Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-04-21
ARCTIC EXPEDITIONS
Five Exploring Parties Expected to Be in
the Field This Season.
The Routes and Plans of Each - MT
STEMS Trip fs Postponed Until
Next Year.
From Harper's Weekly.

From Harper's Weekly.
There will be five exploring parties in the
arctic regions this season, the largest num-
Der ever In that field in one year, except
when the circumpolar stations were main
tained QSSo-S2) to make meteorological OBJ
| servations. The mission of two of these
| parties Is to explore and to map almost
wholly unknown land areas and coast lines.
| The other three will try to attain the north
pole. and to tell us of the geographic and
other conditions to be found there. The
| parties are small. in accordance with the
theory now generally held that few we'll
selected men are better for arctic work than
a large force. every man more than is abso-
lutely needed being a source Of weakness
and danger. Each party will be equipped
| with the best appliances and material. Only
one expedition. that of DR.. Nansen. will run
any considerable risks of disaster, and we
may expect from these little bands impor-
tant additions to our knowledge of the arc
tic regions.
The American flag is at the head of three
of these enterprises, while Norway and
England send out the other parties. First
on the list Is Lieut.. r. e. Peary, United
States navy, who saw the sun rise. In the
latter part of February, above the hills
south of his camp in Inglefield gulf, north
west Greenland We have no reason to
doubt that bet xeen March 10 and 20 Peary.
with eight or nine men and many dogs and
sledges. clambered to the top of the ice cap
and fairly started on the journey to the
northeast coast of Greenland. over the
lofty surface of the inland ice he must make
his way for ESQ miles before he reaches In
dependence bay, where his explorations will
knows
sledge work than any other man, and Is
perfectly confident he can reach the north
coast every time he makes the attempt
Peary's laudable ambition is to fill up the big
gaps in our knowledge of north Greenland
At Independence bay he will divide his men
into three parties. one of which will survey
the entire northern coast of the mainland
Another party VIII try to solve the mystery
of the lofty rounded islands he saw to the
north in 1892. 1t is likely that they form on
archipelago extending for a considerable dis
lance north of the mainland. The third par
ty will travel southeast along the coast to
survey the wholly unknown shore line be-
tween Independence bay and Cape Bismarck,
the most northern point reached by tho
Koldewey expedition in 1870. If Peary COM
pletes these coast surveys. all the shore line
Of the largest island in the world will then
be mapped except the coast Of Melville bay,
in west Greenland, and about 200 miles of
the east coast north of the 9th parallel.
Peary himself will doubtless superintend
the survey of the northern Islands, a work
of special difficulty, unless good sledging is
found In the channels separating them. If
the ice conditions in the Arctic are at
all favorable, two or three men will start
toward the pole. and travel as far as they
can; but all the parties are to return to
Inglefleld gulf early next fall, In time to go
home on the steamer that will be sent for
them. Peary believes that If he is at all for
tunate he can complete this summer all the
work there Is for him to do in north Green
land. This explorers qualifications make
him an almost ideal leader Of an arctic en-
terprise, and If he has fairly good luck, we
may expect to hear next fall of further bril-
liant achievements by Lieut.. Peary.
STEMS Projected Field.
Mr.. Robert Stein, who for nine years has
been in the service of the United States
geological survey, has chosen a most prom
Using field for the expedition he is organic
ing. Just west of North Greenland, on the
other side of Baffin Bay, is the large mass
Of Ellesmere Land, virgin ground for the
discoverer, for many an explorer has pass
ed it by unnoticed. and we know 1t only on
the eastern and part of the southern
coast fringe. Mr.. Stein and nine or ten rien
will soon go north on a whaler, and build
house on the coast of this land at the en-
trance to Jones sound. From this depot
a boat and sledge party will start west
through the sound and up the west coast.
There may be rich geographical prizes here,
for nobody knows how far Ellesmere Land
may stretch to the west, nor what islands
may extend the Parry archipelago further
north in that untraversed western sea, nor
whether Elles9ere Land is really itself an
island, cut off from Grinnell Land on the
north by Hayes sound, as the natives as
sert These and various scientific researches
will keep the party very busy for eighty
days. Then the party will come home,
leaving perhaps two or three men at the
house to keep up the. station and carry on
scientific observations until reinforced in
1895 by a second party. that will begin ex-
plorations toward the pole, designed by Mr..
Stein to cover a series of years. His plans
for this years work have been approved by
the highest authorities. 1t is understood
however, that Mr.. Stein distrusts his abil-
ity as a leader of men, and that, with rare
self-abnegation. he has chosen to place the
command of the party he will take north
in the hands Of an able young army officer.
(Since the above was written Mr.. Stein
has postponed his expedition until next
Year,.
DIR. Nspsen and His Party.
The expeditions whose quest is the north
pole are entering the arctic area from the
Euro-Asiatic side. Dr. Nansen and his lit
tie party on the Fran left Christiania on
June "a last. He has been heard from only
once since he entered the Kara sea. The
natives along Russia's arctic shores have
been stimulated by promises of rewards to
take to the white settlements any news
they may hear of hansen. The fact that
nothing has been heard from him indicates
that he succeeded in crossing the Arctic
ocean to the New Siberian Islands, where
he intended to force his vessel into the ice.
NanSen believes current near these is
lands moves north across the pole. having
its outlet in the polar stream that flows
south along Greenland's east coast. He de-
ponds upon this current to carry the Fran
to or near the pole. and then south to the
open sea east Of Greenland. Nearly every
arctic authority believes this venture is
one of the most foolhardy ever undertaken.
though all admire hansen for his undoubt-
ed pluck and the brilliant work he has al
ready done. While one or two geographers.
like DIR. Supan, think Nansens project is
justihable, most authorities have little faith
in his theory of currents, or the ability of
his vessel to withstand ice pressure. He is
provisioned for five years, and If he loses
his vessel he will try to haul his whale
boat over the ice to the open sea.
Frederick Jackson's Plan.
Frederick g. Jacksons plan, on the other
| hand, commends itself to every one, for he
will take the Franz-Josef Land route.
| which for years has been in great favor