Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1925-05-27
@HArSxs e-Evi1S

noFInern part or winch is known as
Grant Land. This land mass is an ex-
tensive region itself. From the south
ern tip of Ellsmere island to the north
ern tip of Grant Land is a distance
equal to that from Chicago to Mem
phis, while the greatest width, east
and west, is about that across the
state of Illinois. West of Ellsmere is
land, across a narrow sound, is Axel
Heiberg island, almost as large as
Vermont and New Hampshire COM
bined. AT Cape Thomas Hubbard, the
northern tip of Axel Heiberg island,
the Macmillan expedition will estab-
fish its supplemental base for the ex-
ploration of the great unknown area
north Of Alaska. Fuel, oil and sup
plies will be relayed from the ship at
Etah to Cape Hubbard, $50 miles
away, and when all is in readiness, the
planes fitted with extra fuel tanks,
will take off from this base and fly
out over the Polar sea to the west, as
ignorant of what lies before them as
was Columbus when he sailed out into
the Atlantic.
From Cape Hubbard to the center
of the great unknown area is, rough
ly, 600 miles, which will make a total
of 1000 miles to be covered by the
planes. 1t is hoped that the extra
fuel tanks will permit the planes to
cover this distance in a continuous
flight. If ice conditions are favorable,
other attempts may be made north
and south of this direct line, thus
eliminating thousands of square miles
of unknown area from the maps of
the world today. Food will be taken
in the planes for several days of ex-
ploratiOn of any lands that may be
found in this area.
Following the return to the ship at
Etah, other trips will be attempted
north to the center of Ellsmere island
and Grant Land to Cape Columbia at
the edge of the Polar sea, where
Pearys record is to be found, stating
that he reached the North pole on
April g. 1909.
To Visit Greenland Ice Cap.
The great Greenland ice cap, 100000
square miles of area, offers another
field for exploration by plane. 1t is
supposed to reach a height of about
100000 feet. No one has ever visited
that part of the ice cap between 70
and 80 degrees north latitude, the
center of which is, roughly, $40 miles
from Etah. This will mean a continu-
Gus flight of $50 miles, which can be
accomplished in about five hours. The
condition of the Greenland ice cap is
such, however, that the planes should
ing every few minutes.
The Macmillan expedition will be-
gin its explorations even before reach
ing the Etah base on its trip north.
The ship will put into Julianehaab in
southern Greenland, to permit mem
bers of the party to study the ruins
of the old Morse settlement that was
founded in that neighborhoOd in the
days of Erik the Red, some 1900
years ago. Another stop will be made
at GOdthaab, 200 miles farther north,
where similar ruins will be inspected.
At the conclusion of its explorations
from the Etah and Cape Hubbard
bases, the expedition will start its
ship south on the return journey, but
will make additional explorations en-
route. From a station on Bylot Is
land the planes will fly over Baffin
island, one of the most interesting
lands in the North. some 600 miles
long, 200 miles WIDE and yet unex-
plored, although 1t was discovered in
about 1900 On the maps Of today
there are a few lakes The Eskimos
state there are thousands and thou
sands OF lakes in the interior of this
great land.
Farther south the party will pause
again in its journey homeward to
make airplane observations over the
interior of northern Labrador which
is practically unknown. Search will
be made for ruins of buildings said
by the EskimOs to have been built long
ago by strange people who came in
from the sea in open boats without
masts and without sails. These may
be ruins of Morse settlements Infor-
nation gathered on the northward
trip at the old Morse settlement of
Greenland will be used in an effort to
determine the origin of the Labrador
ruins.