IN THE ARCTIC.

Taranaki Daily News, 12 June 1919, Page 9

IN THE ARCTIC.

A NEW ZEALAND DOCTOR'S EXPERIENCES. Dr. Diamond Jcnness, a New Zealander who has just returned from Canada, had thrilling experiences with the Canadian Government's Arctic and Stefansson's expedition. Dr. Jcnness, after three years in the frozen wastes of the north, was a year with the Canadian troops in France. .In the beginning of 1013 Dr. Jenness, who was then in New Zealand, received a cable from the Canadian Government asking him to join the expedition to the Arctic. He accepted and the expedition left Esquimauit in June, 1913 and proceeded via Nome, a mining centre on the Alaskan coast. At Nome two gasolene schooners and a vessel named the Karluk were purchased and equipped with Arctic paraphernalia. The expedition had a twofold purpose, to explore Beaufort Sea in search of new land and carry out detailed scientific mapping of the coastline and making a study of zoology, biology, etc., in the almost unknown regions of Coronation Gulf. The expedition, therefore, divided into a northern party under Stefansson to explore Rsaufort Sea and a southern party, of which Dr. Jenness was a member, and whose work was to make a special study of the StefansSon sailed north in the Karluk, leaving the schooners with the southern party for the time being. The Karluk, however, was fated not to return, for she was jammed in the ice. Of the six scientists) with that party three perished during the terrible journey over the ice, ii nd two more succumbed to disease after (he island had been gained. Of the) crew of twenty-three two men died, one on the ice and the other on the island. The Karlug being lost, Stefansson decided to carry on his exploration by pledge; therefore, he organised a new party and set off for Beaufort Sea, where he remained four years to the west and north of Prince Patrick Land. Meanwhile the remainder of the party, marooned on Wrangell Island, were experiencing terrible hardships. The food supply, scant at first, dwindled to practically nil. Captain Bartlett, one of the party, who had been Peary's captain when the American explorer reached the North Pole, set out across the ice to the (shore and then made his way to an isolated Russian settlement, with the news of the terrible plight of the remainder of the party. Nothing more could be done till the following summer, when the icefields broke up. Help then was dispatched by sea, and the shipwrecked men on Wrangell Island were! rescued in the summer of 1914. The vessels went 6n their way to Coronation Bay, where, says Dr. Jenness, "we spent two fairly peaceable years, a little cold at times." There specimens, plants, animals, and insects were collected and Dr Jcnness took up the study of Eskimo life and customs. The geologist with that party discovered enormous deposits of copper, not copper ore, but 99 per cent, pure copper, somewhat similar to the great Lake Superior deposits. Dr. Jenness made a comprehensive collection of specimens in the Coronation Gulf region, taking back somt eighty cases to Canada. No news was received that war had commenced till November, 1916.