The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1914-02-12

M IL called last word is not
| N ~ the final one When the
E6sI remarkable series OF arc
tic expeditions came to
an end after years Of fruitless search
Tor the iong.lost Sir John Franklin.
the Meet commander, Sir Edward
Belcher. write The Last OF the Arc.
tic Voyages"
NO one was more surprised than
beicher when McClintocks search in
the Fox was initiated. and the final
record was made OF Franklin's death
ana OF the discoveries of his ship
mates And then followed that line
OF heroic American explorations
"hieh opened up the wondrous wa.
'erways OF the West Greenland coast
ahd 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.
tious struggles Of quarter OF a cen.
tury, the word went round that arc.
tic exploration was at an end.
Even that yirile and indomitabIe
descendant OF the Morse Vikings,
hoald Amundsen. was deferred from
that arctic voyage on which he had
already started. Turning the prov of
the FRAN from Bering strait he sailed
southwark, and, scaling high antarc-
lc peaks with Norwegian ski and dog
drawn sledges, attempted the south
geographic pole.
when the year 1912 opened there
was noted widespread recurrence of
popular interest in arctic fields of
research. so that there were no less
than six expeditions initiated ex.
Guiding those of Russia. The Dane.
hoch, and the Swiss. de Quaryain.
crossed the Greenland icecap at diff.
ierent 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 Croker Land. The French.
man, Prayer. re-explored that Franz
Josef Land which his father was first
TO traverse Amundsen now starts via
Berlng 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
mestic and economic.
BEFORE describing the discoveries of
Lieutenant Wilkitzky. the Russian. il
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 fror, 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 a 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,
time and means considered, was made |
by Capt. Edward II. Johanesen, In the |
sailing schooner Nordland. Leaving
Cape. Mouritius, Nova Zembia, he |
iound the ocean icefree, SO that he
crossed to Cape Taimur. near Cape
chelyurskin. On August 16, 1873 he
discovered in II degrees AZ minutes
north latitude. Sc degrees east longi.
.ude, an island named Eisamkeit
Lonely island). scarcely more than
100 miles to the west of Nicholas Sec
ond Land.
Most interestiro were the expert
Aaces OF Byron A. f. Won Nordensk.
old, the greatest. all phases OF action
md 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 20 be in II de-
'rees SO minutes north latitude lO3
legrees II minutes east longitude. AS
lie was the first known visitor to the
ape since its discovery by Chelyus-
lin by sledge journey in 1742, its
urroundmgs were carefully noted.
Nordensiold sent his supporting
teamer, the Lena, seaward to dredge.
ne was stopped by heavy and very
lose ice in about II degrees as min
ties north. some rs miles south OF
'icholas Second Land, to which she
nade the nearest approach hitherto
N record.
The discovery Of Nicholas Second
and is simply an incident in the eco
omic development OF the Russian EN-.
Ire. The general public is unaware
the astounding potential resources
Z arctic Russia. Its areas extends
ALI way around the world-through