Robert Neal Rudmose-Brown

“ In order to recover M. Erichsen's lost diaries a small expedition in the sloop “Alabama” went to East Greenland in 1909. After wintering at Shannon I., E. Mikkejsen, the leader, and I. Iversen made a journey of 1,400 m. which in length and difficulty was one of the most remarkable Arctic journeys on record. Their course was over the inland ice to Danmark Fjord, where Erichsen's records were found. These included his discovery that Peary Channel does not exist and Mikkelsen therefore had to abandon his plan of returning via the W. coast. ”

“ Even in the existing maps of southern Siberia little reliance can be placed on the detail except near the railway. There are no large scale maps of northern Siberia. The whole course of the Yenisei river has been mapped on a large scale, the shores of Lake Baikal have been surveyed and geological exploration in the Amur basin and some parts of the upper Lena basin has resulted in accurate maps. ”

“ The ambitious Anglo-American Arctic expedition of 1906–7 achieved relatively little real polar work except a journey from March to May 1907 by E. de K. Leffingwell, E. Mikkelsen, and S. Storkersen from the coast in long. 149° W. across the sea ice to lat. 72° 3' N., long. 149° 44' W. where they got a sounding of no bottom in 620 fathoms. V. Stefansson, who was nominally a member of the expedition, spent his time with the Eskimo in the Mackenzie delta, learning their habits and language in order to equip himself for future explorations. ”

“ Mining.—The development of the coal-fields has proceeded rapidly, greatly stimulated during the war by the scarcity and high price of coal in Scandinavia. The coal-mine in Longyear Valley, Advent Bay, which had been under American ownership since 1905, was sold in 1916 to Norwegians who have been assiduous in their export. Several other Norwegian mines have started, notably in Kings Bay, Green Harbour and Hjorth Haven in Advent Bay. Swedish mines were opened in Lowe Sound (Braganza Bay) in 1917. There are Russian mines in Green Harbour and Dutch mines at Cape Boheman. ”

“ Hunting.—The fur industry retains great importance and was much stimulated during the early years of the World War by the high price of skins. But decrease of game is causing hunting in many parts of the N. to take a secondary place to fishing and reindeer-breeding. ”

“ The total amount of coal exported in 1919 was 90,000 tons, all of which went to Norwegian ports, including some to Narvik for the Swedish railways. The coal exported so far is of Tertiary and Cretaceous age and proves to be good steam coal. Bituminous coal of Carboniferous age will soon be available for export. Jurassic coal occurs but is of poor quality and no longer worked. Mining continues throughout the year but the export season at present is from June to Sept. The largest mining camp is Longyear City in Advent Bay, housing some 400 men in summer and 300 in winter. ”

“ Stefansson's successful explorations must be attributed largely to his methods. He lived in Eskimo fashion using only Eskimo diet, which enabled him to travel light and avoid the necessity of falling back on a base for supplies. Similar methods have been employed with equal success by Rasmussen and other Danes in Greenland.
In July 1913 Stefansson sailed from Nome with a large expedition, supported by the Canadian Government, for the exploration of the Beaufort Sea and the N.W. shores of Arctic Canada. ”

“ The natives probably do not exceed one million.
There is much disease, particularly among the native tribes, although the climate itself is not unhealthy. In addition to goitre, leprosy occurs in the Lena and Amur valleys and elsewhere. Smallpox is endemic in many parts and tuberculosis is prevalent. Cholera is never absent in the Far East and occasionally assumes the proportions of an epidemic. Plague sometimes enters from Manchuria. Venereal diseases are rampant throughout Siberia. A curious nervous affection known as Arctic hysteria is common among the natives of the far north. ”

“ No other minerals besides coal are as yet exploited commercially, but large deposits of iron ore (36% iron) and gypsum are known, as well as smaller deposits of zinc and asbestos. Signs of oil have been reported. A Norwegian company is exporting coal from Bear Island. The approximate area (in sq. m.) of estates owned by various nationals in Spitsbergen is as follows: British 6,500, Norwegian 900, Swedish 400, Russian 60 and Dutch 10. Whaling was revived in Spitsbergen waters in 1905, abandoned in 1912 and restarted during the World War. The only station is now in Green Harbour. ”

“ On March 12 the survivors landed on Wrangell I. and a week later Bartlett, accompanied by an Eskimo and his crew and seven dogs, set out for the mainland, 160 m. across the ice, to seek help. He reached the shores of Siberia in 17 days, and travelling along the coast via Cape North, reached Emma Harbour, whence he crossed in a whaler to St. Michael. The “King and Wing” rescued the survivors on Wrangell I., and the “Bear” brought them to Nome. Malloch, Mamen and another man had died on the island. The remainder of the expedition, employing several small sloops, did a great deal of useful work. ”

“ In western Siberia there is little trade in timber and the demands for home use and the havoc of forest fires are decreasing the available supply. The principal saw-mills are at Tobolsk, Tyumen, Omsk, Novo-Nikolaevsk and Tomsk. In eastern Siberia the timber industry is confined to the Amur and Maritime provinces except in respect of the demand for fuel for railway, industrial and domestic purposes. ”

“ The dairy industry has developed quickly, fostered by State encouragement and the export facilities afforded by the railway. In 1912 there were 1,060 coöperative dairies in the Tobolsk province, and 2,042 in the Tomsk province. The export of butter from western Siberia reached 35,000 tons in 1903 and 76,000 tons in 1913: in the latter year the home consumption accounted for an additional 75,000 tons. The industry is of less importance in eastern Siberia. ”

“ On the return journey Dr. Wulff and Olsen succumbed to the privation of scanty food and bad weather, and the survivors had difficulty in reaching Etah. This expedition found that Nordenskjold Inlet, the supposed western end of Peary Channel, is only 14 m. long. The inland ice in the N.W. of Greenland was found to extend nearly to the coast: consequently the hunting grounds are poor and there are few traces of Eskimo migration. Rasmussen considered it very doubtful if Eskimo ever succeeded in reaching the E. coast via the N. of Greenland. ”

“ In July 1914 a conference which included also representatives of Britain, France, Belgium, the United States, Holland and Germany tried to devise a form of administration consistent with the country remaining a terra nullius, but the outbreak of the World War put an end to the discussions. ”

“ At least 10,000 men take part in the fishery and the annual ratch is about 15,000 tons. On the upper Irtish Pavlodar and Lake Zaisan are centres of fishing. The fisheries of the lower Yenisei send S. about 3,000 tons every year. In Lake Baikal there are valuable fisheries both in summer and, through the ice, in winter. In the Lena and Kolima regions the natives live chiefly on fish but lack of transport facilities prevents export. Fisheries in the Amur, Okhotsk and Kamchatka regions steadily increase in importance. ”

“ Greenland.—The exploration of Greenland has been continued, with few exceptions, by Danes who, besides throwing much light on problems in physical geography and Eskimo ethnography, have practically completed the map of the coasts.
In 1910 Knud Rasmussen founded the station of Thule in North Star Bay, Wolstenholme Sound, as a trading station and a base for researches. On April 6 1912, accompanied by P. Freuchen and two Eskimo, he set out with dog sledges from Inglefield Gulf to cross the inland ice in search of E. Mikkelsen, from whom nothing had been heard for three years. ”

“ Attempts to colonize Kamchatka have been practically abandoned and for many years Russian Sakhalin has failed to attract settlers. North of lat. 58° N. in western Siberia, and lat. 54° N. in eastern Siberia, there are very few Russians permanently settled. Total exemption from military service and other privileges which the State offered colonists in the lower valleys of the Yenisei and Lena did not succeed in attracting many settlers. The migration of Chinese and Koreans to the Amur and Ussuri valleys and the Transbaikal region was marked for many years. ”

“ In 1916 there were about 400 steamers and several thousand barges on the Amur and its navigable tributaries. Practically all the vessels were Russian, although Chinese vessels have equal rights down to Khabarovsk. On the Sungari, the Manchurian tributary of the Amur, there is Chinese and Japanese shipping. The Ussun is navigable throughout its length. Steamers ascend the Ussuri and Sungacha to Kamen- Ribolov, on Lake Khanka, 500 m. from Khabarovsk. Navigation on Lake Baikal has become less important since the construction of the railway round the southern end. ”

“ P. A. Novopashennoi for an hydrographic survey of the Arctic coast of Siberia. After charting Chaun Bay the vessels separated, the " Vaigach " following the coast westward and the “Taimir” turning N. for the New Siberia Islands. A small new island was discovered E. of this group and named General Vilkitski Island. Bennett I. was found to be much smaller than had been supposed, and no sign of Sannikov Land (reported on more than one occasion to have been seen from Kotelnoi, New Siberia I.) was discovered on the route to Taimir Land. Here the two vessels met, and continued the coast survey. ”

“ Salmon-canning is a new industry: in 1913 the output from Kamchatka was over 500,000 tins, and from the lower Amur 100,000 tins. Attempts to send frozen fish from the Amur to Europe met with some success when begun in 1913. The fisheries of Russian Sakhalin are losing their importance. In the Sea of Japan the herring-fishing from Imperial and Peter the Great bays is growing in value.
Timber.—Siberian forests of commercial timber are estimated to cover about 470,000 sq. m. or about one-tenth of the total area of the country, but owing to absence of transport facilities only 150,000 sq. ”

“ Nikolas Land extends from lat. 77° 50' N., long. 99° E., to at least lat. 81° N. It was surveyed on the east, where a landing was made in lat. 80° 04' N. The land rises to 1,500 ft., is heavily glaciated, and in geological structure is similar to the mainland. ”

“ The number of settlers entering Asiatic Russia (including the Steppe provinces) from Russia in Europe rose from 141,000 in 1906 to 619,000 in 1909. For some years after there was a decline, due, it is said, to a succession of good harvests in southern Russia: in 1912 and 1913 the annual immigration was little over 200,000. ”

“ Mariinsk (13,000) , a mining centre on the railway and Achinsk (10,000) a little farther east. In eastern Siberia other important towns are: the great port of Vladivostok (95,000) ; the two Amur ports and agricultural centres, Blagovyeshchensk (76,000) and Khabarovsk (53,500) ; Chita (73,000) with growing agricultural and commercial interests; Krasnoyavsk (73,000) , the chief river and railway port of the Yenisei; Nikolsk-Ussuriski (34,700) , a rising industrial and railway centre 70 m. from Vladivostok; Nikolaevsk (12,500) , the port at the Amur mouth ”