LATER GREENLAND EXPLORATIONS--MIKKELSEN, RASMUSSEN--KOCH
MIKKELSEN
The quest of any further information respecting the Erichsen expedition
was a worthy object, and it called forth the zealous enthusiasm of
Einar Mikkelsen, the gallant young explorer who had already served
in the expedition of Captain Amdrup, and had later won fame from his
fine effort in the Beaufort Sea. He received the warm encouragement of
his former chief Amdrup, of Captain Holm, and others; a Committee was
formed, a fund was raised, half contributed by the Danish Government,
and the _Alabama_ of Stavanger (only 40 tons) was bought, strengthened,
equipped, and supplied with 18 months’ provisions. Dogs were obtained
in Greenland. Mikkelsen had with him Lieut. Laub of the Danish Navy,
Lieut. Jorgensen of the Danish army, Iver Iversen, a naval engineer,
Olsen and Paulsen, mates, and the carpenter, Carl Unger.
The _Alabama_ sailed from Copenhagen on the 20th of June, 1909, and
after many difficulties and much danger from the ice arrived safely off
Shannon Island. An autumn journey was made to the place where Brönlund
died, which proved a most dangerous undertaking. It was indeed a race
for life against water, thin ice, and darkness. The body was found,
a grave was built over it, and memorials were deposited. The party
returned on December 18th, 1909, after an absence of 95 days, one of
the most remarkable autumn Arctic journeys on record.
During the first winter, in the hope of finding documents, Mikkelsen
resolved to undertake a journey to Danmark Sound by crossing the
glacial land, a novel and hazardous undertaking. He made direct for the
head of the fjord, and for part of the way was accompanied by Lieut.
Laub with another dog sledge. Mikkelsen had only one companion, the
engineer Iver Iversen, a good cook, an expert dog driver, and a man of
many accomplishments. The two sledges carried respectively 600 and 650
lb. of provisions and were drawn one by nine and the other by eleven
dogs.
[Illustration: Greenland]
On April 1st Mikkelsen and Laub found that they were by observation
no less than 15 miles south of their dead reckoning, much to their
surprise and dismay--only another proof of the uselessness of dead
reckoning unless checked by astronomical observations. It was intended
that Laub should travel round the west side of the large nunatak called
Dronning Luisa’s Land and then return round the south end. At the north
end of the land there was a little moss here and there, but no sign
of any living thing. Bad weather, excessively difficult marching, and
shortage of provisions obliged Laub and his two companions to return by
the way they came, and on reaching the winter quarters they found that
the _Alabama_ had filled and sunk, and their shipmates were in a tent.
Eventually, however, they were able to build a house with some of the
ship’s timbers.
Meanwhile Captain Mikkelsen and his companion Iversen continued their
march, making a very remarkable and difficult journey across the
inland ice direct to the head of the Danmark Fjord which, it will be
remembered, had been discovered by Erichsen. On May 18th they reached
the head of the fjord. Several remains of Erichsen’s party were found,
then a record, and ultimately a second record. Erichsen recorded this
discovery of the long fjord, at the head of which was Peary’s furthest
point, with two fjords branching from it. He had also found that
Peary’s strait across Greenland had no existence. This information was
important, as Mikkelsen had intended to return by the imaginary channel
and the west coast of Greenland, in which case he and his companion
would probably have perished. As it was, the return by the coast with
the dogs worn out, deep soft snow, and much surface water, was a
sufficiently dangerous undertaking. Mikkelsen was for some time unable
to walk, and the explorers went through great hardships.
At length, after terrible sufferings, the two men returned to the
winter quarters, only to find that their ship had sunk and that all
their companions had gone home in a vessel that arrived in the summer.
A house, needing much repair and full of snow, had been built out
of timber from the wreck, and there were provisions. In view of the
paucity of game, their companions considered that they would serve the
absent men best by returning when there was a chance, thus avoiding
the consumption of the remaining provisions. “They were all persuaded
that Captain Mikkelsen would succeed in fighting his way through, armed
as he was with iron energy and great Arctic knowledge, and with a
companion who would stick to him through thick and thin.”
At last a vessel arrived to rescue them, after three winters, and
the two heroic explorers were brought safely back to Copenhagen.
This expedition, with its aspirations accomplished and its valuable
results, stands high in the polar record. Mikkelsen’s reward was
the appreciation of his work by the scientific geographers of all
countries. His interesting narrative is contained in the _Story of the
Alabama Expedition, 1909–1912_.
RASMUSSEN
The expedition across Greenland led by Knud Rasmussen, a Dane born in
Greenland, is of very special interest because it inaugurates what is
intended to be a permanent system of exploring work, which at the same
time undertakes the protection of the Arctic Highlanders, that most
interesting tribe, quite uncontaminated by contact with civilisation
when first discovered by Sir John Ross in 1818 and visited by the
writer in 1850. Under modern conditions the protection of the Danish
Government is much needed by these well-intentioned but simple and
isolated people.
With this most laudable object Rasmussen in July 1910 formed a
settlement among these people in Wolstenholme Sound, which he called
“Thule.” In the following year, becoming anxious for the safety of
Mikkelsen and his companion, he organised an expedition to cross
Greenland with the hope of relieving them. This was the main object,
discovery being secondary.
Rasmussen’s expedition was a thoroughly efficient one. He was
accompanied by two Eskimos and by young Freuchen who had served with
Erichsen, a joyous comrade, a cartographer, and possessed of hardihood
and great endurance. With four sledges and 54 dogs they started from
the Clements Markham glacier, a little to the north of Whale Sound, on
the 19th of April, 1912. They soon found that tents were much better
than snow huts, and the walrus meat they took with them kept the dogs
in good condition. The highest part of Greenland on this meridian
was found to be 7300 feet. In descending into the Danmark Fjord of
Erichsen some dogs fell over precipices, but otherwise all were in good
condition. Their rate of travelling was fast, 17 journeys bringing them
to Danmark Fjord, 504 miles. Rasmussen travelled down Danmark Fjord for
72 miles, until he reached the sea, and then proceeded up another fjord
of great length, running nearly east and west. This was all Erichsen’s
ground. It was found that the coasts of the fjord were more frequented
by game and had more vegetation on the north than on the south side.
On June 17th the head of the long fjord was reached, some extensive
ice-free land was discovered, and a glacier leading to the inland ice.
Peary’s record was found by Freuchen, on a height quite at the end of
the fjord. His incomplete observations, as already stated, caused the
recording of a non-existent channel from the east to the west coast of
Greenland, and the publication of quite erroneous maps for many years.
At the end of the long fjord discovered by Erichsen, which he called
Independence Fjord, Rasmussen found a steep glacier, and on the north
side a valley full of flowers, which he named Valmuedalen, or the
valley of poppies. Here the party rested for a few days and shot
several musk oxen. The return was commenced on August 8th by ascending
the glacier with great difficulty. They still had 27 dogs; and Thule
was safely reached on September 15th, 1912. The return journey alone
covered 621 miles, the double journey 1200 miles--the finest ever
performed by dogs.
By this remarkable and well-conducted journey Rasmussen corrected the
errors on our maps and made important discoveries. It is his intention,
while guarding the interests and looking after the welfare of the
Arctic Highlanders from his station at Thule in Wolstenholme Sound, to
undertake further exploring expeditions.
In the same year Dr de Quervain, a Swiss, made a journey over the
inland ice of Greenland, much further south, from Jacobshavn in Disco
Bay, on a S.E. course to Angmagssalik on the east coast. His highest
point was 8200 feet.
KOCH
The latest journey across Greenland from the east to the west coast was
specially interesting because ponies were used instead of dogs. Captain
Koch, the accomplished companion of Mylius Erichsen, when he decided
upon undertaking a much more northern crossing, resolved to attempt the
difficult enterprise with ponies. Sixteen of these were landed, but
unfortunately there was a stampede and only ten ponies were recaptured.
The companions of Captain Koch were three Danes named Larsen, Wegener,
and Vigfus. The intention was to winter at the interesting Dronning
Luisa nunatak, but after two months of hard work it was found that the
complete ascent could not be made before winter set in, and it became
necessary to establish winter quarters on the icy ascent. To add to
their misfortune Captain Koch fell down a crevasse and broke his leg.
They had brought the materials for a house, which was duly erected,
and served its purpose well during the winter, though--72° Fahr. was
registered. Several ponies died and others were used for food.
By the spring Captain Koch had recovered from his very serious
accident and the march across Greenland, a distance of 700 miles
on this meridian, was commenced on April 20th with five ponies and
five sledges. Violent storms had to be faced and the ponies suffered
severely from exhaustion and snow blindness. No land was seen from May
6th until July 2nd. A height of nearly 9800 ft. was attained in 43° W.
and 74° 30′ N. On July 4th the margin of the ice on the west side was
reached, and the last remaining pony was killed. The descent was made,
and a fjord called Lax (salmon) Fjord was crossed on a raft constructed
of the sledge and poles. They were then weather-bound without food for
35 hours. The party was ultimately rescued by a sailing boat, which
took them to the Danish settlement of Proven.
The difficulties encountered, the dangers faced and overcome, the
sufferings bravely endured, the scientific work throwing light on the
climatic conditions and physiography of the Greenland interior, place
all these Danish enterprises very high in the glorious record of polar
discovery.