The American Museum J 



OURNAL 



Volume XVII 



OCTOBER. 1917 



Number 6 



The Crocker Land Expedition Home 



FROM the dangers and difficulties 

 of exploration in the Far North, 

 Providence has granted a safe 

 return to Donald B. MacMillan, leader 

 of the Crocker Land Expedition, and to 

 all the members of his expedition, as 

 well as to all members of the relief par- 

 ties sent out during the last two years. 

 As the world bade these men a sympa- 

 thetic Godspeed four years ago, it now 

 gives them a warm welcome. Their 

 safe return, expertly piloted home by 

 Captain Eobert A. Bartlett, with the 

 loss of not a single man and with the 

 great measure of success attained in 

 geographical, geological, and zoological 

 discovery, is a matter for rejoicing to 

 all interested in polar exploration. It 

 stands for the triumph of the intellect 

 of man in the contest with opposing 

 physical forces — with bitter cold, and 

 storm, and the long Arctic night. 



It is a cause for congratulation to the 

 American Museum of Xatural History, 

 the American Geographical Society, 

 and the University of Illinois, organi- 

 zations which sent the expedition out 

 and have borne the two burdens always 

 incumbent on the organizers and sup- 

 porters of exploration work in Arctic 

 or Antarctic, namely, continual fear for 

 the safety of the men, and financial 

 backing for whatever may come, unex- 

 pected events and delays which may 

 mean wreck to the ships and disaster or 

 death to the men, while prolonging the 

 years of residence in the North far 

 beyond that planned for. As chairman 

 of the Crocker Land Committee, repre- 

 sentative of the three organizations 

 supporting the expedition, I can con- 

 gratulate the members of that body on 

 their unswerving faithfulness to the 

 work devolving upon them. 



The Crocker Land Party left in 1913. 

 At the end of two years it had accom- 



' It will be the pleasure of the Journal to publisli 

 Millan describing some of his experiences in the Arcti( 



plished the intensive scientific work 

 planned and the main exploratory jour- 

 ney of 152 miles northwest from Ca})e 

 Thomas Hubbard, a hazardous expedi- 

 tion over the moving sea ice, in search 

 of the land which had been prophesied 

 to lie there. The two years since that 

 time, enforced upon the members of the 

 expedition by ice conditions which kept 

 the relief ships of 1915 and 1916 from 

 reaching them, have added vastly to the 

 total results of the work. Especially 

 valuable is the geographical work ac- 

 complished on the expedition to Finlay 

 Land and North Cornwall, and in map- 

 ping the western coast of Ellesmere 

 Land from Cape Sabine to Clarence 

 Head. The news of the richness of the 

 fauna of large food animals in this un- 

 inhabited part of our globe is of un- 

 usual interest at a time when study of 

 food conservation is in everyone's mind ; 

 and in view of the fact that our fuel 

 resources are being dangerously reduced, 

 we can foresee that the future will, by 

 some method, make available the enor- 

 mous veins of coal discovered through- 

 out Axel Heiberg Land and the eastern 

 of the Parry Islands. 



Aside from the scientific results, 

 there is added much of human interest 

 in the pleasant and helpful relations 

 established with the Esquimo, and in 

 the relics found of previous Arctic ex- 

 peditions. The large collection of these 

 relics now on view at the American 

 ^lusouni tells many a long past story of 

 the triumph of discovery of new land, 

 the drear lonesomeness and isolation of 

 the work, and the failure of rescue 

 when rescue was sorely needed. 



It is a ])k'asure to extend greetings 

 and congratulations to :\Ir. Mac^Millan 

 and his companions and a cordial wel- 

 come home. 



Henry F.mrfield Osborn. 



II tlif next issue nn illustrated nrticle by Ml-. Mac- 

 . — KlUTOR 



365 



