The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1922-03-31
ISLAND OFFERED
GREAT BRITAIN
Stefansson Expedition Establish
ed Possession of WrangeIl ISL
and in Name of Great Britain.
ALL PREVIOUS CLAIMS LAPSED
Three Americans in Party Landed to
Re-assert Possession for British.
Explorer Denies Any Right
of Russia.

Montreal. - The British flag has
been raised by Vilhjalmur Stefans-
son on Wrangeil Island, one of the
most important islands in the Arctic
region, because strategically it DOM
mates Northeastern Siberia. The ex-
plorer now admits that when the little
vanguard of his fifth and latest ex-
pedition, including citizens of the
United States, landed on Wrangell Is
land on September q last, it's mission
was political as well as scientific.
Wrangell Island, which is about the
size of Jamaica, lies 100 miles off the
northeastern coast of Siberia and 400
miles west of Bering Strait, in latitude
II degrees, north, and longitude $50
degrees. For the most part it Is a
typical grass-covered arctic prairie,
noted for it's interior granite cliffs,
which reach a height of 1000 feet,
and also famed as the paradise Of the
polar bear.
Following its discovery by the Brit
ish in 1949, Wrangell Island was occu-
pied in turn by Americans and British
both of whom, according to Stefans-
son, permitted their claims to lapse
after five years, when neither country
provided for continuous occupation.
The claims Of both the British and
Americans were shadowy when the ILL
fated Karluk was wrecked off Wran-
CELL Island in 1914. The right of the
British to occupy the island was re-
asserted, however, when seventeen
members of Stefansson's shipwrecked
expedition landed and later ran up the
British flag. Following the with
drawa1 of Stefansson's men, the Brit
ish claims lapsed again in 1919, so
toward the end of the five year period
the explorer began the organization of
his Wrangell Island expedition.
The little party that landed on
Wrangell Island for the purpose of re-
asserting the right of British occupa-
ton was composed of four white men
and as many Eskimos. The Ameri-
can members were E. L. Knight Of
McMinnville, Ore, Frederick Maurer
of New Philadelphia, Ohio, and Milton
Gale of New Braunfels, Texas.
Only the leader of the party, Ca
madam, was apprised of the real ma
ture Of the expedition when it started,
and he was Allan Crawford, son of
Professor Crawford of Toronto Uni
versity. The Americans, Stefansson
explains, became identified with the
undertaking simply through love Of
adventure. But the Americans were
let into the secret when the party
landed.
Canadian Government Not In Secret
The expedition, which was designed
by Stefansson to render an important
service to his country, was organized
without assistance from the British
Indeed, the exact nature
Of the expedition was not disclosed to
the British government until Stefans-
son went to Ottawa to make report
in person to Prime Minister Mackenzie
King
Stefansson's expedition was hurried
because he had found in his voyages
that the Japanese were constantly
hC II
would be only matter of time until
they appreciated the Importance of
the island.
Stefansson has tentatively planned
to sail in the spring for England to
report to the British prime minister
on the results of his latest undertak-
ing in the Far North. He says he
has established no personal claims by
occupation of the island.
The Wrangell Island expedition was
and equipped by Stefans-
son in the face of many obstacles. The
first problem he had to overcome was
one of financing. Eventually Stefans-
son put into the enterprise his entire
personal savings from his explora-
tions, his writings and his lectures.
Still the financial organization was in
adequate. So the explorer sought the
assistance of friends. To the generos-
ity of the latter Stefansson attributes
the success of the expedition.