The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1921-09-24
By 1oAN DICKINSON SHERMAN.

f7ONALD B. MACMILLAN is off for
BafHn Land-just about he is
saying good-by to civilization away up
on the coast Of Labrador. And what
does the veteran explorer expect to
find? Probably he himself doesn't
know. But Baffn Land offers that
- strongest of s-the lure of the
unknown. And IL Macmillan reaches
Its interior or its west coast and gets back to tell
the tale, two or three years from now we may be
hearing something new-and seeing 1t, for he ins
tends to bring back moving pictures. Anyway, he
and his schooner, the BOwd0in. are of for Bafhn
Land.
The truth Is that Bafin Land is an undiscov-
cred country. 1t was discovered" Away back In
the Seventeenth century .(1584-1622) by William
Baffn--that is, that hardy English explorer dis
covered and charted Bafin bay. which lies be-
tween Greenland and Bafin Land. So he neces-
sarily discovered the eaSt coast of Bafin Land
But no man has ever sailed around Baffin Land.
And no white man has ever penetrated to its in
terror.
Macmillan therefore does not know what's
aheddsof him But the Eskimo who live on the
big island have told him wondrcns tales of tower.
ing monntains with great GLACIERS; vast lakes;
birds new to science and of great size; beautiful
lowers herds Of reindeer The island It is es-
tilnated Ii about 1000 miles from north to south
from Lancaster sound to the Gulf OF Boothia. It
u anywhere from 200 to 500 miles wide east to
west Its 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 sss5
This western coast, according to stories told
Macmillan by Eskimo, Is Inhabited by people who
have never seen white man. So. one Of the re-
suits Of thesexpediti0n may be moving pictures OF
primitive people untouched BY civilization.
~ CA p11S10
wealth Of varlous kinds on the island Then
there IL terrestrial magnetism to be studied from
observations taken near the magnetic pOlee Also
the aurora borealis is to be photographed.
Macmillan II veteran In Arctic exploration.
He was born in Pr0yincetown, Mass. In 1874, and
& was u - track and gridiron star at Bowdoin.
IN early NE he taught the young idea how to
shoot He -was. ii the Peary Arctic Club North
Polar Expedition of 10000; frozen feet put him.
out Of consideration for Peary's fnal 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 1872. He
headed the Croker Land exploiting expedition In
1913. Amer four years during which time two re-
lief partes we're dispatched In search of him and
! third was formed. word came through that the
iiftle party was safe at Etah, Greenland He
had learned that Croker Land was largely
myth. j g.
The Baffin Land Arctic Exploration-ti,e ofhcial
title Of the lielle company that macmillan VIII
c0mmand--is being financed BY group OF
Bowioin men, The plans provide for &n abb
sence Of two years. The plans do not provide
FOR relief expedition. II the BowdOin y crushed
in the ice the parfy win retreat BY sedge TO Fort
Churchill the trading post at the foot OF Hudson
bay. and return to civilization BY way Of North
ern 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 t@Jot') OF
Proyfncetown, Mass. who was with him for four
wears on the Croker Land expedition and whom
the explorer describes as s'through-e through
sailor, and the best story teller ever met" An
zz,uaher former shipmate is Thomas McCue of Bri-
gus Newfoundland. the cook. who was with the
6xpJorer on trip through Hudson bay last year
Harold Whitehouse OF Boothbay harbor, another
experienced sailor, Is engineer.
Ralph ii Robinson Of Haverhill. Mass~ VII be
- exnIoesr'e xsneral assistant during re exDe-