The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1914-01-30

| EN9 called last word Is not
L5Fl SA the final one. When the
EsE-S -SlES remarkable series of arc
tic expeditions came to
an end. after years of fruitless search
for the long 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 McClintocks search in
the Fox was initiated, and the final
record was made of Franklins death
and OF the discoveries of his ship
mates. And then followed that line
OF heroic American explorations
which opened up the wondrous wa
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-
tlous struggles Of a quarter OF a cen
tury, the word went round that arc
tic exploration was at an end.
Even that virile and indomitable
descendant of the Morse Vikings.
Roald Amundsen, was deferred from
that arctic voyage on which he had
already started. Turning the prov of
the Fran from Bering strait he sailed
southWard, and, scaling high antarc-
tic peaks with Norwegian ski and dog
drawn sledges, 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.
cluding those of Russia. The Dane.
Koch, and the Swiss de QuarVain.
crossed the Greenland icecap at diff
ferent points. The German Schroeder
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 Crocker Land. The French
man, Prayer, re-explored that Franz
Josef Land which his father was first
to traverse. Amundsen now starts via
Bering strait to drift northwest
ward with the ice foes of the Sibe-
ran ocean. These all represent what
may be called foreign and idealistic
exploration, as compared with the
Russian expeditions. which are do
nestle and economic.
Before describing the discoveries of
Lieutenant Wilkitzky, the Russian. it
VIII be well 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 Bering strait
until the Jeanette was crushed by
the ice.
Nansen followed in the Fran, adopt.
ing De Longs plan. The drift of the |
Fran was practical continuation of |
that OF the Jeanette, though no land
was seen, and the ship passed into
deep water about $50 miles to the
north of the new Siberian islands.
The most important addition to the
photography of the Siberian ocean,
lime and means considered, was made |
by Capt. Edward II. Johanesen, in the
sailing schooner Nordland Leaving
Cape. Mouritius, Nova Zembia, he
'ound the ocean ice-free, so that he
crossed to Cape Taimur, near Cape
Chelyurskin. On August 16, 1878 he
discovered in. II degrees AZ minutes
lorth latitude. SO degrees east longi-
ude. an island named Eisamkeit
Lonely island), scarcely more than
90 miles to the west of Nicholas Sec
md Land
Most interesting were the expert
noes of Byron A. E. Won Nordensk-
old, the greatest, all phases of action
nd of knowledge considered, of arc
ic explorers. In his unique voyage,
he circumnavigating or Asia, he
cached on August 10, 1878, the north
oint OF Asia. Captain Chelyuskin,
Which he determined to be in II de-
rees 36 minutes north latitude lO3
egrees II minutes east longitude. AS
e was the first known visitor to the
ape since its discovery by Chelyus-
in by sledge journey in l742, its
we're carefully noted.
Nordensjold sent his supporting
teamer, the Lena, seaward to dredge.
he was stopped by heavy and very
lose ice in about n degrees As min.
tes north, some rs miles south of |
icholas Second Land, to which she {
lade the nearest approach hitherto ,
n record. ,
The discovery of Nicholas Second {
and is simply an incident in the eco G
omic development of the Russian en- t
re. The general public is unaware /
the astounding potential resources 9
arctic Russia. Its areas extends 9
llf way around the world-through I