The Alaska daily empire., 1921-07-16
EXPLORERS OFF TO EATEN LAND
 IN A TINY BOAT
Donald B. McMillan and Six Others Are Off for
 Expedition to Arctic.

WISCASSETT, Maine, July 16.- Donald B. McMillan and six adven- turous followers sailed today bound for Baffin Land. They were cheered by 2,000 admirers when the vessels sailed down the bay.
 An attempt to map Baffin Land, the vast Arctic island southwest of Greenland, whose 1,500 miles of un- explored western coastline is as much a mystery today as when the English navigator, William Baffin. announced it's discovery in 1616, is the main objective of the Donald B MacMillan expedition.
 The tiny 115-ton schooner Bow doin. which carries the party north, was built at East Boothbay, Me
 Strong Ice Boat
 She was named for MacMillan' S alma mater, has auxiliary power and embodies all the essentials for re- sisting terrific ice packs. The crew consists of six men. The vessel is of the Gloucester fisherman knock, about type, sheathed with ironwood, S7 feet long. with a draught of 91A feet. Crude oil engines capable of developing 60.horsepbwer, are includ- ed in her equipment, as well as. 2,000 gallons of fuel oil and 800 gallons of kerosehe] The Bowdoin also car. ries stores and provisions sufficient to last her; erew, two years
 The head of tho expedition was Peary's chief lieutenant on the lat ter's successful dash to the North Pole in 1909. He has made eight voyages into the Arctic regions. Ac- cording to MacMillan's plans. he in- tends to reach Baffin Land about August 15 aud establish camp south of the entrance to the danger ous Fury and Hecla Strait whore the ships of Captains Peary and Ly- age, were blocked century ago The location is 160 miles north of the Arctic Circle and 700 miles south of Etah,. Greenland. It is not far from the point where MacMillan Crocker Land expedition passed the four winters of 19131415 and 16 On that occasion the expedition wa; once reported lost and two relief expeditions were sent out for it. but MacMillan finally returned He an nounced that 'Crocker Land was mol land" as believed possible by Peary, but an ice mirage
 Winter Explorations
 During the winter of 1921-22 at tempts will be made to explore ths coast of Baffin Land and the fol lowing summer an effort will bs made to penetrate the interior where, according to Eskimo tales there exists one of the richest an. most alluring fields of research ir the frozen north The island is sait to have great mineral deposits and to possess high mountains and beau tiful lakes which have never been seen by white men.
 The region is believed to be an immense breeding ground for water fowl whose nesting habits will be the subject of study, while the pro gram of the scientists of the expedi- tion also calls for field work in zoolo- gy, botany, geology, meteorology and terrestrial magnetism. Special ob. servations will be taken of the mag netic pole which was located first by James Ross in 1880 on the fur l ther side of the Boothia Peninsula, ! not far from Mac Millans proposed winter camp.
 One of the Attempts
 An attempt will also be made to circumnavigate Baffin Land In the i event of a serious mshap to the |. Bowdoin, the party plans to retreat by dog sledge to Fort Churchill. a trading post at the foot of Hudson | Bay. and thence return to civiliza. l -ion by way of Northwestern Can ada.
 MacMillan was born in Province. { own, Mass, November 10. 1874, the son of a Cape Cod sea captain He