, on
the east coast, to Cape Lincoln, in $50 %, in
the Arctic Sea, no map marks definite
plored region. Greenland may be an island
with north boundary about the eighty-third
parallel. II may be a peninsula jatting out
from Siberia and embracing Franz josef
land as one of its pTOmontOries. Or it may
be an Arctic continent spreading up to and
beyond the Pole. Nothing but actual OBJ
seryatiOn can determine the question. To
contribute his share TO the extension of
geographical knowledge on this subject
Lieutenant Peary leaves Philadelphia this
week. He proposes to take passage on
board a Dundee whaler that will land him
at Whale Sound, few miles south of the
spot which was reached by Lockwood and
Brainard Of the Greedy party, and to which
they gave the name of Cape Lincoln. There
he will winter and accumulate such stores
as he may find against his long tramp into
the unknown world. Early in the spring Of
1892 he Will start on foot, drawing a sledge
after him, along the north coast of Green
land. He says himself that he does not
know how or when he will return. II
Greenland turns out to be al island with a
north coast running along the line Of $50 or
Whereabouts, and an east coast running
along the line of 20o of longitude, lie may
find his way to some settlement in King
Williams Land. But it is more likely that
when he has determined the north coast line
for a certain distance he will return to his
base of operations. This, however, will de-
pend on the trend of the coast and other
considerations which cannot now be fore
seen.
He will have the glory of being the only
man who ever willingly undertook journey
in the latitude of eighty-three degrees north.
DR.. Kane, and many others since his day,
reached the eightieth degree. The north
coast Of SpitZbergen and the south coast OF
Franz Josef Land are in that meridian. The
north beach Of Grant Land crosses the line
of eighty-two degrees. Lockwood and Brain
ard Just touched eighty-tbree degrees. But
that has been the extreme limit of Polar ex-
ploTation. 1t evidently may fall to the lot
of Lieutenant Pe&ry to get nearer to the
North Pole than any Of his predecessors in
Arctic adventure.
The Importance Of geographical explora-
ton in Greenland arises from the fact that
some men Of science regard it as the last re-
naming Vestige of the ice age. At a short
distance from the shore it is one vast un-
broken mass of ice. la places, according to
Lieutenant Peary, mile thick. This ice is
tUNCltO III Aiulci anu SlllbS Will a CNdliiie
of snow. In summer the snow melts and
forms lakes, or, where the conformation of
the ground favors, streams, which flow down
into the iords and assist 10 launching ice
bergs. 1t presents the appearance which
the northern countries of the world must
have presented during the last great ice
drift. AS the coast is reached the china te
grows miIder and patches of sell are ex-
posed, on which few vegetables are raised,
and as the coast line is undergoing process
of depression-some places which were once
inhabited having already sunk below the
surface OF the seattle theory has been
started that the whole country will some
day be submerged ana so pass out of ths ice
age. This and other problems it will be the
privilege of Lieutenant Peary to help deter
mine. The civilized world will wish him
! good fortune on his daring VOYAGE