Evening star., 1915-09-19

Washington scientists and others in
terested in arctic and antarctic explo-
ration yesterday expressed themselves
as greatly gratified at the news from
the far north that Vilhjalmur Stefans-
son is safe. The dispatches which have
told of his work and accomplishments
III exploration have come to the Capi-
tai like messages from the dead" aft
er long silence which had led many to
believe that the noted young explorer
would never be heard from again.
Stefansson is we'll remembered in
Washington, where he lectured before
the National Geographic Society a cou-
pie of years ago, before his departure.
in search of the celebrated Polar Con- :
tinent," which scientists have long be-
lieved lies in the unexplored regions
of the arctic circle Whether he has
found that celebrated land is not yet
known. but it is realized here that
there is a chance that the land he de-
scribes as having been discovered by
him may prove to be the polar Cont
nent.' the search for which has cost so
many lives.
Gave Way to Canada.
Nearly a year and a half have elapsed
since the young explorer left the ice on
the north shore of Alaska and started
into the unexplored regions of the arc
tic circle. He has been working under
the auspices and at the expense of the
government of Canada, although it is
by the merest chance that he is not do
ing so for the National Geographic So
ciety of this city A preliminary ar
rangement for the young explorer to
represent the National Geographic So
clety had been made, and the society
surrendered its claims to the Canadian
government when officials of Canada
asked Stefarsson to carry the British
flag rather than that of the United
States.
The Canadian expedition which Stef-
ansson headed sailed into the far north
to explore an unknown territory ten
times the size of New York state 1t
headed north to face one of the worst
winters for ice ever known in the
arctic. notwithstanding, StefanssOn
would not hear of turning back. After
the karluk was caught in the ice he
left the Whaler with his party and
sleds, and it was not until he met the
captain of the Polar Pear that he knew
the karluk was wrecked and only
twelve of the twenty-five men he left
on board ever got back to civilization.
ODJeCC OIL tXpeu1J1OQ.
Under his own signature the explorer
described the chief aim of the expedi-
ton to be the exploration of as large q
portion as possible of over a million
miles of unknown area lying north of
western Canada, north of Alaska and
north of eastern Siberia. Speak king of
the backing of the Canadian govern
ment he said that its intention to bac k
the exp edition showed it realized its
possible Importance.
1T may never bring a result trans
latable into dollars and cents, but Will
surely, if it has any success, add ma :
terially to our knowledge Of the earth
even though it should not happen to
discover any land Stefansson wrote.
"And if new lands be discovered they
(the Canadian eoVcrnment) do not take
it for granted that it will be forever
valuelesS.
I'm one sense the expIora ton is
unique. Ii may be considered as an
undertaking to test the validity of a
theory. Dr. Nansen has argued We
hemently, and to some mems minds
conclusively, that the uneXplored por-
| tion of the Arctic ocean is a deep basin
practically. or more probably entirely
devoid of land. Other students of the
north, such as Gen. A. W. Greely and
| Dr. X. II. Harris, feel equally convinced
| that there is land Of considerabl BILE area
lying undiscovered in the Polar sea and
| Admiral Peary, from an elevation OF
1000 feet near Cape Thomas Hubbard
| has even seen land to the west With
| the conservatism of man of great
experience, he says he is not sure of the
existence of any land upon which he
| has not actually put his foot, and is not
| therefore, sure if what he saw was
| land and not a cloud bank"
Start for Far North.
These were the problems Stefansson
| intended to settle when, June 27. 1913,
he and his party sailed from Teller
Alaska The karluk. a STOUT whaler.
was commanded by Capt Robert A.
Bartlett, and beside Stefansson, these
| made up the scientific party: James
Mamen, Diamond Jenness, George A.
Beuchat, George wilkins. photographer.
and Eurt Mcconnell, Stefansson's sec
| retary. Eskimos and crew brought the
total number on board up to thirty-one.
!; The general plan was to cruise north
ward as far as feasible and to establish
winter quarters upon any land that
chanced TO be discovered. The vessel
was to head to the eastward, were no
land discovered. and the winter base
was to be established as far north as
possible along the western coasts of
Banks or Prince Patrick Islands. From
that vantage point it was intended to
start the following winter to explore