Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1901-04-13

A party Of Swedish naturalsts under
the lead of GustaVe KOlthuf made
northern voyage of more than usual
length last summer for the purpose of
studying the fauna in arctic waters
and lands. They started in Il little YES.
sci from the northern coast of Norway
on June 1. and four days later they ar
rived ut the icy coast of Spitzbergen,
where they visited some of the deep
fiords 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 II 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 Il great
deal of information about this almost
unknown region, and the account of ii
which they will publish is expected to
be very interesting. They were disap.
pointed. however. in not finding any
more relics of the lost arctic aeronaut,
Andrec. one of his buoys had been
picked up in the ncighborhood of King
Charles island. and this was believed
to be the likel!est place to find other oh.
jccts 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 impcnetrable, but
they kept on westward. close to the Ice
edge. as far Us the island of Jan Mayen.
This is the bleak arctic land that will
always he famous us the place where
in the seventeenth century a large
party of whalers spending the polar
winter persisted to a man of scurvy.
The record they left OF the tragedy was
nearly complete. FOR II was brought
down to within q day or two of the
time when the last survivor probably
died.
Here the explorers found the pack
Ice stretching away to the west rs
well as TO the north, They were able,
however, TO push into ii 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 n thick
layer of snow and their description of
1t shows that it was old polar Ice that
perhaps had been slowly drifting south.
ward for many months.
The expedition finally reached the
East Greenland coast ut Mackenzie bay
on July 81. They found the ground ell.
tircly free from snow, and under the
summer sun good deal of vegetation
had developed. On Aug. II, 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 II 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.
Mr.Kolthoff says that las, season was
bad Ice year In the neighborhood of
Spitzbcrgen 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 impeachment TO exploration.