The most important result of Holm’s admirable exploring work was the discovery of the district of Angmagsalik, whence there could be annual communication with Denmark. Baron Nordenskiöld, in the Sofia, had penetrated the ice belt in 1883, and landed on September 4th in 65° 36′ N., remaining until the next day, thus confirming the conclusions of Lieut. Holm. In 1894 Holm, who had now attained the rank of Captain, had the great satisfaction of selecting a site, and founding the settlement of Angmagsalik in 65° 30′ N. It is situated on the slope of a hill, on the east side of a large island in the Tasuisarsik Fjord. The first colonial manager was Captain Holm’s old comrade Johan Petersen, who has conducted the combined civilising and commercial undertaking with eminent ability for twenty years, in co-operation with two missionaries. The natives have concentrated their stations round the Danish settlement and have received help during periods of want and hunger. Nearly the whole East Greenland population, numbering 550, have now been baptized, and the people have adapted themselves to the use of the articles the Danish store contains. South of Angmagsalik the whole of this coast is depopulated, the last Eskimo in the extreme south having moved in 1900 to the west coast.
The botanist H. C. Kruuse, with his wife, wintered at Angmagsalik in 1901–2, and has since published an exhaustive work on the flora of East Greenland[172]: and Hr W. Thalbitzer, also with his wife, passed the winter of 1905–6 at the same settlement, devoting himself to ethnological and linguistic researches and the study of Eskimo folk-lore[173]. In co-operation with Hr Thuren, he has also given an account of the melodies of the Eskimos of the east coast.
East Coast of Greenland
The next important work was the discovery of the coast between Holm’s furthest and the part surveyed by Scoresby. In 1891 the Hecla, a sealing vessel of Tronsberg, was hired, and an expedition commanded by Lieut. C. Ryder of the Royal Danish Navy left Copenhagen on the 7th June. Two months later she steamed into Scoresby Sound and anchored about a hundred miles beyond the entrance; whence several excursions were made in boats. Ryder wintered in Scoresby Sound, and the whole of that complicated system of long branching fjords was discovered and explored. In the next season all progress southward near the coast was stopped by masses of floe ice along the shore. Ryder was obliged to work his way out to sea and, after touching at the point where Nordenskiöld had landed, he returned to Denmark, the portion of coast south of Scoresby Sound alone remaining to be discovered. Excellent scientific work was done by his expedition.
The next Danish work of exploration, by which at length the discovery of East Greenland from Cape Farewell to Cape Bismarck was completed, is known as the Carlsbergfondet Expedition[174]. It was commanded by Lieut. G. Amdrup of the Royal Danish Navy. On a previous occasion, in 1884, Amdrup had reached Angmagsalik, where he wintered and did some good exploring work to the north in the following spring, examining the great Ikersuak glacier. On the 19th July, 1885, having mapped a considerable length of coast-line, and made large geological and ethnological collections, he had reached Agga Island in 67° 32′, so that it would be between this point and Scoresby Sound that he had to extend his survey.
Lieut. Amdrup, in addition to the advantages of experience, had a very talented and efficient staff. Hartz, who had been botanist with Ryder, was to take command when Amdrup was away on the boat voyage. The rest of the scientific staff consisted of Kruuse, another botanist, with Deichmann and Jensen as zoologists, Lieut. Koch of the Danish Army as surveyor and draughtsman, and Otto Nordenskiöld, nephew of the great Arctic explorer, as geologist. The instructions for the expedition were signed by Admiral Wandel and Captain Holm.
On the 14th June, 1900, the Antarctic sailed from Copenhagen with Amdrup and his scientific staff[175]. Amdrup was to complete the survey from Scoresby Sound to Angmagsalik in a boat, while Hartz continued the researches connected with the region round Scoresby Sound. On arriving off Cape Dalton in 69° 25′ N., Lieut. Amdrup left the ship, and set out on his boat voyage on July 21st accompanied by young Mikkelsen and two seamen. The voyage occupied 44 days, and on September 2nd Angmagsalik was reached. Meanwhile Hartz, in the ship, explored the coast from Cape Dalton to Scoresby Sound, thence proceeding to Angmagsalik to pick up Amdrup and his party. Large and valuable collections were made, excellent series of observations were taken, and the work was brought to a most successful conclusion. The Amdrup expedition marks a period in Arctic history. It completed the discovery and mapping of the whole of the east coast of Greenland from Cape Farewell to Cape Bismarck.
A far more dangerous and difficult enterprise now faced the gallant Danish explorers, namely the discovery of the unknown region from Cape Bismarck to the furthest north, a distance, of 400 miles[176].
The American explorer Peary, using Eskimos and their dogs, had been working to reach the north coast of Greenland from 1898 to 1902. His first winter was at Cape Dobbin on the west coast of Ellesmere Island, another was passed at Etah, whence, starting on the 4th March, 1900, he made his way to the Discovery’s winter quarters in Lady Franklin Bay. Setting out from that position on April 15th, he travelled along the north coast of Greenland, passing the discoveries of Beaumont and Lockwood. From Lockwood Island in 83° 34′ N., which he reached on May 8th, he went onwards to a latitude of 83° 39′ N., which appears to be the most northern point of Greenland. On the 19th he passed a promontory which he named Cape Bridgman, and his furthest point was called Cape Clarence Wycloff in Lat. 82° 57′ 7″ N. and Long. 23° 9′ W., where a cairn was built. He had his man Henson and an Eskimo with him, and a team of dogs. During the last two days he was enveloped in a dense fog. He began his return on May 22nd and reached the Discovery’s winter quarters on June 10th. The cairn in 82° 57′ N. would, therefore, be the point the Danes would have to reach in order to complete the discovery of the east coast.