GREENLAND UNCONQUERED. Failure of Dr. Nansen's Exploring Party.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 336, 23 January 1889, Page 3

GREENLAND UN CONQUERED. Failure of Dr. Nansen's Exploring Party.

1 The result; of Dr. F.rithiof Nansen's Greenland exploring expedition is distinctly dis" I appointing and discouraging. That he and his brave comrades accomplished their journey in -"safety is of course cause for rejoicing. But it is evident that their toil has added scarcely anything to' the world's I knowledge of Greenland, while the difficulties they encountered will probably' deter others from seeking further to penetrate the mysteries of that frozen continent. We must waib until their return to Bergen next summer for a detailed account of their observations, but the brief report already received from Dr. Nansen atGodthaab, where bhey are spending the winter, shows to what a small and unimportant district their explorations were limited. As has already been related, the adventurers were ' put ashore ' by the Norwegian eealer Jaswn, on July 17th last. In fact, they were put into boats several miles from the shore, as close in, however, as the ship could go on account of the ice. They expected to reach the shore the next day, probably near Kioge Bay, below Cape Dan. But in this they were sorely disappointed. Screwing ice and maelstroms ana impassable ice kept them off, while a resistless current bore them seaward and southward. Often they were in the greatest peril of being wrecked in the breakers or crushed in the ice After twelve dayß of drifting they made a landing at Aneretok Fjord, near the southern extremity of Greenland, in about 61 degrees north latitude. They made their way along the coast a little further north to Umimk, and from that point struck inland on their snowshoes, abandoning their boats altogether. Skirting the northern slopes of Mount Niviar, they at first directed their course toward Christianshaab, on the western coast. Such were the difficulties of travel, however, and so slow was the progress, that they saw it would be impossible to reach that port before the departure of the last ship of the season for Europe. They consequently turned toward Godthaab, a point much farther south. Alter altering their course they trampe d over miles of ice fields hitherto untrodden by man. But they were exactly like the fields of ice nearer the coast, which have often been explored. The highest altitude attained was 10,000 feet, at which point the temperature was 58 degrees below zero, Fahrenheit. For several weeks they struggled across a plateau more than 9,000 feet high, over loose snow and amid terrible storms. In the latter part of September they reached the west coast, a little above Godthaab, and on October 3rd they reached that port just too Jate to get aboard the last ship of the year for home. In all this journey they appear to have discovered nothing new, and. to have gained no data on which to base a more substantial theory as to the character of the Greenland continent, or archipelago, or whatever it may be. They endured great hardships, braved great perils and put forth great exertions ; for what ? Merely to cross the narrow southern point of Greenland from King Frederick Vl. 's land through the southern inspectorate to the shore of Davis Strait. On the map they do not appear to have travelled more than 350 miles, not at any point to have gone more than 100 miles from the coast. That is not exploring Greenland any more than a tramp across Cape Colony would be exploring Africa. Their highest latitude was below the sixtyfifth parallel and far south of the Arctic circle. He who thoroughly explores Greenland must land on the Liverpool coast, or King William's land, and make his way past Mount Petermann through the heart of the country to Upernavik, or at least to Disco Island.- That may never be done. The difficulties met with by Dr. Nansen are sufficient to discourage the boldest from attempting it. But until it is done, the ' Sahara of the North ' will remain a sealed book to mankind,