The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1901-05-16

A party of Swedish naturailsts under
the lead of Gustave KOlthon made
northern voyage of more than usual
length last summer for The purpose OF
studying the fauna in arctic waters
aud lands. They started In little YES
sci from the northern coast OF Norway
ON June 4. and four days later they ar
rived at the ley coast OF spitzoergeh'
where they visited some OF the deep
fiords and clu>>.rs OF Islands Iheh
they steamed far northeast TO the va
tiers between Spitzbergen and Franz
Josef Land, where they reached the
southwest coast of Prince Charles Is
land. which. It will be remembered.
was visited for the first time two years
ago. They found there an arehlpelaeo
of considerable extent which had never
been explored. They procured a great
deal of information about this almost
unknown region, and the account OF II
which they will publish is expected 10
be very interesting. They were disap-
pointed, however, in not hndihs any
more relics of the lost arctic aerohauI
Andree. One OF his buoys had been
picked up in the neighborhood OF hihg
Charles island, and this was believed
TO be the llkelIest place to lind other Cd
jects that might throw light upon the
fate OF the explorer.
Then the party steamed on their way
to the coast of East Greenland along
the edge of the polar Ice. They FOUND
the great Ice pack impenetrable, but
they kept on westward, close to the Ice
edge, as far as the island of Jan Mayeh.
This Is the bleak arctic land that Will
always be famous as the place Where
In the seventeenth century a large
party of whalers spending the polar
winter persisted to a man OF seurYy.
The record they left Of the tragedy was
nearly complete, for 1t was brought
down to within day or two OF the
time when the last survivor probably
died.
Here the explorers found the pack
ice stretching away to the west as
well as to the north. They were able,
however, to push into 1t and slowly
pick their was westward. Here and there
were great hills of Ice, where the pres
sure had piled the pieces high. The Ice
was everywhere covered with a thick
layer of snow, and their description OF
Ii shows that 1t was old polar Ice that
perhaps had been slowly drifting south
ward for many months.
Tho axnadition finally reached the
East Greenland coast at Mackenzie bay
ON July 81. They found the ground en-
tlrely free from snow, and under the
summer sun a good deal of vegetation
had developed. On Aug. Il, after
studying animal life on sea and land
for some days. the vessel entered Franz
Josef ford, though seven days before
1t had been completely blocked by Ice.
In a week all the Ice had entirely dis
appeared. They remained In the ford
until Aug. %, and secured the unusual
prize of two young musk oxen, which
they took home with them to Sweden.
This Is probably the first time that live
specimens OF the musk OK have been
carried to civilized lands, though the at
tempt has several times been made.
MrKolthoff says that last season was
bad Ice year in the neighborhood of
Spitzbergen and Baer Islands. On the
other hand, the east coast OF Greenland,
which is frequently locked with ice all
through the summer, was almost free
from this impediment TO exploration.