June 15, 1906.] 



SCIENCE. 



925 



THE DA^ilSH ARCTIC EXPEDITIONS 



Few Arctic expeditions, if any, have been 

 more carefully planned and prepared than the 

 forthcoming Danish or ' Danmark ' expedi- 

 tion, as it is officially called. The necessary 

 funds, about 250,000kr., have been raised 

 partly by a government grant and partly by 

 private subscriptions. Mr. L. Mylius-Erich- 

 sen, the leader of the expedition, distinguished 

 himself by his determined pluck and energy 

 as leader of the Danish Greenland expedition, 

 which made its way across Melville Bay to 

 the Cape York Eskimo settlement on the west 

 coast of Greenland; and he has been uni- 

 versally complimented by Sir Clements Mark- 

 ham, Professor Fridtjof Nansen, and other 

 eminent authorities for the plan he is now 

 about to realize. 



Leaving Copenhagen on July 1, the Dan- 

 marh will proceed to the east coast of Green- 

 land and try to make its way through the ice 

 as far north as possible, further north than 

 where Sabine and Clavering landed in 1823. 

 The first problem which will present itself to 

 Mylius-Erichsen will be to ascertain whether 

 Eskimo are to be found further north; if not, 

 what has become of them, and by what 

 route have the Eskimo made their way to 

 East Greenland. From the place of land- 

 ing the expedition will proceed by sledges 

 along the east coast, winter en route, and 

 push ahead to the northernmost point of 

 Greenland, the most northerly land in the 

 world. This, in Mylius-Erichsen's opinion, is 

 the most favorable place from which to make 

 an attempt at the Pole; the latitude is a high 

 one, about 84 degrees, and, what is of the 

 greatest importance, these parts are singularly 

 rich in game, musk ox, ice-bear, etc., a fact 

 which will enable a sledge expedition for the 

 Pole to set out with strong, fresh dogs, fed on 

 natural food. The expedition will return to 

 the ship in time to winter there the second 

 year. 



Tlffe most interesting and adventurous un- 

 dertaking of the whole expedition yet remains 

 — namely, what Mylius-Erichsen, who is not 

 given to strong expressions, himself calls the 



'' The London Times. 



fairly daring plan of traversing, by means 

 of ski, dog-sledges and automobile, the inland 

 ice of Greenland on the broadest portion of 

 this continent. Hansen's famous crossing of 

 Greenland took place much further south, 

 where Greenland is much narrower; and 

 Peary, who followed the northern slopes, had 

 the great advantage of being in touch with the 

 coast. 



Mylius-Erichsen's plan is this : About 

 March, 1908, he sets out, accompanied by one 

 of his staff and two Greenlanders, belonging 

 to the crew, the other members of the expedi- 

 tion, with fully-loaded sledges, going with him 

 the first third of the journey. When they 

 return, Mylius-Erichsen and his three fol- 

 lowers proceed into the entirely unknown ' ice- 

 dome ' of the interior of Greenland, which 

 rises to as much as 10,000 feet above the level 

 of the sea. It is completely devoid of vege- 

 table and animal life, and here one of the 

 northern hemisphere's cold-poles is supposed 

 to be found. At the coldest season man can 

 probably not live there. Therefore, Mylius- 

 Erichsen has chosen the months of March, 

 April and May for this expedition. By means 

 of ski, dog-sledges, and motor-car, which 

 Nansen thinks can be used there with ad- 

 vantage, Mylius-Erichsen hopes to compass 

 this exceedingly venturesome journey in about 

 two months and a half. 



From the west coast the four men proceed 

 by a special vessel to a place on the southern 

 part of Greenland's east coast, where they join 

 the Danmarkj which has in the meantime 

 gone further south, and returned to Denmark. 

 The expedition numbers 23 Danes as well as 

 two German scientists, all specially fitted for 

 the work, officers, artists, scientists, etc., some 

 of them members of former Greenland expedi- 

 tions, and all will be treated alike, receiving 

 the same pay, etc. Motor-boats and wireless 

 telegraphy will be special features of the 

 equipment. 



SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. 

 Dr. Joseph D. Bryant, of New York City, 

 has been elected president of the American 

 Medical Association. 



