The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1915-07-13
ARCTIC
NavigatOrS Off To MaCMiI.
lan'S Relief
Through Vast Fields Of Ice
And Snow

ward, the staunch little schooner
George b. Cluett, loaded with supplies
and comforts, is ploughng its way to
Etah. At this famous base for Arctic
exploration, from which Perry made
his dash to the pole, are Donald b..
Macmillan and his fellow scientists
who made up the Crocker Land Ex-
pedition which journeyed into the
farthest north two years ago. The
Cluett will bring back the explorers
and their records, and the map of the
arctic will again go under revision.
The Cluett is a three-masted
schooner, some 200 tons, which was
given by George b. Cluett, the collar
manufacturer, to the Labrador relief
work Of Grenfall. She is captained
by George Conner of Connecticut, a
whaler of 40 years experience, who
ranks with Capt. John Bartlett as an
arctic skipper. DR.. Edmund o. Hovey
10 in charge of the relief expedition,
as representative of the American
Museum of Natural History. The YES
sci was given her final touching up at
Battle Harbor, Labrador, this week,
before sailing. The crew consists of
ten men, including two mates and an
engineer. The little schooner should
reach Etah by August / and reach
New York with her scientists and
trophies early in September.
The members of the expedition
which conducted the supposedly hope
less search for Crocker Land during
the last two years are: Donald b.
Mcmillan, one of Peary's aides during
the successful quest for the pole, 80
years old, graduate Of Bowdoin col
lege in Maine.
w. Elmer Ekblaw, geologist of the
expedition, also a botanist, a native
OF Illinois and graduate of the Uni
versity of Illinois.
Maurice c. Tanquary, zoologist of
the expedition, a native of Illinois,
and also "A graduate Of the University
of Illinois.
Ensign Fitzhugh Green, U. S. NJ,
native of Missouri, graduate of the
Naval Academy, engineer and physic-
list of the party.
DR.. Harrison j. Hunt, surgeon of
the expedition, graduate of Bowdoin
college.
Jerome l.. Allen, wireless operator.
Jonathan G. Small, mechanic and
general aid.
The prime object of the expedition
sent into the far north two years
ago under Macmillan was to prove or
disprove the existence of Crocker
Land. Through communications from
Macmillan and Eklaw, received via
Copenhagen this stretch of land re-
ported and mapped by Pearry is de-
clared to have been mirage and does
not exist. The second object was a
survey of Greenland Ice Cap, procur-
ig geological, biological and meteor
illogical specimens, and to make n
geographical study of the section Gov
cred.
To finance tho expedition $4,000
was subscribed. 1t was organized un.
der the auspices of the American Mu.
scum and the American Geographical
Society, with the cooperation of the
University OF Illinois, Others who
contributed to the fund were Yale,
Colgate, Harvard Bowdoin, New York
Academy of Science, Col Theodore
Roosevelt, Ogden Mills, Zenas Crane,
Mrs. c. b. Alexander, Jacob II. Schiff,
John u. Thayer and the late Mrs.
Morris X. Jessup.
Etah, where the explorers are
awaiting the rescue party, is group
or rocks at the upper end of Green
land. The ice sets in the latter part
OF August, and by the middle of Sep
tenber 1t is frozen hard. 1t is there. |
Tore necessary to make time, and any |
unforeseen accident TO the little |
schooner will be n serious blow to the |
success of the rescue mission There |
Is fun years supply of provisions
aboard the Cluett, and many comforts |
and luxuries for the scientists who |
have been living in the bleak, frozen
north.
MacMillan's report on Crocker
Land was received last month by way
OF Copenhagen, in a letter of the
American Museum of Natural His.
tory. lie wrote; "Crocker Land, re.
ported seen by Peary In 1906, does
not exist. ! succeeded In covering
The whole distance of 1,2O0 miles in
" days. To us, standing on the
heights OF Cape Thomas Hubbard, and
Tor several days ON the polar sea,
here was every appearance of an
immense tract of land extending
4 a q -