The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-06-22

AWCiNe DpCCldlIStS W wv
There are II specialists, not counting
the chief himself, and every one is a
picked man.
Il could get college graduates by the
| carload" said he. but l do not want
them. They are incapable of scientific
work. Their equipment is just youth
and ginger. l gathered men for this
expedition who can be self-supporting
at need and who are also scientists of
world accepted reputation
He explained the meaning of the term
'self-supporting."
Il have lived for months on meat
straight" said he. "and i kept perfectly
fit. But not one man in ten is fit to
undergo a similar experience. The trou
BILE isn't physical, but temperamental.
Your man will say that he is no dam
savage and pretty soon he'll tell you
that he'll not live like a damn saw
age And what is he going to do, when
there Is nothing there to eat but meat?
Too many men want all the comforts
they could get in Harlem
Stefansson doesn't intend to subject his
men to needless hardships. His expedi-
tion is to set sail in two ships The Kar-
LUX. stout whaler Of 247 tons, about 2S
years old, is now being stiffened for the
trip She will be commanded by Capt.
Bob Bartlett-yes. the same Bartlett
who sailed with Peary, and who trekked
backwa rd over the ice with tears freezing
in his whiskers when Peary elected to cut
him out of the little party that made the
final and successful dash for the north
pole. Stefansson worked with Bartlett
by wire. and finally gained his consent.
Needed Capt. Bob Bartlett
Il needed him. said he. You sec. IL
| the winds were easterly. and We sail
north for the unknown land-or sea-along
the meridian of 14l, there's a chance that
of such an expedition must have a sailing
master upon whose nerve and judgment
he can rely. Bartlett is dependable"
Bartlett is now on his way to Victoria.
b. c.. where the Karluk is fitting. Then
he win purchase the second ship-probably
an old whaer-in which the second leg
of the expedition will embark, under the
command of DR.. r. NJ. Anderson. Stef-
ansson's college mate at the University of
Iowa. and his trail compa MON on that trip
that ended eight months ago. on which
they found the blond Eskimo The two
ships will enter Beaufort sea together.
At lIirschel island they will separate. An
derson to go east to Victoria island. where
he will establish base, and Stefansson
to drive north through Beaufort sea to-
ward that unknown region which protects
the pole That is. he'll go north II he
can. That depends upon the winds.
IF the winds blow west then Beaufort
sea piles up with ice,' he explained. 1T
may be possible to work way along
the shore line for distance but in the
end we must take to dog sledges. If the
wind blows east, then Beaufort sea is
clear of ice. The whaling experience of
years has shown that. Then We will sail
due north until we are stopped. No one
knows now whether 1t is land or sea up
there. We hope to find out
Hunting Our Grandfathers
do you expect to find more white Es-
kimos?'
This question tapped new lead.
This expedition, said he, was orig-
nally planned to study the Eskimo. We
hoped to find up there men quite uninfu-
enced by whites--Eskimos who are con-
temporaneous with our stone age ances-
tors of 10000 or $1,000 years ago. We want
ed to push back the history of the hu-
man race"
He explained that the remains of the
stone age man found In European caves
have shown us the implements our long
dead granddads used-and even the shape
of grandpa's head-but that as yet we do
not know what grandpa had inside his
skull
IF we find Eskimos near the pole, they
might help us to guess at our common
grandfather" said he. "They are on
about the same plane that he was"
Because some of the Eslximos the party
will find. are completely uninfluenced by
white men--as for example the blond Es-
kimo Stefansson found last year--the
moving picture man is considered by Ste
fansson of equal importance with any
other scientist In the party
1T will be a wonderful opportunity to
hand down record of vanishing race"
said he. II don't care whether the films
are successful from financial point of
View or not They are to be taken for
science"
The human race. he said, is on the wane
In the arctics. Even before the white
man came, the Eskimos were gradually
retreating because of their frequent fam
Ines. The white man brought disea ses
that became scourges
He's running down hill now with the
brake of"
Doesn't Hope to Find New Race
Stefannsson doesn't really hope to find a
new race In that dark patch on the map
There may be no land there, to begin
with.
Even II there is land, do not expect
to find man there But / would be sure
of finding the remains of human habi-
tations."
If Beaufort sea Is choked with ice.
then the Karluk will steam as near
Patricks land as possible, and Stefans-
son will make base. From that point
he will sledge into the unknown inte-
r1or 1t is the plan to send the Karluk
out each year, to return with mail and
supplies for the beleaguered ones within.
Cape Bathurst may be selected as a
place to call for the two parties. as
being convenient, within a few hundred
miles of ice, to both.
Stefansson hasn't any set programme
OF his aids, Kenneth Chapman and j r.
Cox Will make up maps of the new coun-
try Fritz johnson. who was with the
Erichsen expedition which mapped Green
land, has for two years been preparing al
the fisheries bureau in Washington to
make scientific study of fishes. Two
world known anthropologists win go
along-Henri Beauchat. who has a book
knowledge of Eskimo. and DR.. d. Jennes.
who was engaged in New Zealand by ca
BILE. w. T. Mckinley will be in charge
OF the work on terrestrial magnetism.
and A. Forbes Mackay. for years a sur.
geon In the British navy will serve In
| that capacity. The only man NOT vet
found is the photographer. It is hoped
that Herschel island will be reached br
august. Then the expedition will divide.
nd NJ TIA 10rth go y = - y