El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-08-27
EXPLORER WILL
RETURN NORTH
Macmillan Says Work I'm
finished; Has $50 Miles
of Coast to Explore.

sydney. y S, Aug. 27.-Douald B.
Macmillan, who arrived yesterday
from four years in the Arctic. is not
content with his achievements Il
have work TO do yet" he said today.
about $50 miles Of coast TO explore
and 7 hope 70 20 back soon"
Mr.. Macmillan. who. with Jonathan
C.. Small, his mechanic and general
aide. was brought here by the sealing
steamer Neptune. command Of Capt.
Robert Bartlett. viii leave tomorrow
for his home in Freeport, Me. He viii
go TO New York later 20 give a full
report Of the results Of his expedition
to the American Museum OF Natural
history.
The outstanding achievement was
the establishing OF the fact that the
socalled Crocker land, which rear adj
miral peary reported having discov-
cred in the Arctic did not exist. Mr..
Macmillan said that he and his COM
pani0ns were deceived Tor several
days by the same mirage which mis-
led Peary.
Surveyed Greenland Ice Cap.
The first objective Of the Macmillan
expedition. which was organized IN
der the auspices OF the American Mu-
scum OF Natural History and the
American Geographical society, with
the cooperation OF the University OF
Illinois. was TO prove OF diSprove the
existence Of Peary's Croker land,
which has been a prolific source OF
dispute among Eeographers and S'len-
lists. The next purpose Of the eEpedl-
tion was TO conduct a survey OF the
Greenland ice cap.
we had good luck" Macmillan
said Provisions were plentiful and
TO be secured, but 7 am glad Bartlett
Gin command OF the relief exepdition)
came along. We were getting pretty
low and might not have lasted another
winter"
Peary Deceived; Not FakinE-
Touching on Croker land. NacAii-
Ian said:
'Pearv was deceived by a mirage,
due TO layers Of air at different den
sites. suspended close to the ice.
Peary sighted this supposed land
from a cliff 1900 feet high. We
mounted the same cliff and for four
DAYS were deceived Finally when
the sun shifted IL was no longer
there. II was but a mirage. but so
clear that you could see green hills
covered with vegetation rising high
above the water It was supposed TO
he 100 miles northwest from Cape
Hubbard but we sailed lal
miles northwest. passing over the
supposed Croker land
1T was a wonderful mirage. Don't !
think. however, that Peary was fax
ing II would deceive any man. no ]
matter who he was"
Not a Man Lost.
The expedition was carried through /
without she loss OF a man and not I
Withsta1Ging disaster at the very /
start The explorers left North sgd /
ney in July. 1913, on the steamer f.
Diana. but were wrecked on BorEes ]
Point on the Labrador coast Moth I
ing dauuted. the explorers returned I
90 st. Johns. y. F., and were trans .
fsrred to the steamer Eric. which /
landed the party al their base, Etah, /
August 90
we had some hardships. OF course. I
due 20 the cold. but we had no sick /
ness whatever" said Macmillan.
knew Little About War.
1.-THE only thing that saved us from
scurvy was our fresh meat supply ]
The men always got fresh meat until
near the last when Small and 7 lived ]
on dog biscuits and duck eggs
"EsquimauL had brought Us word I
that the war was on, but we knew /
practically nothing about i- until /
Bartlett arrived with papers and put I
an end 10 the arguments Small and /
! had been having on whether the I
Germans had reached Paris.