The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-07-16
POLAR EXPLORING EXPEDITIONS.

OF the four polar expeditions of 1891, two
are designed to complete our knowledge OF
the coast line of Greenland, and even though
successful can hardly do much more. The
Peary expedition is intended to feel its way
along the northwest coast of that island
from the point reached by Sherard. Osborn
and Lockwood in 1882; while the Danish
expedition, under Ryder and Wedel, pro-
poses TO follow the northeast coast line
from Cape Bismarck. Between Cape Bis
marck and Cape Lincoln there is a long
stretch of coast which has never been cir
COMMUNICATED, and which is marked on the
maps by a row of dots. 1t is hoped that
before the winter season sets in, the gap be-
tween these two capeS will be diminished.
The only expedition which has the North
Pole for its objective is Dir. NsnSen's. He
proposes TO take advantage of the open
winter around Cape Barrow, and to do his
best to sail or march over ice foes nOrthward
from that point toward the Pole. So far as
is known there is no land between Cape
Barrow and the Pole, and the distance is
not great. But of the currents and ice
masses which may obstruct the path of the
navigator between che two points our
knowledge is small. DR.. Nansen was
unable to get off last spring. as he had
hoped; his march or his voyage will not be-
gin till the ice moves in 1892. He is fortu-
nate in having a base If supplies at Cape
Barrow. which is in communication with
San Francisco in the summer season.
Perhaps the most interesting of the expe-
ditions OF the year IS the one which has been
fitted out at Bowdoin College for the explo-
ration of Labrador. Labrador, though dis
covered by the Cabots four centuries ago,
is hardly us well known to-day as Alaska.
Il has been said of it that language fails to
paint its deSolation, and that no portion OF
the globe is so uninyiting to man. Add to
this that access to the interior is difficult,
and it will be understood why the Hudson
Bay Company succeeded in keeping Undis-
turbed dominion over it for so long period
of time. II is possible, however. that its
bad reputation was not rightly earned, and
that it is really worth exploring.
1t is nearly as large as Alaska and it is
magnifceutly watered. On three sides il is
bordered by seas or arms of the sea, and
there are a dozen great lakes in the interior.
Into these lakes, as into the Hudson Bay,
the Atlantic and the st. Lawrence, countless
rivers teeming with fish empty their waters.
On the banks of the rivers are forests OF
be ech, fir. birch. spruce and ash, which at
tain considerable size. The great bulk of
the interior is a table land from 1000 to 1000
feet above the level of the sea, which is in
tersected by mountain ranges of no great
elevation. In these ranges mines Of silver,
gold and copper are said to exist. The elm
ate is bOreal; there are but TWO months of
the summer; snow falls from September to
June. Still the cold is not as severe as in
portions of the Arctic regions and potatoes
III
the rivers.
Under the sway of the Hudson Bay Com
pany Labrador was a region OF unbroken
stiffness. White men we're not allowed TO
settle there. The country was great pre-
serve OF fur-bearing animals, and the com-
pauy's hunters were not allowed to shoot
them for fear Of frightening the others. The
bears, foxes, martens, lynxes. offers, minks,
beavers, were all trapped. With noiseless
tread the hunters marched on snowshoes
from trap to trap, or in the sunmer padded
silently in their canoes on the rivers and
lakes. No sound was heard but the cry of
birds and beasts. Millions of dollars worth
Of fnrs were gathered up by the company's
Voyageurs, carried down TO York factory,
and shipped to England When the Hudson
Bay Company passed out of existence stories
were circulated in Canada that Labrador
was not such an icy desert as it had been
painted, and an expedition was fitted out by
the Canadian Government to explore it. The
expedition discovered nothing which in its
| opinion justified immigration thither. 1t
found that Lake Mistassni was not as large
as it had been described, but it also found
! plenty of other lakes, twenty or thirty miles
! long by ten or fifteen miles wide, which
were full of trout and other fish. This
cooled public interest in Labrador, and it
did not again attract the attention of ex-
plorers till now. The Bowdoin party may
possibly find something of value in the
desert country besides trout and fur bearing
animals.