The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1909-10-20
oping Greenland. d............
*%**
Expedition Which Cost
the Lives OF Scientists
.s,,.,,,,,,,,,,,,,.,,,t,...+++.+.&,

The completed map of Greenland,
the largest island in the world, has
at last been published in Peterman's
Mitteilungen. 1t was left till this late
day to learn the exact shape of this
land mass.
DR.. Mylius-Erichsen explored the
unknown northeast coast last year
and we now have the map of his sur
veys. The map was made at the cost
OF the lives of the explorer and his
two comrades, who perished after
their work was done, while on their
way back to the ship. The completed
map of Greenland will be a monu-
ment to their memory.
The trend of the northeast coast Is
very different from what geographers
had supposed. 1t had been marked
on all previous maps as probably ex-
tending from about seventy-eight de-
grees north latitude in a general
northwesterly direction to the Inde-
pendence Bay of Peary. In fact it ex-
tends for about 800 miles in north
easterly direction till Its most eastern
point nearly touches twelve degrees
west longitude from Greenwich.
About forty years ago DR.. A. Peter
mann spread the view that Greenland
probably extended across the pole and
down the other SIDE OF the earth to
the neighborhood of Bering strait.
With this idea in view he wrote the
Instructions for the second German
North Polar expedition under Captain
Koldevey, who was sent out to COM
plete IL possible the mapping Of the
east coast.
He succeeded in reaching by a
siedge journey only seventy-seven de-
grees north, little beyond Cape Bis
marck. We know now that more
than 1000 miles of tortuous coast line
stretches between his highest north
and the northern shores of the island.
Then in 1905 the Duke of Orleans
on the steam yacht Belgica pushed
over 100 miles to the north of Cape
Bismarck, but fog prevented him
from making q satisfactory survey of
the coast line. Meanwhile DR.. Mylius-
Erichsen formed the plan Of making a
complete survey of the unknown
coast of Greenland from Cape Bis
marck north till he Joined his survey
with that of Peary and thus COM
pleted the map of the island.
He started on the steamer Dem
mark from Copenhagen on June 25,
1906, picked up three Greenlanders
and lot of Eskimo dogs that had
been sent to the Farce Islands to meet
him, touched at Iceland, pushed for
fourteen days through the ice Of the
Greenland Sea and reached Kolde-
wey Island on August 10.
On the next day he had an easy
Journey il the ice-free coastal waters
10. Cape Bismarck, and in the inlet be-
hind it he found a suitable place for
ne winter quarters of his ship. The
little harbor was named Denmark
Haven. In the late summer he
sledged supplies northward to make
provision depots for the long journey
VI lA1S AOhOhihS SpiihS, anu he dioo
surveyed the coast both north and
south of the winter camp as long as
daylight lasted.
On March % last year the great
sledge journey was begun. Mylius-
Erichsen, Lieutenant Hagen and the
Greenlander Bronlund were to sur
vey every mile of the coast until their
explorations Joined those of Peary at
the artist Bertelsen and the Green
lander Gabrielsen were to push north
of Peary channel to complete the ex-
ploration of the eastern edge of Peary
Land, which Peary had explored as
far south as Wyckoff Island.
Two detachments went along for
weeks to carry food for the survey
parties. AS it left the ship the expe-
dition numbered ten men, ten sledges
and eighty-six dogs.
1t is not the purpose here to de-
scribe this wonderful Arctic journey
in detail. 1t will suffice to summar-
ize the work the explorers achieved
and to describe the unexpected geo.
graphical conditions which cost the
lives of the leader and two other men.
When the two supporting parties
turned back to the ship the two sur
vey detachments started north from
Amdrup Land with six sledges and
provisions for a month. The coast
had been trending q little eastward.
but there seemed no doubt that the
parties could complete their work and
return to their most northern food
camp within thirty days. At any
rate they were loaded down with all
the food for men and dogs that they
could carry.
But instead of following the coast