Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-07-15
UNKNOWN LAND OF ELLEsnERy.
Party Of Explorers Prom washingtop 20
Visit Its West Coast.

/" efS VI hkpiofers FROM Washington %
Visit Its West Coast.
An expedition for exploring an unknown re-
gion OF the Arctic is being organized IN WASH
ington Mr.. Robert Stein Of the geological
survey conceived the idea Of il originally The
party, to consist Of not less than eight men,
proposes to leave st. Johns, Newfoundland. in
May, 1894, returning in October OF the same
year. Thus only one summer will be occupied
In prosecuting the enterprise, which will be
conducted on a rather novel plan.
Inc customary avenue OF approach 20 the
pole has been by way Of Smith soand, the
northward continuation of Baffin bay. because
that route seemed to point almost straight 10
the long-sought goal Of arctic explorers As
result, the shores on both sides OF that route
have been pretty well mapped out by cries
OF expeditions, beginning with Inglefolds and
ending with Greelys. AZ the same plme the
readily accessible avenues leading westward
have been neglected. Thus, though the east
shore OF Eiesmere land is well known, fbe west
shore remains unoutlined on the maps
IL IL now proposed 20 trace this unknown
shore, so far as can be done in one Summer,
from base OF operations always within easy
reach. That base will be at the entrance of
Jones sound, on the route pursued by the
whaling steamers which annually frequent the
whaling ground In Lancaster sound. about
eighty miles south Of Jones sound. The ex-
peditlon VIII take passage one a these
1 ~
south end Of Eilesmere Land.
| Here the party will erect a house Is 20 p.ss
the winter In, should II be necessary 20 do So
VITA provisions enough for two years Two
men wii remain to guard this depot aud make
observations The others will travel westward
ana northward along the unknown shore as far
as they can 60. A preliminary trim Of two
weeks Will determine the best mode OF travel
whether by launch, by whaleboss or by sledge
ana wlu serve at the same time 10 establish an
advance depot At the end Of eighty Gays the
explorers will be back at the main depot on
specified day in September the steamer viii
cal Tor them at specified place and vii take
them back to St Johns
BY taking advantage Of o vhaler whose
ordinary pursuit leads il in exactly ths me
direction, the expedition will avoid the heavy
expense OF chartering special ship. The base
OF operations viii be within eighty miies OF the
whaling grounds in Lancaster sound. an.
nually frequented by eight or ten powerful
steamers. The explorers will start with thei6
strength at the highest because fresh from q
fresh diet Their provisions will be fresh frona
the market They will not start from fbe de-
pot until they have seen two years provisions
} deposited on dry land behind them, In Q fire.
PROOF house capable OF affording perfect pro-
lection In winter, should they fail, through any
Unforeseen accident, to reach any of the return
ing steamers In the fall OF the same wear
ihey VIII not plunge entirely into the I'M
known They have before them the certainty
OF discovering a new shore about equal ID
length to the distance from Washington 4
Boston; for the land which has $50 miles oi
east coast must have at least % much west COAST
The ses to the west Of that coast viii probably
be found studded with islands, for suck IL the
case at Its southern approaches. The sxpedi-
ton expects to settle the interesting qsestiou
whether Hayes sound. dividing Ellesmsrs Land
from Grinnel Land is bay or q strait oues.
ton which both Mares and Greedy rsgTetiully
left unsolyed
At the same time two important lines Of
work viii be carried on at the depot pendu-
lum observstions will be made with the most
improved appliances, and magnetic pheuomena
will be studied by photographs msthods
Neither OF these two kinds Of observations has
ever been made nj 20 high . iAttadss With Ill
the perfection permitted BY the mos, rsosui
, methods.
. | ogy OF the region. There il no reason why the
. rocks Of that land should not contain a vslua-
BILE minerals ~ any in lower latitudss, and sincs
In summer o large part Of Ellesmere Land Il
certainly free from ice and snow. the rooks vii
be accessible to observation
The whales leave Lancaster sound in August
and nobody knows where they 60. Since they
. do not 60 north to Smith sound IL IL NOT i'm.
possible that they 60 northwest, and In thai
case the expedition may discover new whaling
grounds as profitable, perhaps, as those q Ian.
, caster sound How valuable this discovery
would be may be gathered from the fact that Z
single large whale is worth as much - fi2 000
and a whaling ship has been known 70 return
with cargo worth $40 0o0
The whole expedition will not occupy more
than six months and the expenses will average.
at most, u 200 per man. making Q tstsI 81
| IS, 800 for q party OF eight