The Hawaiian gazette., 1917-07-03
STEFANSSON NOW LONE \,
~. s." EXPLORER IN "A ARCTIC

SEATTLE, June 16-The arrival in
Greenland of the Mcmillan expedition,
which left New York in July, 1913, to
explore Croker land, aud which re-
ported that this supposed continent
whose mountain tops Rear Admiral
Robert E. Peary believed he had seen
in 1906, did not exist, leaves Vilhjal-
muir Stefansson, at the head of Can.
adian expedition, the only explorer in
the Arctic Seas. 1t is believed that
Stefansson and his twenty-four white
men and nineteen Eskimos already are
or soon will be heading eastward from
Melville Island on board the motor
vessel Polar Bear in an attempt to make
the Northeast Passage from the Pacific
to the Atlantic ocean. .rt3 .. f.,N
Stefansson and his expedition left
Victoria, B. c., June IL, 1913, just four
years ago, in the steam whaler Karluk.
At Nome, Alaska, the expedition was
divided into northern and southern
parties, Stefansson, on the Karluk,
taking command of the former, which
was to seek new land north of the
mouth of the Mackenzie river, and DR..
Rudolph M. Anderson, with two, small
er vessels, proceeding toward the Cor
onation Gulf country, east of the Mac
kenzie delta, to make a geological, bot
anical and biological survey of the
country, beside charting channels and
studying the Eskimos, some of whom
are blue'eyed, it is supposed, from an
admixture Of blood from the lost Sean
dinavian colony of Greenland.
- The Karluk stopped at Point Bar
row, the most northerly point of Alas
ka, early in September, 1918, and was
at once clutehed by the ice. On Sep.
TENDER 10 the ship was apparently
frozen in rOr the winter, and Stefans-
son, accompanied by two white men
and two Eskimos, went ashore to hunt
carbon for winter meat. While he
was absent a violent storm arose and
blew the Karluk out to sea. The Kar.
lux was soon afterward again gripped
by the lee and carried westward, being
finally crushed by the ice January l6,
1919, east OF Wrangell Island, which is
north of Siberia. The men took to the
ice, but became separated, and several
were nevers seen again. The others.
under Captain Robert Bartlett, reached
Wrangell Island, and eight men were
rescued in September, 1914, by a YES.
sci sent to the island for the purpose,
Captain Bartlett having made his way
over the ice to Siberia and Nome with
news of the disaster.
Meanwhile Stefansson and his as.
soeiates moved eastward along the shore
Of the Arctic and fell in with the An.
derson party in winter quarters at Mar
tin Point, west of the mouth of the
Mackenzie Hver. .rs r. w
StefanssOn and two companions set
out in March, 1914, over the lee with
dogs and made their way due north,
discovering a large island or continent
northwest of Prince Patrick Island and
making safe return to Banks Island.
Stefansson passed the, summers of
1918 and 1915 In exploring this new
land, having established eommunica.
tion in 1918 with the Anderson party
through the powerbOat Polar Bear,
which had gone to Banks land with
supplies. Stefansson purchased the
Polar Bear, and has since made Il. his
Most Of the crew OF the
Polar Bear remained with him, lie
has an abundance of food, and a large
stock of gasoline. g.. -,