Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-06
BRITISH TO SKIRT
GREENLAND GAP
az Route Expedition to Start
/ $50 Mile Southern Trip
Tomorrow.
ny n. G. WATKINS,

aAader Of the British Arctic Air Route
80 Expedition.
my wireless TO The star.
ANGMAGSALIK, Greenland. August
q. (N.A.N.A.) .--On Friday, with Capt.
percy Lemon and Augustine Courtauld.
/ propose to start from the base and
TO tourney down the east coast to the
south Of Greenland and around to the
eettIenlent Of Julianehaab. on the west
coast. q distance OF 800 miles: :.
This coast is little known, owing 70
the fact that the Ice pack Is usually
had and also because the big glaciers
come down to the sea from the ice cap,
thus making boat travel difncult. and
DANGEROUS. The only time the complete
tourney has been done before was ~
veark nao. when Gustav Holm Travelled
with q parry OF Eskimos with skin boats
and kayaks, after laying depots the
previous year.
Map Is Incorrect.
We have seen from our flights that
$l1e naap Of the northern part OF this
stretch of coast Is incorrect in many
places and lacking In detail, ana we
have heard from Capt. Adbin Ahren-
berg. who. two years ago, new over the
southern part, that the map of that
part Is also incorrect in many places.
We had hoped to do certain amount
of mapping of this coast during the
winter Unfortunately, the blizzards
from the ice cap were stronger and
more continuous than in normal years,
SO flrm ice could never form ON the
large bays, and sledge travel for any
distance down the coast was, therefore,
impossible.
We are planning to do this mapping
by means Of Summer ground survey
giipplemented by air survey photographs
we shall only be able to map the first
$50 O. 400 miles in the time at otiE
disposal, and after that will have tc
travel quickly to reach Julianehaab be-
fore late Autumn.
WIN Use Whale Boat.
FOR this journey we are using the
a0-foot whale boat Kilatugak, the fore
part Of which has been decked over
This boat is fitted with three horse
power cupboard motor, which We have
found to be very satisfactory In drift
ice. We are also towing smaller boat
as we shall have to carry large amount
Of petrol to enable US to complete the
65O-mile journey.
Luckily. we have been able to ar
range for a party Of Eskimos who are
going to Winter further down the coasi
to carry some petrol down tor us tc
pick up when we reach them.
Apart from the two boats, we are
taking a kayak so that II the boats gel
smashed IN the Ice, which Is dangerous
along this coast, we shall be able tC
complete the journey In kayaks. II oui
KAYAKS get smashed, We can always
walk across the ice cap to settlement
on the west coast.
Our kayaks viii also have TO be used
for hunting. We shall have to depend
to q large extent on hunting Tor oul
food supply as We shall be unable te
carry q large amount OF food WITH u
In the boats owing to the large quantiss;
of petrol We are taking.
The kayaks We are using are Of tnf
ordinary Eskimo pattern, made slightly
larger to 1T us. The Eskimos of this
coast are generally acknowledged to Be
the best kayaking natives IN the Arctic
30 we have had the best instruction
possible.
Practice In Kayaks.
Most European travellers In the Arctic
have considered that Ii would be inn
possible for white man to use kayak
or even IL he could use It, to become
really efiicient in it, We saw no rea-
sons for supposing this to be the case
indeed, we considered that IL would BIZ
possible for some white men to become
fer more expert In the use Of the kayak
than any Eskimo.
Ten Of us had kayaks made and for
the last month or so we have been hard
ct practice. Already most Of us can roll
right around under water and come uT
on the other side. . feat which only