Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1917-08-30
MACMILLAN'S ARCTIC
EXPEDITION BACK
AFTER FOUR YEARS
Explorer Says Peary's Crockerland Was Mir
age So Real That His Own Party Was De-
ships but No Sickness-Rescued by Captain
Bartlett of Steamer Neptune.

Sydney, N. S.. Aug. 26.-Donald B. Mac
Millan's Arctic exploration expedition ar
rived here tonight on the relief steamer
Neptune after four years spent in the
Polar regions.
Macmillan. who was one of Rear Ad-
miral Pearys lieutenants on his successful
dash for the North Pole. confirmed pre-
vious dispatches from him that there was
no Crockerland, such as had been report
ed by Peary. Peary's mistake was due
to mirage. so real that the Macmillan
party had been deceived by it for four
days he said.
The first objective Of the Macmillan ex-
petition was to prove or disprove the ex-
istence of Peary's Crockerland. The next
purpose of the expedition was to conduct
survey of Greenland Ice cap. Macmillan
was reticent concerning his discoveries,
saying he was under orders to report to
the American Museum of NATURAL His
tory. in New York. He plans to leave
Tuesday for his home in Freeport. Me-,
and thence go to New York
The health Of the explorers was good.
I'VE had good luck" Macmillan said.
provisions were plentiful and there was
plenty of game and eggs to be secured
but am glad Bartlett lin command of
! the relief expedition) came along. We
| have lasted another winter
CROCKERLAND MIRAGE.
Touching on Crockerland, Macmillan
| said:
''Peary was deceived by a mirage. due
to layers of air at different densities
suspended close to the ice. Peary sighted
this supposed land from a cliff 1,4OO feet
high. We mounted the same cliff and
| for four days were deceived Finally
when the sun shifted it was no longer
there. 1t was but a mirage but so clear
that you could see green hills covered
with vegetation rising high above the
water 1t was supposed to be 100 miles
northwest from Cape Thomas Hubbard
but we sailed 151 miles northwest, pass.
ing over the supposed crockerland
| 1T was a wonderful image. 1t de-
ceived the whole party, but finally we hat
| to admit that Peary was mistaken. Dom
think, however. that Peary was taking
1t would deceive any man, no matter
who he was"
The expedition was carried through
without the loss of man and despite
disaster at the very start. The explorer!
left North Sydney in July, 1918, on tn,
steamer Diana, but were wrecked OF
Borges Point. on the Labrador coast
Nothing daunted, the explorers returned
to St Johns. N. F., and were transferret
to the steamer Enic. which landed tn
party at their base. Etah. on August 20.
I'VE had some hardships. Of course, du
to the cold, but we had no sickness what
ever" said Macmillan.
THE only thing that saved us from
scurvy was our fresh meat supply. TIL
men always got fresh meat until nea
the last when Small Jonathan c. Small
mechanic and general aide) and I live
on dog biscuits and duck eggs. I tel
you. Bartlett was welcomed by us
When Bob arrived Small and wer
the only two members of the expedition
at Etah. We were living with Eskimo
and had planned to stay all winter wit
them, but taste of real bread wa
certainly welcome after eating dog bis
cults for two or three months.
DID NOT KNOW OF WAR.
''Eskimos had brought us word tina