Explorer Baldwin Sails
His Flagship Departs for Franz
Josef Land, Where Other
Ships Will Join Him
Farwell Message To U.S.
“Await One of the Best Efforts -We
Will Stand by Our Flag.”
Vardoe Norway, July 31 – The America, the flagship of the Baldwin-Ziegler North Pole expedition, which sailed from Tromsoe, July 16, touched here and proceded, last night, direct for Cape Flora, Franz Josef Land.
Mr. Baldwin sends a farewell message to the United States as follows: “All well. Await one of the best efforts. We will stand by our flag.”
At Cape Flora Mr. Baldwin expects to join the Fithjof and Belgica, the two other vessles of the expedition, which proceded the America from Tromsoc.
When the flagship left here there were 426 dogs and 16 ponies aboard. Mr. Baldwin intends to push as far north as possible and establish winter quarters.
The American explorer is extremely confident that he will accomplish his mission. After he establishes his winter quarters he will act according to circumstsnaces. He is certain his plans are right and that if he fails it will not be for want of perseverance.
Franz-Josef Land, as its name implies, was named in honor of the Emperor of Austria. It is an uninhabited archipelago in the Arctic Ocean, north of Nova Zembia, extending, so far as it has been explored, between 80 and 83 degrees north latitude. It consists of two large masses of land, Wilezek Land to the east and Zichy Land to the west, separated by Austria Sound, running from south to north, giving off a northeast arm, Rawlinson Sound, in 80 deg. 40 min.
Between the two sounds lies Crown Prince Rudolf Land, while to the north of this is Petermann Land, and to the northwest King Oscar Land. The whole archipelago, which rises into isolated flat-topped or dome-shaped mountains of basalt, 5000 feet high, is sheeted with ice.
Owing to the open waters around its shores in summer and the comparative abundance of animal life – bears, walruses, foxes and numerous birds – it is regarded by many experienced Arctic explorers as the most favorable base, usually reached from Spitzbergen, whence to make an attempt to reach the North Pole. Cape Lofley is the western point of the archipelago.
From Vardo to Franz-Josef Land is a new route to Arctic explorers. Baffin, Inglefield, Kane, Hall, Nares, Greely and Peary all explored in the western hemisphere; Parry and others used the Spitzbergen archipelago as a base from which to do their exploring.
Nansen’s home voyage in the Windward was made via Franz-Josef Land to Vardo. In Franz-Josef Land Payer’s sledge journey in 1874, if his observations were correct, brought him within 546 miles of the pole. Nordenskjold reached in a ship the highest latitude north of Franz-Josef Land – in the eastern hemisphere – until Nansen made his memorable and unequaled record, 260 miles from the North Pole, having reached that point by sledge from the Fram, which he had left nineteen miles south. It was in Franz-Josef Land that Nansen and Johansen, on their return journey, met Jackson, leader of an English exploring party, which had wintered less than 100 miles from their solitary camp.
Source: Brooklyn Eagle July 31, 1901, page 3
contributed by: Patrick McSherry
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