The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-05-20
STEFANSS0NSA|[S
soon FOR ART|C
Will Leave in Early June
From Victoria, B. c., on
Four Year Cruise.

Wilhjalmar Stefansson, Arctic ex-
plorer. and discoverer of the Blond
Eskimo" or. the lost tribe OF white
men of the Arctic, and very well
known in Grand Forks, will leave ear
~ next month on a f%our-year trip into
the mysterious north In search of q
mystic continent. Somewhere in the
snow-bound regions of the Arctic cir
Gle. it Is believed. there lies a great
equare miles, and 1t is for this that
Stefansson and his little party of sci
entists will search.
In these days, when scarcely no
part of the globe remains UNEMPLOYED
and uncharted, it seems strange that
explorers and scientists should be ig-
norant Of such a great stretch of land
IL such a land really exists. Their ig-
norance of it is explained, however,
by the fact that practically all explor-
ing Of the past has been confined to
pole. Nearly all Arctic expeditions
have had as their primary objects the
discovery of the pole. Now that Peary
has attained that object expeditions
OF the future will devote more time
to exploring the Arctic circle and to
scientific research.
The region which Stefansson will
explore is now known. as the Beau
fort Sea-" That is the way 1t appears
upon maps of the Arctic, but it is moi
by any means certain that 1t is a sea,
although many explorers. Including
DR.. hansen and Captain ROAD
Amundsen. who was here last week
are. inclined to believe that. it. is the
sea. Stefansson and Commander
Peary.:: however. believe that It is q
great continent. Peary asserts thai
he saw many signs of land in the vi
entity Of the Beaufort Sea" while
on his dashcs to the pole which indi-
Gated that they were part of a CONT
nent.
Reach Nome in a Month.
stefansson hopes to reach Nome,
Alaska, the last telegraph station
north. a month after he sails from
Victoria. B. c. He expects to round
Point Barrow the last week in July
His vessel is the karluk, an old whai.
His party will consist of ten noted
scientists and a crew of twelve men
all experienced in Arctic exploration.
The expedition is being made at the
expense of the Canadian government.
1t had been expected that Stefansson
would make the trip for the National
Geographical society of Washington,
n the American Museum of Ma
tional History of New York, which
institution offered him $45, 900. The
Canadian government, however, Of.
fered him $4,000 and Stefansson 40
cepted. The fact that he is a Cana.
dian by birth had much to do with
his accepting the Canadian offer, de-
spite the attraction of the larger
mount of money.
Should Not Marry.
~Stefansson was born in Winnipes of
Iceland parentage. He is unmarried,
which, in his opinion, should be the
case with all Arctic explorers. He
studied at the University Of North
Dakota and graduated from Harvard.
One Of his hobbies Is the study of
the peoples of the north of Europe
and the study Of Morse literature.
stefansson has had considerable
experience in exploration in the vicin-
ity OF the supposed continent. Not
long ago he spent three al among
the Eskimos of the Arctic. His dis.
covery of the Blonde Eskimos'' made
MIN famous the world over.
! Ii Stefansson succeeds in discover.
ing the theoretical continent of tn.
Arctic he will doubtless brink back
with him much scientific data Of ex-
treme value, and scientists aawit the
first reports Of this expedition with
great interest.