The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1905-11-30
Duke of Orleans Adds 100 Miles to
the Known Shore Line of Greenland
Tho Relgiea.

capt. k0ldewey, the famous leader
Of the German arctic expedition of
lS69-70, wrote nearly thirty-five years
ago, after he had planted his flag on
the east coast of Greenland, at Cape
Bismarck:
II am fully convinced that perhaps
never, or at least only In very par.
.icularly favorable years, can any ship
advance along this coast. The heavy
sea ice, closely Joined to the land ice,
gives one the impression Of a ram
part built for eternity"
The present year has been one of
those very particularly favorable
years" II early in July we had been
on the deck of the exploring ship
Belgica, we should have witnessed the
unusual spectacle of open water
stretching far to the north along the
eastern shores of Greenland. The
Duke of Orleans had chartered the
Belgica for a cruise in the arctic be-
tween Sptizbergen and Greenland He
did not expect to go very far north or
to make great discoveries, though he
hoped that his soundings and other
oceanographic work might add inter-
esting facts to our knowledge Of the
Arctic ocean; but the greatest chance
an explorer has had for a decade
came to him, and he improved il.
1t was the splendid luck of this
priIcely traveller that he happened
to be in the right place with a good
ship when the time came to make a
dash for the north. The management
of the Ziegler arctic enterprise heard
that the duke was going to cruise in
the Greenland sea and asked him if
he would be kind enough to call at
Shannon island and see if Fiala and
his party might have reached that
spot, where. supplies had been sent
by Mr.. Baldwin, the leader of the first
Ziegler expedition.
The duke. said he would call at
Shannon island. We know now that
he found the Baldwin caches undis.
turbed, for no explorer had been near
them. But there was open water to
the north! The Duke of Orleans did
what any man of sense would do with
such an opportunity in his grasp. He
got up steam without an hours delay
and set out for the unknown.
He crossed its threshold and sailed
in waters where no ship has ever been
before. We have, as yet, only a few
details of his remarkable journey, but
we may rely upon their accuracy.
They were written by Lieut.. Bergen.
dahl. Swedish officer and a member
of the Dukes expedition. Returning
from the north he had an opportunity
to mail letter in Iceland, and it was
received by Prof. Nathorst of Sweden,
geOgfapher of the first rank and
brilliant explorer who gave us our
present exact knowledge OF the re-
markable Franz Jozef Fiord in East
Greenland.
Prof. Nathorst made the letter pub
lie. and it is easy, by referring to the
accompanying map, to see just what
the duke has accomplished.
The map shows Cape Bismarck in
about 76 degrees 40 minutes north
latitude. Up to this summer 1t was
the highest point that had been at
and also the northern limit of sledge
journeys along that coast.
Thirty-five years ago Capt. Kolde-
wey. with eight men and a heavily
laden sledge, left his winter quarters
on the ship Germania at Sabine
island. Amid battling winds and deep
SHOWS the party plowed their way
northward. suffering bitterly from the
cold. though they tugged very hard
at the sledge ropes. When they dis
covered and named Cape Bismarck
their supplies were so reduced that
they were forced to retrace their steps
to the ship.
This same point is said to have
been reached two years ago by Capt.
Ole Brandal and his steam sealer
from Norway. The ice conditions were
not unfavorable there that year. and
1t is believed that he reached the
neighborhood of Cape Bismarck.
Between Cape Bismack and Inde-
pendence bay, discovered by Peary
on his journey across the inland ice,
still stretched an unknown coast
about 400 miles in length. 1t was the
only part of Greenland's periphery
that was entirely unknown. 1t will be
necessary to determine the trend of
all this coast before we can accurate.
ly outline on our maps the greatest
| islands of the world.
The Duke of Orleans has reduced
the length of the unknown coast line
by 110 miles by steaming that dis
tance to the north of Cape Bismarck