Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1921-09-01

- ONALD B. MACMILLAN is off for
Batfin Land-just about now he is
saying good-by to civilization away up
p III on the coast of Labrador. And what
| 3~<~ does the veteran explorer expect to
b-----A-4@ find? Probably he himself doesn't
s@d know. But Batfn Land offers that
strongest of lures-the lure Of the
unknown And if Macmillan reaches
its interior it's west coast and gets back to tell
the tale, two three years from now we may be
hearing something new-and seeing it, for he in
tends to bring back moving pictures. Anyway, he
and his schooner, the Bowdoin are off for Bafn
Land.
The truth is that Baffn Land is undisCOv
cred country 1t "discovered' away back in
the Seventeenth century O5S41622) by William
Bafin--that is, that hardy English explorer dis
covered and Charted Baftn bay, which lies be-
tween Greenland and Baftin Land. SO he neces-
Sarily discovered the east coast of Bain Land
But no man has ever sailed around Bafin Land
And no white man has ever penetrated to its in
terror
Macmillan therefore does not know what's
ahead of him. But the Eskimo who live on the
big island have told him wondrous tales of tower
ing mountains with great glaciers; vast lakes
birds new to science and of great size; beautiful
flowers herds of reindeer The island it lis es-
timated is about 1000 miles from north to south,
from LANCASTER sound to the Gulf of Bootha. 1t
is anywhere from 200 to 500 miles wide east to
west It's east coast line is an ice-capped plateau
with AN altitude of from 5000 to 5000 feet. The
interior is supposed to be largely of rock covered
with ice. The western coast, vaguely indicated
on the maps, is drawn from statements made by
Eskimo. ~. p, .... -'.
This western" coast according to stories told
Macmillan BY Eskimo is inhabited by people who
have hever@seen @hite man. so one of the re-
suits of the expedition ntay be moving pictures of
primitive people untouched by civilization.
Macmillan thinks there is coal, Oil and mineral
wealth of various kinds the island. Then
there is terrestrial magnetism to be studied from
OfjServatiOnstaken. near the magnetic pole Also
the aurora bOrealis is to be photographed.
Macmillan s~ a veteran in Arctic exploration
He was born in .Provincetown, Mass. in 1874 and
was '9S track and grdiron star at Bowdoin.
In early life he taught the young idea how to
shoot. He was in the Peary Arctic Club North
Polar Expedition of 190S-O9; frozen feet put him
out Of consideration for Peary's final dash to the
pole. He was member of the Cabot Labrador
party in 1910 and did chronological work among
the Eskimo of Labrador in 1911 and 1912 He
headed the Croker Land exploring expedition in
1913 After four years during which time two re-
lief parties were dispatched in search of him and
a third was formed, word came through that the
little party was safe at Etah, Greenland. He
had learned that Croker Land was largely a
myth.
Inc Bann Lana Arcuc EXpl0ratlon-the official
title of the little company that Macmillan will
command-is being financed by a group of
Bowdon men. The plans provide for an abb
sence of two years. The plans do not provide
for relief expedition. If the Bowdoin Is crushed
In the ice the party will retreat by sedge to Fort
Churchill, the trading post at the foot of Hudson
bay, and return to civilization by way of North
Canada.
Macmillan has carefully selected his compan-
ions The members of the expedition, in most
instances, he has known for years and several Of
them have been his shipmates on previous voy
ages. His mate is Jonathan Small ("Jot") Of
Provincetown Mass, who was with him for four
years on the Croker Land expedition and whom
the explorer describes as Observation-Disclosures
sailor, and the best story teller l ever met" An
other former shlpmate is Thomas McCue Of Br-
gus, Newfoundland, the cook. who was with the
explorer on trip through Hudson bay last year
Harold Whltehouse of Boothbay harbor another
experienced sailor, Is engineer.
Ralph p Robinson of Haverhill, Mass. will be
the explorers general assistant during the expe-