The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-11-28
STEENSBY LOCATES
KARLSEFNI ROUTE
Late Danish Geographer
Claimed Proof of Iceland
Explorers Trail.
MADE STUDIES IN CANADA
Believed He Had Traced Course
of American Tour Of An
cient Viking.

Prof Hans Peder Steensby OF the
University of Copenhagen. who died last
month on his way from America to Den
mark after making a thorough study Of
the Karlsefni Route. had gathered what
he considered authentic proof that the
real route extended to Quebec. on the
ST. Lawrence River, according TO word
received yesterday by the American
Scandinavian Foundation, at % West
Forty-ffth street.
DR.. Steensby. who was noted paleon-
tologist and geographer. visited New
York before sailing for his home. He
had intended to make a tour of the
West, including Yellowstone Park. but
gave that up. He did visit. however,
Washington. D. c., and Mount Vernon.
on September II an interview with him
was published in a middle Western
newspaper, in which the emine8t ex-
plorer stated that his earlier theories
regarding the Karlsefni Route has been
confirmed by his last investigation He
declared that he had found surprisingly
good proofs of his theories that the route
differed from that mapped out by other
paleontologists
The Karlsefni Route. taken by Thor
finn Karsefni. an Icelander and a
brother-in-law of Left Ericsson, about
1000 years ago, according to DIR. Stems
by, ended in the st. Lawrence River.
The route was from Southwest Green
land north along the coast of Greenland,
thence in a half circle down TO the
Hudson Bay region. thence down the
Labrador coast and the st. Lawrence
River as far as the present day city of
Quebec. This differs from former eX-
81 AaIf ttaaA t1,a ~
the Viking started from the southeast
Of Greenland to Labrador and Massa-
chusetts.
DR.. Henry Goddard Leach. secretary
of the Observation-Disclosures Founda-
ton, who delivered the address Novem-
Der 30 at the dedication of the statue of
Karlsefni in Fairmount Park. Philadel-
phia, spoke Of DR.. Steensby. Prof
Steensby was a famous Danish geog-
rapher," he said. He traversed on foot
the coast of Labrador and the north and
south shores of the st, Lawrence River
and located. at least to his own salts
faction, the Iceandic settlement of the
first, second and third winters of the
Karlsefni expedition"
In Arctic Geography and Eskimo
Culture" review of DR.. Steamships
work. by Clark Wissler, curator of the
department of anthropology of the
American Museum of Natural History
the late Danes reasons for believing
that the Eskimos were an inland people,
that Eskimo culture originated west Of
Hudson Bay and around Coronation
Gulf, are discussed.
While Dr. Wissler does not entirely
agree with Prof Steensby's theories he
says ut remained for n recent writer to
give us the first comprehensive essay
upon the anthropaseography Of the Es-
kimo as n whole. To our mind his are
successful scientific demonstrations. and
as such they constitute contribution
Of great value"
Prof Steensby, the son OF a land
owner, was born in Steensby, Island
Fyen. Denmark, March 25. 1875. lie
was unmarried. He received degrees at
Odense and was one of the directors Of
the Royal Danish Geographical Society.
He was a member of the Danish COM
mission for directing geographical and
geological Investigations in Greenland
and was the author of numerous books
He died about October 81.