Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-11
SEEK UNKNOWN LAND
Danish Explorers to Annex Con-
tinent to United States.
DETAILS OF EXPEDITION
Country North of Hudson Bay to Be
Located.
LONG JOURNEY IN A SKIFF
Geographical and Geological observa-
tions to Be Chronicled for Bene-
fit of Science.
.ONG JOURNEY IN A sKIFF

! Locating a heretofore unknown continent
| in the midst OF the Arctic sea and planting
| the stars and stripes on it for the glory OF
| the United States is the task that two bold
Danish explorers have set for themselves.
| They had audience with President
Roosevelt yesterday afternoon and told him
| all about II. No north pole for them Such
an expedition they look on with scorn as 4
| loss of time But there is a continent
| somewhere to the north of Hudson Bay, OF
1 at least they have reason for thinking there
/ is, and after this gets properly discovered
| 1t is to be annexed to the United States an
| area big enough to satisfy the land lust or
the most ardent imperialist, and so situ-
| ated that there is no likelihood of any ono
else wanting IT,
The two explorers ARE Capt Ejman Mike
l1elsen and Ejnar Ditlevsen, both Danes.
| They were vouched for by the Danish MIN
| lister. were accompanied by the represen.
| tative of Il magazine and had credentials
| from the Royal Geographical Society OF
| London of which Sir Clement Markham Is
| the president They were otherwise welt
recommended
The explorers have their campaign all
| mapped out and if there is a continent
north of this country they going get
| there and try to get back, even If no ono
! else ever does. The expedition is to be ac-
| cCmpanied by Ernest Leffingweil of Knox
| vile. Tenn. who will be in charge of all OF
| the scientific work.
Plans of the Expedition.
The plan of the undertaking is am
nouneed to be as follows: In the latter.
part of May this year Mr.. Lefngwen and
Mr.. Dit,evsen start from Edmonston Brit
sh America, on voyage of 900 miles to
the mouth of the Mackenzie river, where a
fleet of eleven Arctic whalers are now
frozen in. For the first twelve hundred
miles they will journey in light skif,
built for rough water and shooting rapids.
This skiff will be waiting for them at Atha-
basca Landing. Arriving at Fort Smith.
Great Save lake. they will board a steam-
boat be onging to the Hudson Bay Com-
| pany and in her travel the remaining thou-
sand miles
They expect TO obtain much geological
and geographical data, and TO make hun-.-
dreds of photographs about a practically
unknown region. rsE
Meanwhile Capt. Mikkelsen will sail from
San Francisco for Bering strait carrying
his outfit of sledges. furs provisions, fire.
arms and scientific appartus Practically
all OF this equipment was constructed or
gathered in Denmark and Norway, and IS
now aboard a steamer which is due in
New York within a few days
Unable to Obtain a Whaler.
1t was MikkeIsen's first intention TO sail
from San Francisco in a whaler but he
has learned since his arrival In this coun-
try from London, fortnight ago. that the
entire whaling fleet of San Francisco Is
frozen In off Hersche Island. Owing to
this fact a number of prominent Americans
have undertaken to provide a ship through
subscription, and 1t is expected that some
5000 still needed to complete the purchase
of a suitable vessel. win be readily forth
coming In this event Capt. Mikkelsen will
sail under American colors, with an Amer
lean crew and competent sailing master,
with whom he can safely leave the craft
when he and Leftingwell and Ditlevsen
abandon it at Banks Land and plunge into
the untraveled regions of the Arctic ocean
their 9J0mile search for the new conti-
nent.
After passing through BerIng strait Capt.
Mikkelsen will touch on the Arctic coast OF
Siberia, and there pick up two Siberian
ponies. Then he will return to northern
Alaska and send letters home by whaler
after which he Will coast eastward along
Alaska and the extreme northern boundary
of British America. landing now and then
TO buy dogs from natives, hoping 10 arrive
at the mouth of the Mackenzie river m Au-
gust. where he will meet Leffingweil ana
Ditlevsen.
The party will there board the ship, which
will go straight to a sheltered bay the
northwest coast of Banks Land, where per-
manent headquarters Will be made
Time Consumed in Training.
For eighteen months Capt. Mikkelsen ex-
poets to spend much Of his time in the ex-
tremely important work of training his
dogs hardening them and educating them'
so that each team of eleven dogs can pun
loco pounds of food, etc, indefinitely. For
This is the crucial point of the whole UNDER
taking Upon his ability to transport Eooo
sufficient TO last three men for l4o days de-
pends the exploration of the hitherto uH-
known polar region
While Mikkelsen is bringing his dog teams
to the highest point of efficiency he Will be
travelling constantly over Banks Lana,
about which nothing has been added 10 the
records made by Mcclure in 1851, ana ne
will also tourney across Wollaston Land
to the southeast, where he Will remain
with one companion, some eight months.
living with Eskimos and studying tneir
modes of living and their legends Mr.
Ieffingwell and Mr. Ditlevsen, with Two
other scientists. not yet appointed, VIII pc
engaged in their scientific work, during
that year and a half-among other things,
in excavatng remains of native villages
mentioned by Mcclure half a century ago.
They expect to find some implements or the
tribes who lived there In the early days,
and hope in this way TO. gain some knowi-
edge of the ancestry OF the Eskimo. proD-
lem which up to this tlne mas never ap>
preached solution
The Journey to Northwest.
In the early spring of 1905 Captain Mix
kelsen with Mr.. Lefingwell and Mr.. Dit
levsen, will say good-by to their ship and
start northwestward with ponies and dog
teams across the floating ice toward 1oOs
west, longitude 20 80, north on the Ice,
where il will be decided. according to tho
ice conditions. whether they can possibly
continue 10 Wrangel Island. or have TO
gain the Alaskan coast 1t is during this
hazardous journey of 40 days that they
will discover the unknown continent, IL any
exists.
On the whole journey line of marine
soundings will be made by which they can
tell whether they still are above the con-
tinental submarine shelf If they once get
beyond the shelf there is little hope of
finding land For this reason the edge OF
the shelf will be carefully followed by con-
slant soundings-
AS food supplies give out. one pony win
be killed. and then another. After them
the dogs viii go. one by one. Captain Mix
kalsen expects TO reach Wrangei Land Tor
the Alaskan coast), By June. 1905 having