Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-04
FOUR NEW ISL ANDS
FOUND IN ARCTIC
Franz Josef Land Larger
Than Formerly Thought,
Russians Learn.

-Four new i1larSs have been added to
Franz josef Lane. remote Arctic
archipelcgo according to a report from
the Soyit iee'ree,,::er Mal,gln. They
will be cl- lined formally for Russia BY
the Soviet Arct:c Institute, which will
name them, dispatches sey.
Among eil detached Polar lands,
Franz Josef Land is fartheSt north" ac-
cording to a bulletin fr1m the head
quarters of the N t.onal Geographic So
Getty. Greenland and Ellcsmere Island
reach nearer to the North Pole, but
neither is SO isolated from ether land
masses as is the archipelago more than
200 miles north of the Russian Island
OF Novaya Zembla.
Franz Josef Land is one Of the NEST
recent of Arctic discoveries. 1t was
found accidentally in 1873 by IN Aus
TRAN expedition searching for north
east passage to the Pacific At that
time the archipelago was believed to
be part CT a continental mass CT con-
siderable size, hence the designation
Land Since then Franz Josef Land
has proved to be only relatively small
island group, although the name re-
2lained until recent years. when Fus-
s:a entered a clcim to the group and
suggested that its name be changed to
Fridtjof hansen Land. in Eoncr CT the
great Norwegian explorer.
Storms Sweep Desolate Isles.
"Desolate in the extr-me, swept by
gales and snowstorms, none Of the
islands of Frank josef Land is inhab-
tied, and it is extremely unlikely th5t
any of them ever will possess q perma-
nent settlement. Several expeditions
have Wintered there and for some time
the group was studied by explorers who
believed it might be Fart of a land
route to the Ncrth Pole. When this be-
lief was disproved Franz Josef Land
fell into neglect, although neighboring
SpitSbergen. some $50 miles southwest,
has been the starting point of two Ct
the three successful North Pole eXpe-
ditions.
The few explorers and occasional
sealerS who have reached Franz josef
Land report that it is composed of some
30 islands OF more than 10 miles in
extent and innumerable smaller ones,
all roughly divided into three groups
All the islands are ice-capped and
where land shows at all it is generally
along black basaltic cliffs or in nuna-
taks or exposed hills surrounded by ice
sheets. Compared with other Arctic
lands, the islands are comparatively
low, none Of them reaching more than
1000 feet above sea level, and many CT
them being only from 200 to 800 feet
high. The permanent snow line in
Summer in this region Is only 80 feet
above sea level.
Icy Snow Sometimes Red.
despite their forbidding aspect and
the handicap of 80 degrees of latitude,
the Islands Of Franz Josef Land reveal
a surprising amount Of wild animal
life. Polar bears. seals, white whales,
Arctic foxes and an occasional walrus
exist in sufficient numbers to support
explorers, although the supply easily
might be exhausted. During the brief
Summer peoples and saXifrage brighten
the sandy patches along the rocky
beaches, and the usual Arctic birds
the looms, rotges and dovekies-sweep
along the rocky cliffs. A few ducks and
geese breed on the islands. although all
leave before the end Of August.
The Franz Josef group has little po-
tential worth. 1t possesses no known
supply of precious minerals or coal, and
while the last remnants of the Gulf
Stream keep its main channels open in
Summer, fogS and gales are so frequent
that the region could have no depend
able value as an airplane port of call,
even though 1t does lie on the great
circle route between Western Europe
and the Far East.
"A popularity of the district Is its
sudden snowstorms The snow does not
fall In great fakes. but in fine, pulver-
lied particles of ice. which drift like
desert sand. Under foot it is firm. and
the walker leaves almost no footprints.
Occasionally one finds patches of red
snow curious algae or vegetable life,
which tints snow a rosy color. No trees
grow on the islands. although driftwcod
can be found in Summer along the
rocky beaches