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.
CHAPTER XLIV
CONCLUSION
The long and glorious story of Arctic discovery is drawing to a close. Two unknown areas of unequal importance remain. One is the extensive region now known as Baffin Island, which needs thorough exploration, and will doubtless receive it from the Dominion Government in due time. The other is the part known as the Beaufort Sea, a much more extensive unknown area from Prince Patrick and Baring or Banks Islands westwards to the Liakhov Island between the 70th and 80th parallels of North Latitude, and indeed much further to the north. Future explorers have still before them the problem of the distribution of land and water over this unknown region. Ever since I collected vestiges of Eskimo encampments along the shores of the Parry Islands and became convinced that the wanderers came from the west, I have been inclined to expect the discovery of land in this area. The description of the ice off the west coast of Banks Island confirmed me in the belief of a land-locked sea. Deductions from the additional knowledge furnished by the Nares Expedition rather shook my belief on some grounds, but the apparent impossibility, if there is no land, of all the ice over so vast an ocean escaping between Spitsbergen and Greenland was an argument on the other side. Professor Spencer and Dr Harris support the view that there is undiscovered land northward over the Beaufort Sea on grounds connected with tidal phenomena. Dr Harris’s view is that this land is of great extent, stretching away far to the north. The existence of an archipelago, of continental land, or of a continuous ocean is the problem to be solved—the remaining Arctic achievement of the future.
Impressed with this conviction I read a paper at a meeting of the Royal Geographical Society on November 13th, 1905, on “The Next Great Arctic Discovery,” and subsequently Einar Mikkelsen very gallantly undertook the enterprise, but with inadequate means. He was only able to show his pluck, energy, and resourcefulness. He made a fine journey over the ice to the northward of the Alaska coast, and ascertained the position of the edge of the continental shelf. He encountered a wide lane of water stopping his return, but at once set to work to contrive a means of crossing, and succeeded. The difficulties Mikkelsen overcame by his resourcefulness and the way in which he met disasters proved that, with funds at his command, he was fitted for the leadership of a large expedition. At the same time that the gallant young Dane was struggling with adversity, including the loss of his little vessel, Mr. Harrison was doing excellent geographical work in the delta of the Mackenzie River and making himself thoroughly acquainted with the Eskimo inhabitants. The discovery of this region was later undertaken by the Government of Canada, but the expedition ended in failure.