River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1901-04-04
A LONG ARCTIC JOURNEY.
Sir. Koithofr's Successful Voyage in
the ice-Bound Regions OF
the Far North.

A party OF Swedish nat uralists IN
Ger the lead of Gustaye KolthotT made
a northern voyage of more than usual
length last summer for the purpose
Of studying the fauna in arctic waters
and lands. They started in little yes
sci from he northern coast Of Norway
on June last, and four days later they
arrived at the icy coast of Spitzbergen,
where they visited some of the deep
tiOrds and clusters of islands. Then
they steamed far northeast to the wa
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 archipelago
of considerable extent which had never
been explored. They procured great
deal of information about this almost
unknown region. and the account of it
which they viii soon publish is expect
ed to be very interesting. They were
disappointed, however, in not finding
any more relics of the lost aeronaut,
Andree. One of his buoys had been
picked up in the neighborhood of Prince
Charles island, and this was believed
to be the likeliest place TO find other
objects that might throw light upon
the fate of the explorer, says the New
York Sun.
Then the party steamed ontheir 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
Mayen. This is the bleak arctic land
that Will always be famous as place
where in the seventeenth century
large party of whalers spending the
polar winter persisted to man of
scuryy, The record they left of the
tragedy was nearly complete, for it
was brought down to within a day or
two of the time when the last survivor
probably died.
Here the explorers found the pack
ice stretching away to the westas we'll
as to the north. They were able. how
ever, to push into it and SLOWLY pick
their way 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 1T shows that it was old polar ice
that perhaps had been slowly drifting
southwark for many months.
The expedition finally reached the
East Greenland coast of Mackenzie bay
on July 81. They found the ground en-
/ tireIy free from snowr and under the
summer sun a good deal of vegetation
had developed On August Il, after
/ studying animal life on sea and Land
for some days. the vessel entered Franz
Josef ford, though seven days before
| it had been completely blocked by ice.
In week all the ice had entirely dis-
appeared They remained in the great
ford until August 20, and secured the
1 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 attempt has several times
| been made.
Mr.. Kolthoff says that last season
was bad ice year in the neighborhood
OF Spitzbergen and Bear islands On
he other hand the east coast Of Green
land. which is frequently locked with
ice all through the summer, was almost
free from this impeachment TO explora
ton.