The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-01-13
THE STEIN POLAR EXPEDITION.

few weeks ago to the polar expedition
projected by Mr.. Robert Stein of the
United States Geological Survey. Tin
appears that the necessary funds have
been collected, and that the expedition will
start at the time appointed, namely, in
April or May next
The distinguishing feature of Mr.. STEMS
expedition is that it will Involve little If
any risk of life. The parties in the field
will always be in communication with a
base easily accessible from the outside
world. 1t will be land expedition, and
will not trust itself To polar waters ex-
cept when it may be necessary to cross
narrow straits. Mr.. Stein will make his
first landing in bay on the shore of
Ellesmere Land, at the head of Baffins
Bay. This spot can be reached every sum-
mer by whaling ships. On landing house
will be built, and supplied with stores to
last fifteen or twenty men two or three
years. When the base is esta blished and
everything fixed for a permanent occupa-
ton two parties of five men each will start
out on snOwshoes. with instructions to
march one hundred miles in different direc-
tions-one north. the other west On
reaching the one hundred mile point. the
quarters as they can get material for.
probably snow houses, ard store in their
new home supply of provisions. Here
the parties will spend the winter in OBJ
serving the phenomena OF nature. the
flora and fauna. if any. and tie physical
geography of the region.
With the opening of spring a further
march of one hundred miles in the same
direction will De undertaken. with the
same purpose. New stations will be
established two hundred miles from the
original base, and provisioned from there.
The operation will be continued until the
Polar Sea bars the further way. BY that
time. il is hoped that an exact contour of
Ellesmere Land, which is unexplored,
will be obtained, and the important
problem determined whether 1t Is a separ-
ate island, or part OF GriDnell and Grant
land. If it turns out that continuous
body of land extends from the southern
extremity of Ellesmere Land to Cape
Columbia on Grant Land. Stein will make
his final station in that vicinity, and will
then be nearer the pole than any other
EXPLORER.
Grant Land, Grinnell Land and Franz
Joseph Land are all within the eightieth
parallel, the first named being a hundred
OF perhaps more miles nearer the pole
than the northern extremity of Franz Josef
Land. There is a prevailing impression
among explorers that if the pole is ever
reached it will be from Franz Josef Land,
because the icebergs floating north of that
land are fiat topped and often form part of
great sheets of ice, which can be travelled
in sledgeboats; but this is all conjecture.
Lieutenant Perry has made it reasonably
certain that Greenland is an island and
does not reach to the pole. Capes in 50
deg. on the east coast and in So deg. on the
west coast have been located. This is
probably the northern limit of the island.
How far Grant Land extends toward the
pole we have no means of knowing, though
a northern outline is given on most of the
maps. A notion pTevails-on what grounds
is not apparent-that the sea surrounding
the pole is bounded by belt of islands,
extending from Franz Josef Land to North
Spitzbergen. Greenland and Grant Land,
slightly north of the parallel of so deg. Or
these inhospitabIe regions the world &C.
qures its knowledge bit by bit. year by
year.
Still, taking into account what has been
done in the past decade. there is reason to
believe that before the beginning of the
twentieth century an ignorance of the
polar regions, which is the opprobrium of
geography. may in part be expelled. 1t is
not OF particular importance that the pole
should, be reached. Nothing will probably
be found there to requite labor and risk.
But the exploration of Greenland and its
surroundings is Of the highest and most
direct value. because there and In the
Antarctic continent only can knowledge
be obtained to explain the phenomena of
the glacial age.