The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1915-09-20
EXPLOIT OF
STEFANSSON
High Praise for the Discov-
cry Of a New
Land
- 49,
WORK OF AN
ARCTIC GENIUS
Recorded by the President of
Association of Amer
lean Geographers

| New YORK, sept. ZU-An estimate Oh
Stefansson's achievement in discovering
new land north Of the American conti-
nent is contributed to the New York
Times by Cyrus c. Adams, president OF
the Association of American Geograph-
ers. 1t is as follows:
The new land that Stefansson has dis
covered is about 100 miles to the north
of Prince Patrick island. The most
southerly part of the land which he Wis
! tied is considerably to the east Of the
most eastward extension of Prince Pat
rick island. The island, as far as he
saw it, seems to be nearly bisected by
the ll5th meridian west of Greenwich.
| The lands nearest to it, as far as we
know, are the Polynia islands, little
group to the north of Prince Patrick
island, discovered by McClintock in 1858.
| They appear to be about rs or 80 miles
| from the new land.
The island is over 100 miles due west
of the northern part of Ellef Rhymes
| island, discovered by Sverdrup, but its
most northern part, as far as Stefansson
saw it, appears to be farther north than
any other land in the great Parry archi-
pelaQo to the north of our continent.
| It probably marks the extension thus
far to the north of the comparatively
shallow waters that surround the islands
of the Parry archipelago. In other
words, it rises from the continental shelf
in shallow water.
The view is now generally held that
all the lands of the Arctic rise from
shallow water excepting few volcanic
islands. Stefansson's discovery, there
fore, seems to show that in this part OF
the Arctic ocean the sea is comparatively
shallow, though hansen found abysmal
depths in about the same latitude to
the north of the New Siberian islands.
Stefansson has abundantly proved
what he believed he would be able TO
show, that he would find all the animal
food he needed on the ice and in the
waters OF the ocean. Most of the time
he had more than enough for men and
dogs. IL is a remarkable fact that, aft
err many months of the hardest kind of
work he had many dogs left in good
condition.
his IntOTfen tlhNt ueuAiif Npih1A W.T.
Since he first went to the Arctic he has
believed that he could live on the re-
sources OF either the land or sea. He
has proved it. He is a man of enormous
strength and endurance. The whalers
on the north coast of Alaska h,ve long
said that no other man in the north
could make the mileage that Stefsnsson
could cover in day.
A few years ago when his supplies
were becoming scant he started south
from his camp to get meat, and game
being scarce, he was 40 miles away be-
fore he secured a pack load of the prov
ender; and be packed homeward with so
pounds of food and made the journey
TO camp in a day.
On his recent travels over the sea In
a boat which could easily be transformed
into q sledge, he had with him two Of
the best men in his party. One Of them,
Storkensen. he had known since the days
of the Lefiingwell Mikkensen expedition
with which Stefansson had his first Arc
tic experience. His comrades undoubt-
edly did their full share in the tremend-
GUS task in which the explorer was en-
gagged.
We now know that the whalers who
went up the west coast of Banks land
and reported that they could not find
Stefansson were may scores Of miles
south OF the point where be lived on
the fat Of the land during the winter.
As he expected, be found animal life
very abundant.
Another notable achievement was Ste.
fansson's completion Of the charting Of
the northeast coast of Prince Patrick
island. There was a stretch of some 10
miles of this coastline which McClintock
and Mecham did not cover in their sur
vey. The gap is now filed and We viii
now have a fairly good outline on the
maps Of this large island.
Stefansson has proved on larger
scale than any other polar explorer that
the blubber and oils Of the animals BE-
killed would amply provide all the fuel
and light he needed during the winter
night. He has always maintained that
this would b. the case. and be Was con
fdent that II be had an opportunity o.
try Il the experiment would h. success-
full He said these commodities were
good enough for the Eskirnos and he
could make them iust ss effcient a. the
Eskimos DO.
One Of the bases ~ Ms pslsr plans /
has been his idea thst be- could live and /
thrive IN the Arctic iust ~ vel az the /
Eskincs he has often expressed the /
opinion that the Arctic natives. on the I
whole. live very comfortably. that they /
have plenty 81 food and suitable doth. /
iur. that their houses are fairly health- 4
fui. and that tbgv Do not suffer many /
Of the us q hfe unless they ere b.
ruiled - Whifs men - I've n frAnns /
houses a. thsV d. ~ some ~ The ia
tiors On fhs uorth Alaskan crest