A NEW CONTINENT.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXV, Issue LXV, 15 November 1913, Page 9

A NEW CONTINENT.

DISCOVERED BY RUSSIANS

The discovery of a body of land as large as Greenland is reported by Commander Wilkitzky, of the Russian Wavy who has justf arrived at: Wt. Michael, ' Alaska, with, the, Russian flagship Tayniyr and its consort, the Waygatcn. The new continent is roughly described aslymg 600 miles nortn of Asia; more specifically, it lies in latitude 81 north, longitude 104 east. It is mountainous, uninhabited country, but with abundant animal life. Members of the National Ueographio Society of America pronounce the discovery the most important in the Arctic Circle in the last century, with the saving clause/ if true."' The find of the Russian Polar expedition would be the last great discover*of lands possible on th« globe. Arctic explorers and scientists of the United States have long held the theory of thft existence of unexplored land the size of Greenland within /the Arctic Circle north of Alaska and Eastern Siberia; but the mountainous country, the discovery- of which the Russians report is north of Western Siberia and MajorGerieral A: W.,Greeley and other Arctic geographers of this country (seem surprised and a trifle sceptical. Just as surely, though not as dramatically, as Amundsen beat Scott to the South Pols, so the Russian party has beaten a Canadian expedition to this new body of land in the Arctic, vilhjalmer vStefansson, who won much fame by unearthing a race of blond Eskimos in the northland, was sent away last summer by the Canadian Government in the search for the hitherto unfound .continent-;, which Admiral Peary and, others liave' long iteHeveif toi ■ existin,thePolar,regions, Hisvexpedi-." ~ tion is said, to be the beit^equipped that' everentered thePolar vice.l - <v The report of the discovery of\ thenew laqd given out-by Commknder Wil- I kifczky is very circumstantial. The expedition landed' With difficulty on^ the coast arid took possession in the name of the Tsar. The.Russian flag was raised and the discovery christened Nicholas Second Land. The shore of , the new country where the expedition Landed arid along which the vessel travelled is described as »ocky, with high; abrupt cliffs, formed evidently from volcanic activity. Volcanoes of the district may possibly have been active recently, the commander said. More high peaks 'tvere v discernible inland from the vessels^ and what seemed to be vapour cpuld be seen rising from one of these. The land was covered with snow almost to the sea. The temperature taken near the 6hore line was 51.8 deg. Fah'r. In July and August the expedition saw much evidence of the presence on the land of reindeer. Many walrus were seen, and bird life was plentiful. A number of polar bears were also noticed. The vegetation in the new land was but .scant.

The expedition cruised north-westerly along the margin of the newly-discover-ed land to latitude 81, lofegrtude 9$ east. It was forced to turn away from the land, which stilli extended in a north-westerly direction. At longitude 104 east, latifc;:de 79, the coast turns north-easterly. The expedition cruised along tH shore line as far aa possible, but ir latitude 76 deg. 40min. north was fopr d away from the land by ice,. It then travelled east to the Behring Sea and south to St. Michael.

After coal' ig the sVips will proceed to> Vladivostok. —Evening Post correspondent. ,