Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-12-28
WAR BOOKS STILL COMMAND ATTENTION
FOUR YEARS IN THE
WHITE NORTH
d. B. MacMillan's Record of
His Exploration of Regions
about Greenland

"To the top of the earth" was the
destination of a steamship which sailed
from New York on July 2, 1918. 1t con-
tained what was known as the. Crocker
Land Expedition, which, under the aus
pices of the American Museum of Nat
ural History, the American Geographic
cal Society, and the University of ILL
nois, was TO explore the unknown regions
to the north and west of Greenland and
study their geology botany, meteorology
and ethnology Its leader was Donald
B. Macmillan, f. r. @. s.. who had had
n years experience with Admiral Peary
and had become, to use his own words,
enthusiastic over that strangely desc.
late but peculiarly attractive country"
He is also its historian and gives in his
-Four Years in the White North" a most
graphic account of the work of the ex-
pedition in exploration and scientific
study of its surroundings. There Is
much of sameness, of course. in the de-
scriptions of multitudinous Journeys on
dog sledges across snow and ice the
campings at night in native-built snow
huts, the countless perils they had con-
stantly to overcome. But he gives many
surprisingly interesting facts in regard
to the animal, bird and plant life of the
tuIllItT Illlp. "IllllB VI lntlT main
station, Etah, he says: THE ground was
fairly dotted with flowers. Within one
minutes walk from our docr~I counted
eighteen different varieties The
biggest trees do not rise more than three
inches above the rocks on which they
grow, even though their branches may
spread over a square yard of surface"
Some idea of the multitude of birds may
be learned from the fact that on one day
in June. -four thousand eggs were
cached for our winters use."
But to many readers the most inter-
esting parts of his narrative will be his
numerous references to his Eskimo COM
panions, children In their simplicity;
men of iron in their makeup" To them
the last setting of the sun Is looked for
ward to with pleasure. The dark night
Is one long delightful holiday" The COM
piling of an Eskimo dictionary of 5000
words was one of his principal occupa.
tions during the winter of 1861. The
main geographical result of the expedi-
ton was the discovery that Crocker
Land did not exist. The hills, valleys
snow-capped peaks which Admiral Peary
thought he saw were a mirage deception.
An entry in MacMillan's diary on July
81, 1917, the day of the arrival of the
relief steamer. gives one an idea of the
relentless grip" the great Northland
gets on a man. Happy? Yes-No :"
In several appendices the geologist and
botarisT of the expedition, w. E. Elk
blaV, gives an account of some of his ex-
ploration trips On one his companion
was the Danish explorer, Rasmussen, IAN
omnivorous reader, his favorite sledge-
companion being Xenophon's Anabasis.
in the original Greek. When we set out
together for the meteorite, he put this
volume in his sledge-bag." The numer.
Gus reproductions Of photographs add
much to the attractiveness of the book.
FOUR YEARS IN THE WHITE NORTH
BY Donald B. Macmillan. d. Sc. F. r. q.
S. Illustrated New YORK: Harper &
Bros. "a.