Daily camera., 1899-05-05
ARCTIC WORK IN 1898
Progress Of the Expeditions 10 Reach
the North Pole
1evosohle Con tions Of Last Year fss
Joarn<yinE Throa6h the Lee
-Hsted Explorers Now IN
the Far North.

Ice condltionS IN the arctic wAteT1
north Of Europe have very rarely been
go favorable for navigation as they
were last summer. II fortunately hap
pened that a number Of exploring par.
ties were in that region, and the resul,
is record of unusual achievement,
The prevailing west drift usually pack
the ice solidly against the east coast OF
Spi'zbergen, and il was only about 30
years ago that the world learned I last
something Of the nature aud contour
of that coast. For three centuries
whales and sealers had frequented
those waters. but they rarely got with
in sight Of east Spitzbergen. II was not
Until Nordenskioid led the Swedish eN-
pedition Of 1865 tosthose arctic islands
that we!l-defined coast line took the
place on the maps of the indefinite
dotted line which me rely demonstrated
that little or nothing Was known about
east Spizbergen.
This year the EA To the east and
north was clear Of any ice formidable
enough to prove a barrier The south
and west shores OF the archipelago are
was an unequaled opportunity. and no
earlier explorers have ever made such a
r'rord in Spitzbergen waters as that
of the Swedish expedition last summer
commended by Prof. A. G. Nathorst.
First. his steamer, the Antarctic.
stopped for Is days At Bear island,
where minute survey Of this well.
known resort Of arctic whalers wa,
rpade. Then the expedition made it,
way TO the King Charles Islands, oil
northeast spitzbergen, the reports of
which were thought 10 be a whaler'>
yarn TIL the journeys of johnson and
Nilsen III is72 placed them on the maps
\ large part OF their coasts are still
shown in dotted Lines. bu, the next
maps will represent them asthey really
are. for Prof. Na,horsr has made sur.
vey of the ,hree islands and has mapped
them on the large scale of Is miles 10
the inch.
Then the Antarctic steamed al ,ut n
hundred miles further north TO hitr
island, which will no 10 ig-r be m. ked
'eNiahnce doubtful" for NAthor,t
found il to be a -ery substantial bi, OF
arctic land. and determined Is geo
logical features. The Antarctic final,
carried out two undertakings never b'-
fore accomplished. and they will be re-
gar,ied ~ most remarkable in view OF
the usual ice conditions. She first cir
cumnavignted Northeast and. one of
tn. larges, islands of the Spi,zherr,-n
group. passing uniInpeded through
Hinlopen strait. which Is usually
choked with ice; and then she sailed
completely around the entire Spi;zber-
gen group. a feat that may not be per
formed again for many years.
The German geological expedition on
thr steamer Helgoland also spent some
time on the King Charles islands and
eircumnavigatcd Northeast Land; and
the German wsrship Olga skirted long
stretches Of coasts and pushed into
many a bay while investigating the
fisheries prospects in Spi'zberycn wa
tcrs.
Our countrymsn, Mr.. w Wellman.
had the advantage of the same favor
able conditions III his journey TO Franz
Josef Land. His ship. the Fridtjof.
landed him on the far northern archi-
pelngo on July q with n month of sum
mer still before him. Mr.. Jackson's
winter home. Harnsworth House. at.
Cape Flora, was taken down packed on
the steamer and conveyed further
northeast TO Cape Tegothof, where il
was rcerec,ed. When the Fridtjof
started home IL was wellman'e purpos,
TO leave three men nj this camp in
charge of n large part OF his supplies,
while he with eight men pushed on
about leo miles further north ,u Cape
Fligely, some $50 nautical miles from
the north pole. Here he proposed TO
spend the winter. and as soon as the sun
appears next spring to star, on his jour
ney TO the pole. which he hopes to reach
in 50 days.
II all goes well there may according
ly be race for that elusive goal this
spring between Pcary and WcllmIn.
Concerning the fortunes of Mr.. Pearys
enterprise. il is known only that hc MAS
at the entrance to Smith sound on Au-
pnst IL last, that he had transferred hi.
stores from the auxiliary steamer Hope
to his exploring vessel Windward. that
he had on board to dogs and all the Es.
kimos he needed. and was about to
star, for peary channrl, on the north
coast of Greenland. expecting to win
ter in that neiyhborhood. II good luck
attended him his winter camp Is about
hundred miles nearer the pole than
the spot where Wellman hoped to win
ter. Capt. S,crdrup. bound for the re
gion of reary's proposed camp on the
Fran. was at upernivik on august 4,
abou, 700 miles south Of Peary's posi-
ton on the 18th of the month";. Y.
Sun.
n,A n>>A>s. N1,loaen In lanlAnA.