Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-08-26
new RACE IN THE NORTH
Explorer Stefansson Announces I'm
portant Discovery in Victorialand.
SCANDINAVIAN IN APPEARANCE
May he Descendants of Three Thou
sand People Who Disappeared
from Greenland Three
Centuries Ago.


NEW YORK, Aug. 25.-A race of people
who have never before beheld white man
or an Indian has been discovered In the
Arctic regions of British Columbia by
Vilhtmar Stefsnsson, leader Of the Amer
lean museums scientific expedition, which
left here in April, 1908, according to a letter
received from him in Brooklyn today
In his letter, which is dated Mouth of
the Dease river, Oct IS, 1910 and is the
first intelligence received from the party
within a year. StefanBson says:
I'VE have discovered people in a region
supposed to be uninhabited and have lived
few months among people who had
never seen a white man or an Indian
(though they had heard of both) and did
not even know l was not an Eskimo-so
little were they informed on what white
men are like. We have discovered Eskimos
Tin speech and habits) who are Scandi-
navians in appearance,
May Solve Important Question.
This find is the beginning of the solu-
ton OF one Of two problems:
What became of some Of Franklin's s
men2
What became Of the 1900 scandinavians
who disappeared from Greenland in the
fifteenth century,
''Or. IL neither Of these questions is to
be answered, then we have introduced a
new problem of scientific interest: Why
do some OF the people of Victorialand diff
fer markedly from the rest of their race?
Why are they so European in type? We
have discoyered the nonexistence of a
stream which the maps make the size of
the Hudson river-when the River La
Ronciere disappears from the map shall
feel have done some housecleaning.
I'VE have found a certain cape to be an
island and certain island to be a oape:
we know the source OF Rae river, Of which
the mouth and lowest ten miles were seen
by DR.. Rae. And few other odd things
we have done that are in the nature of dis
oovertes. But. OF course, II we deserve any
credit 1t will be more for our routine work
than for any discoveries. properly, so
called
Started Three Years Age.
StefanAson left New York on the present
expedition in April, 1905. His principal pur-
pose was to study the different tribes of
Esdmos in the northwest and more. espe-
cially an unknown tribe living in Victoria
land.
The explorer is about 30 years old and
graduate OF Harvard university. He is
more than six feet tall. of robust physique
and has devoted many years to anthropo-
logical research, particularly among the
Eskimos OF the northwest
Several letters have been received from
him describing his experiences and hard
ships. The letter received today was ad-
dressed to Herbert L. Bridgman, an author
ity on Arctic exploration.
stefanssOn was accompanied by DR.. r. M.
Anderson Of Harvard. During the long,
dreary journey to the land OF the midnight
sun the party met with many a hardship.
the explorer writes. Once, when the food
supply ran out and no relief was in sight,
he says, they ate the skins from their fur
clothing. In midwinter In 1909 DR.. Anderson
fell Ill with pneumonia and remained 50
for a month.
Had 1t not been that we had a small
cache OF flour, etc. at Camp Parry, we
should not have been able to pull him
through" the explorer writes.