Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-04-16
AN ARCTIC TRAGEDY.

AN ARCTIC TRAGEDY.
The Story of the ilI-Fatsd Erickson
Expedition.
There Is romance and fascination
about the frozen reaches Of the unex-
plored region which appeals even to
those who are quite willing to accept
their knowledge Of the bleak Northland
at second hand.
It Is this which gives interest to the
story Of the expedition headed by My
Illus Erichsen which left Copenhagen
in 1906 to survey and chart the un-
charted section Of Greenland and to
determine whether this northern pos
session Of Denmark was an island.
The expedition accomplished its OBJ
ject, but only at the cost Of life and
great hardship.
The party sailed from Copenhagen
June "a, 1906, on the steamer Dem
mark. Its object was that Of charting
Greenland between Koldeney island on
the east side and Cape Bridgman.
Peary Land, at the northeriy end OF
the island. The distance to be cover
ed was approximately 1900 kilometres.
or $40 miles-a distance greater than
the AIRLINE distance between New
York and Chicago. The vessel was
anchored in an inlet beyond Cape Bis
marck, on the east side Of Greenland.
which was christened port Of Denmark.
Here the vessel remained two years
while explorations were made.
On March 2S, 1907. a caravan Of ten
men and ninety dogs set out to estab-
lish stations and take up the work OF
the expedition. It was divided into
four groups. One Of these was made
up Of Erichsen, the leader; Lieut. Ha-
gen, photographer, and Bronlund,
Greenlander who could write. The
second group was composed Of Capt.
Koch, Behtelsen, an artist, and Tobias
Oabvielsen Of Greenland. This group,
after travelling for three months to-
ward the northeast, reached Cape
Bridgman, Peary Land. and turned
back, having reached It's goal.
On the way back they met Erichsen.
who had encountered difficulties.
Erichsen ordered them to continue on
the back track. and with his party
continued toward the northwest, hop
ing to find Cape Glacier, in Independ-
ence Bay.
He and his two companions were not
seen alive again. The progress Of the
party was made known by the diary
kept by Bronlund, which was found
with other documents. carefully pack
ed, lying beside his body. From the
journal It was learned that within
week after leaving Koch's party the
supply Of provisions became exhaust
ed. From this time Erichsen. his
companions and their dogs. lived on
such game as they could shoot It was
under the same date, June 4. that these
triumphant words appeared In the
journal. "Cape Glacier Is reached. The
problem is solved. Greenland is an
island 49,
The journey back was q trying one.
The ice had broken up, and II was EVIL
dent that they must wait until the
autumn ice formed before they could
advance. In the meantime the game
became scarcer and scarcer On Au-
gust the journal recorded that sever
al days had passed without a taste OF
meat. The dogs were losing strength
and the mems boots were worn out.
They tried to go further. hoping to find
game, but succeeded only In landing
on some pack ice, where they found
themselves surrounded by water. They
began to kill the dogs, which were un-
able to drag the sledges. feeding the
remaining animal with part Of the
flesh of their fellows. Sixteen days
after being stranded on the ice foe
they were enabled to reach land. They
now had only eight dogs.
There was q break in the Journal at
this point, but the entries beginning
with October 10 indicate that the In
terval was a period Of struggle for life
against hunger and cold. On October
10 there were only four dogs left, and
they were without strength to pull the
sledge. Their thought now was OF
saving the documents at any cost. On
October % their boots gave out and
they were suffering agonies from their
frozen feet.
The last entry in Bronlund's diary
bore no date. It read Dying, 70 de-
grees in the ford, after the attempt
to cross the interior ice in November.
I arrived here at the setting Of the
moon. I cannot proceed, as my feet
are frozen and 1t is dark. The bodies
of the others lie in the middle Of the
ford before the glacier. Hagen died
on November Is, Mylius ten days later.
Jorgen Bronlund."
Bronlund's body was found by the
party which set out from the ship In
search of the delayed group. BY Its
side lay the journal and the precious
documents, for the making and preser-
vation Of which men and dogs-willing
and unwilling martyrs-had paid the
price of their rlives.-Illustration