LOST IN THE ARCTIC.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18495, 4 September 1923, Page 7

LOST IN THE ARCTIC.

WRANGEL ISLAND TRAGEDY

RELIEF ARRIVES TOO LATE.

FOUR EXPLORERS PERISH.

DISEASE AND STARVATION.

By Telesrwiph—Press Association Copyright. I United Service. NEW YORK. Sept. 2. Another terrible tragedy is reported ! from tho Arctic. Dr. Vilhjalmur Stefansson two summers ago sent an expedition to occupy Wrangel Island, off the coast of ! Siberia. Last year a relief ship failed to reach thorn on account of ice. This year's expedition was successful in breasting the barrier, and has returned home reporting all dead except an Eskimo woman. The party starved and endured awful sufferings, ( including scurvy. . The dead include Mr. Allan Crawford, son of Professor Crawford, of the Toronto University, leader of the party, and three companions, Messrs. Maurer, Knight and Galle.. Dr. Stefansson sent the party to take possession of the island with the intention of making it a round-the-world aeroplane station. Mr. Knight, who was an old-time, experienced explorer with Dr. Stefansson on other expeditions, became ill last winter, so Crawford, Galle and Maurer attempted to reach tho shore of Siberia, hoping to bring aid. They started over the ice, and were never seen again. Undoubtedly they perished of starvation. Knight lived until June of this year, tended by the Eskimo woman, who alone was left when the rescue party arrived last week. "> '. The 'first unusual object meeting the rescuers was a bottle containing a record of the raising of the British flag proclaiming the island under the sovereignty of Britain since August, 1921.

THE ILL-FATED EXPEDITION.

DR. STEFANSSON'S STORY.

Dr. Stefansson, the famous Arctic explorer and man of science, anxious that Great Britain should permanently occupy Wraneel Island, off the north-east ooast of Siberia, as a depot for a trans-Polar flying route, made urgent representations to the Canadian Government to equip an expedition to confirm British ownership of the island, which was discovered by. Captain Kellett. of the British Navy, m 1819. and was taken possession of in the name ,of the King by ship-wrecked mariners of the Canadian Arctic expedition on Julv 1, 1914. Dr. Stefansson'a representations were generally successful, and an expedition was being planned for 1921 when complications arose regarding the leadership. Anticipating an early move by the Japanese, Dr. Stefansron decided to put an end to delays and to equin an expedition on his own account. "To make certain that the plans should be secret, T did not even inform the Ottawa Government, and took into my confidence only one friend," wrote Dr. Stefansson in a recent article. "A number of men who had been with me on previous expedition!? ■were earer for Polar pervice. I selected two of —Lome Knight, who had accompanied me on some of my longest ice joumevs. and Fred Maurer. who had been one of those who in 1914 raised the Union Jack on Wrangel Tsland during their residence of seven months. It was Maurer. indeed, who actually hoisted the flag. These were both American citizens, but since they had already been in British service and were wanting to continue, they attempted to get Canadian citizenship, in which case I intended to make one of them. commander of the expedition. The natural laws are such, however, that this was not possible. ■ irac-' ; cordinglv selected for the command a young Canadian—Abn Crawford, the 6on of a professor at Toronto. The fourth member of the partv was Milton Galle, an American, who had been mv secretary at one time. These four proceeded by passenger steamer to Nome, Alaska, announcing that they were going on a commercial venture. In Alaska, their arrival created a good deal of excitement, for it was supposed that gold had been discovered on our last expedition, and that these young men were going in "to 'stake claims.' The captain who chartered them the schooner Silver Wave was told the boat was going to Wrangel Island, but did not apparently believe this, expecting that the sailing orders would be changed after they got to sea. Contrary to his expectation, the orders remained ,un« changed, and the Silver Wave landed the four adventure and the small partv of Eskimos on Wrangel Tsland in middle September, 1921. Immediately on landing thev raised the British flag, making the island ours for the third time." An attempt to communicate with the party was made in 192?, but through difficulty in financing the expedition , it sailed about a month too late. If the season had been a normal one, this would have been all right, but it proved - the worst in two or three decades. The Silver Wave in 1921 did not see one speck of ice on the ocean going to or coming from Wrangel Island, nor any speck of snow on the island itself. A similar schooner, the Teddy Bear, in 1922, found impenetrable ice between Siberia and Wrangel. Dr. Stefansson was confident of the safety of the party. "There is no fear of suffering duo to either the climate or lack of provisions," he wrote. "Knight and Maurer, being both members of my previous expeditions, believe as thoroughly as I-that.a rifle and ammunition is all that any healthy man needs in order to be able to live comfortably and indefinite! v in the Arctic. The stories in the press to the effect that they are in daneer of starvation are either based on nothing at all or on the old theories about the terrors of the Polar regions. Disease and death may come in Wrangel Island, as anywhere, and there is the disadvantage of lack of medical attendance, but the men are in no greater danger than they would be if similarly isolated on a tropical island." " I