The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1915-10-01
STEFANSSON HAS LOCATED
new LAND IN THE ARCTIC
First Word in Over Year and Half
Has Beer Received From the
Arctic Explorer

Nome, Observation-Disclosures Stefans-
son, chief of the Canadian government
Arctic exploring and surveying eXpe-
dition that left Victoria, B. c., in June,
1913, and who set out afoot over the
ice with two companions from the
shores Of northeastern Alaska in
March, 1914, to seek new land in I'M
Charted seas, has found new land, and
the only hardships endured were those
Of short ratiOns. Stefansson announces
the discovery of new land in the Arc
tic. 1t is the first word from the eX
pl0rer since April 7, 1914, when his
supporting party turned back and left
him to continue with three compan-
ions his journey over the ice. The
party left Victoria, B. c., In June,
1913. Great anxiety has been felt for
Stefansson and in many quarters he
had been given up for lost. The party
has returned to Banksland From
there it will begin another years ex-'
plOTation to determine more about the
new land discovered Stefansson,
places the new land at II degrees 49,
minutes north latitude and 115 de-
grees 48 minutes west longitude.
The ice party consisted of Storken-
sen, Andreasen and Thomson, all Nor
WegianS except myself, said Stefens-
son.
At Lat. 1920 N, between May l and
May s, We dTifted eleven miles south
and thirteen miles west, and there was
so much open water that we could
make little progress. We made the
journey on RATS improvised by pass
ing tarpaulins under the sleds and
lashing up the sides.
Such a raft carries a thousand
pounds when the water is not rough,
and less if there is a rough wind.
The thirteen dogs were especially
troublesome. The weather was get
ting warmer fast, and the ice was
broken into small pieces, with water
or mashed-up ice between. /, there
fore, gave up further attempts to go |
west and travelled to the west coast of
Prince Patrick Island.
Some seventy miles off shore, near
Lat. 76:4O N, we we're forced to real
ize that we could hope for no great
northerning 1T so late a season on
broken ice drifting rapidly southwest.
We therefore tried to make the shore
fact ice off Prince Patrick Island in
that latitude, but were carried fifty
miles south before we fully made land,
about ten miles south of the land we
had seen on June l.
Before this time our kerosene had
given out and we were burning seal
and the caribou meat, dried
at Norway Island during the summer
Of 1914 for dog food, was also finished.
For the men we had still twenty days
rations, for we had lived partly on
seals and bears.
Proceeding northward, we finished
The charting Of the coast line between
the farther points reached by Nc
Jlintock and Mechas from their win
.er base o. Dealy Island, on the south
coast of Melville Island. Fogs and
hick weather hampered us greatly in
his work. On the afternoon of June
IS we reached the north tip of the
sland and found a record left, there
~ McClintock, dated June Is, 1853.
On the morning of June IS, from a
orty-foot high ice cake near the camp
hat we had just pitched, Storkensen
lighted new land to the northeast.
his camp was pitched at " degrees
6 minutes, and we landed next day
N the land at point distant about
ourteen miles, near 78 north and III
vest. The trend of the coast here was
orthWesterly, but thick weather pre-
ented us seeing far. On account of
he lateness Of the season we followed
he coast for three days only.