Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1914-01-24

BLS FL called last word is not
[JEI 81 the final one When the
SSS remarkable series OF arc
tic expeditions came to
all end, after years Of fruitless search
for the longlost Sir John Franklin.
the fleet commander, Sir Edward
Belcher. write The Last of the Arc
tic Voyages"
No one was more surprised than
Belcher when McClintock's search in
the Fox was initiated. and the final
record was made OF Franklin's death
and of the discoveries Of his ship
mates. And then followed that line
Of heroic American explorations
which opened up the wondrous va
terways OF the West Greenland coast
and thus unbarred the hitherto closed
gates TO the very pole
In years just passed. when the stir
ring dispatch came announcing that
Perry had reached the north geo
graphic pole. the acme OF his ambi-
UOus struggles of a quarter of a cen
fury, the word went round that arc
tic exploration was at an end.
Even that virile and Iudomltable
descendant OF the Morse Vikings.
Boald Amundsen, was deferred from
that arctic voyage on which he had
already started. Turning the PROV of
the Fran from Boring strait he sailed
southwark, and. scaling high antarc-
tic peaks with Norwegian ski and dog
drawn sledgas, attempted the south
geographic pole
When the year 1912 opened there
was noted a widespread recurrence Of
popular interest in arctic fields Of
+ research. so that there were no less
than six expeditions initiated, eX-
GLIDING those of Russia The Dane.
Koch, and the Swiss, de Quarvain,
/ crossed the Greenland icecap at diff
ferent points. The German SchrOders
Strauz, found disaster and death IN
North Spitzbergen Meanwhile the
Canadian StefanssOn, planned TO
reach the hypothetical continent long
forecast by Americans. The Ameri-
can. Mcmillan, sought definitely to
outline Croker Land. The French
man, Prayer. re-explOred that Franz
Josef Land which his father was first
to traverse. Amundsen now starts via
Boring strait to drift northwest
ward with the ice foes OF the Sibe-
rian ocean. These all represent what
may be called foreign and idealistic
exploration, as compared with the
Russian expeditions, which are do
mestic and economic.
Before describing the discoveries OF
Lieutenant Wilkitzky, the Russian, il
will be we'll TO set forth foreign in.
-vasiOns into the Siberian ocean near
est to Nicholas Second Land First
in order is the expedition of 1880
commanded by De Long, which drift
ed northwesterly from Boring strait
until the Jeanette was crushed by
the ice.
hansen followed in the Fran, adopt
ing De Longs plan. The drift of the
: Fran was a practical continuation o.
= that of the Jeanette though no lane
deep water about $50 miles to the
north of the new Siberian islands.
The most important addition to tn,
photography of the Siberian ocean
. time and means considered, was mad
by Capt. Edward II. Johanesen, in tn,
sailing schooner Nordland. Leaving
!, Cape. Mouritius, Nova Zembia. h
found the ocean ice-free, so that b.
crossed to Cape Taimur, near Cap
, Chelyurskin. On August 16, 1878. h
discovered in II degrees AZ minute
, north latitude, Sc degrees east long
tude, an island named Eisamkei
OLonely island), scarcely more tina
100 miles to the west of Nicholas SEE
ond Land
Most interesting were the exper
!, ences of Byron A. E. Won Nordensl
. jold. the greatest, all phases of actiO
. and of knowledge considered, of arr
tic explorers. In his unique voyag,
the acknowledging or Asia.
reached on August 10, 1878, the mort
point of Asia. CaptGin "helyuskil
which he determined to be in II d.
|. grees Sc minutes north latitude IL
degrees II minutes east longitude. A
he was the first known visitor to tn
cape since it's discovery by Chelyu
:, kin by sledge journey in 1912, II
surroundings were carefully noted.
Nordensjold sent his supportin
. steamer, the Lena, seaward to dredg
. She was stopped by heavy and vel
!. close ice in about Il degrees As mi
= utes north, some IS miles south
Nicholas Second Land, to which 81
!. made the nearest approach hither
on record.
The discovery of Nicholas Secor
" Land is simply an incident in the &c
nomic development OF the Russian Ell
pire The general public is unawa
of the astounding potential resourc
of arctic Russia. Its areas exten,
Q half way around the world-throu,
r