THE HISTORY AND IMPORTANCE OF WRANGELL ISLAND.—II.
By DR. VILHJALMUR STEFANSSON.
[Dr. Stefansson, the famous Polar explorer and man of science, is anxious that Great Britain should permanently cecupy Wrangell Island as a depot for a trans-Polar flying route. In the two articles which he has written for the Spectator Dr. Stefansson disposes of the belief that Wrangell Island belongs to Russia or America. Russia, however, has definitely laid claim to the island, and for our part we can understand the hesitation of the Government in claiming an island which it would be easy for Russia to seize and difficult for us to defend. But surely it would be possible to establish the ownership of the island at an International Conference. If Russia, or any other country, then acted contrary to the decision of the Conference the facts would at least be known, and the blame would be laid where it was deserved. Dr. Stefansson repeats, what he has often said before, that the Polar regions are the best suited in the whole world for aircraft. And think what a short-cut there would be for aircraft flying over the top of the gktbc (for example from England to Japan) instead of round the circumference by such routes as are taken by ships and trains ! We have fallen too much into the habit, as Dr. Stefansson remarked in a recent article in the Times, of thinking of the world as a cylinder instead of as a sphere. Certainly " Mercator's Projection " has a great deal to answer for.—ED. Spectator.] IF you look at the Polar Ocean on a globe, which is the only way of correctly realizing the situation, you will note that Wrangell Island lies straight across from England—it is cut by the meridian of Greenwich. Even so, it is not strategically the most important island on the north coast of Siberia ; but on that vast frontier it is the only island to which the British have a claim. Since they have a clear claim to it, I urged upon the Canadians, in whose service I was, that we must not allow our rights to lapse. I am a great admirer of the Japanese, and I thought that if other nations remained oblivious they at least would presently see the value of Wrangell Island. Friends of mine who were returning three years ago from Siberia impressed upon me how the Japanese were penetrating northward into that great country. All the more because they were our Allies we could not ask them to leave Wrangell Island if they once colonized it. They would, of course, have asked submission of the question of some form of International Court, in which case their occupation, coupled with our neglect, would have established their ownership. Not because I was against the Japanese, but rather because I was for my own country, I urged that something must be done.
My representations at Ottawa were in general successful, and a series of expeditions was being secretly planned in Ottawa for a more systematic exploration of the Polar regions than had ever previously been attempted, with the double aim of discovery and confirmation of owner- ship. Coinplication then unfortunately arose as to whether these expeditions should be under my general charge or commanded by another. It might have been fortunate had I been definitely replaced, but only those who believe that all northern exploration is visionary can consider fortunate what actually happened—a deadlock between my supporters and those of the other candidate, resulting in poStponement of action for that year. The summer was already well advanced when I received, through a friend in the Government at Ottawa, a message from the Prime Minister, the Hon. Arthur Meighen, saying that an expedition could not be sent in 1921, but would go in 1922.
It was chiefly my expectation of an early move by the Japanese that led me to act immediately. To make certain that the plans should be secret, I did not even inform the Ottawa Government, and took into my confidence only one friend. A number of men who had been with me on previous expeditions were eager for Dr. Stefansson wishes to correct an error In his first article. In writing of the claim which Great Britain might originally have made to Wrangell Island by right of discovery, be said " The claim which arose In 1881 would lapse in 1888 "—because discovery was not then followed by occupation. The statement ought to have read. " The claim which arose in 1849 would lapse In 1854."-8n. Spectator. Polar service. I selected two of these—Lorne Knight, who had accompanied me on some of my longest ice journeys, and Fred Maurer, who had been one of those who in 1914 raised the Union Jack on Wrangell Island during their residence of seven months. It was Maurer, indeed, who actually hoisted the flag. These were both American citizens, but since they had already been in 'British service and were wanting to continue, • they attempted to get Canadian citizenship, in which case I intended to make one of them commander of the expedi- tion. The naturalization laws are such, however, that this was not possible. I accordingly selected for the command a young Canadian—Alan Crawford, the son of a professor at Toronto. The fourth member of the party was Milton Galle, an American, who had been my secretary at one time. These four proceeded by passenger steamer to Nome, Alaska, announcing that they were going on a commercial venture. In Alaska,' their arrival created a good deal of excitement, for it was supposed that gold had been discovered on our last expedition and that these young men were going in to " stake claims." The captain who chartered them the schooner ' Silver Wave ' was told the boat was going to Wrangell Island, but did not apparently believe this, expecting that the sailing orders would be changed after they got to sea. Contrary to his expectation, the orders remained unchanged, and the ' Silver Wave' landed the four adventurers and the small party of Eskimos on Wrangell Island in middle September, 1921. Immediately on landing they-raised the British flag, making the island ours for the third time. They, have since been in con- tinuous residence on Wrangell Island. We attempted to communicate with them in 1922, but through difficulty in financing the expedition it sailed about a month too late. If the season had been a normal one, this would have .been all right, but it proved the worst in two or three decades. The ' Silver Wave' in 1921 did not see one speck of ice on the ocean going to or coming from Wrangell Island, nor any speck of snow- on the island itself. A similar schooner, the ' Teddy Bear,' in 1922, found impenetrable ice between Siberia and Wrangell. There is no fear, however, of suffering due to either the climate or lack of provisions. Knight and Maurer, being both members of my previous expeditions, believe as thoroughly as I that a rifle and ammunition is all that any healthy man needs in order to be able to live comfortably and indefinitely in the Arctic. The stories in the Press to the effect that they are in danger of starvation are either based on nothing at all or on the old theories about the terrors of the Polar regions. Disease and death may come in Wrangell Island, as anywhere, and there is the disadvantage of lack of medical attendance, but the men are in no greater danger than they would be if similarly isolated on a tropical island.
Press stories to the effect that the Government of the United States had protested against British occupation of Wrangell Island are, so far as I know, only news- paper fabrications. I was shown at Ottawa what were said to be all the documents in the case, and there was none from the United States.
There was, however, a protest from the Soviet Government of Russia. It contained three reasons on account of which Wrangell Island was said to be Russian.
The first reason was discovery of the island by Baron Wrangell an even hundred years ago. Here the Russians appear to have overlooked the tact that Baron Wrangell, on the return from his journey, published a book which was translated into English and printed in this country about 1825. I have a copy of it in my library in Canada. It gives a map showing the Baron's journeys day by day, and this map shows he was never anywhere near Wrangell Island. Furthermore, he says definitely that he failed to discover land. Confirmation of this is easy in any library.
The second Russian claim is on the basis of one landing between the years 1910 and 1915. Since only one landing is claimed, it is curious that the exact year- is not men! tioned. In any case there is a principle of International Law ,according to which our claim which arose in 1914 lapsed in 1919, and it would therefore be difficult to see how any Russian claim arising in any of the specified years could persist to the present time or have any effect on our present occupation of Wrangell Island. Admittedly, any nation could have claimed Wrangell Island on the basis of a landing in 1921.
Thirdly, the Russians advance the claim that Wrangell Island is Russian by reason of contiguity to Siberia. The distance from Siberia is about 100 miles. That this gives ownership through contiguity might possibly be agreed upon by some future International Convention, but it certainly has not been agreed upon in the past If it had been a part of International Law, the story of the growth of the British Empire would be far different from what it is. Certainly we should either have had much more territory than now or else much less.
Wrangell Island is roughly the size and shape 01 Jamaica, 80 miles long, and 35 miles wide. It is rugged rather than rocky, with a maximum elevation of about 2,000 feet. So far as we know, there is no permanent ice or snow, the snows of winter disappearing com- pletely in summer. The minimum • temperature in winter is only a little lower than that of Montreal, about the same as that of Winnipeg, and not nearly so low as that of such Russian cities as Yakutsk. Because the island is small and surrounded by a cold ocean the warmest summers , will not .be far different from the May through which England has just passed. Essentially it is a prairie land—no trees, and only small bushes. The beach is abundantly supplied with driftwood for fuel and for the building of log cabins. It is probably the greatest polar bear country in the world, but bear skins have at present a small commercial value. There are no locations better for the trapping of white and blue foxes, and there are considerable quantities of the remains of the prehistoric elephants—mammoths—so that fossil ivory may be of some importance. It is an excellent station for the walrus and hair-seal industries. Nothing is known about the presence or absence of minerals. Great herds of reindeer are owned by natives of the Siberian mainland, and suitable breeding stock could be purchased for about a pound sterling per head and landed in Wrangell Island. There they would probably pay well if the enterprise were carried out along the lines of the great success which the American Govern- ment has had with reindeer in Alaska. Probably Wrangell Island would support from 10,000 to 20,000 head, equal in value to double that number of sheep.
Although the commercial value of Wrangell Island is small, it is not negligible. I should not have been in the least interested in the island, however, but for my belief that fifty years from now the Polar Ocean will be one of the chief theatres of, air commerce. We have plenty of rich land to develop in other parts of the world, but in that new era we may come to need badly a supply station under our own flag somewhere on the northern frontier of Asia. For, remember, Asia is to us the opposite shore of the Northern Mediterranean. Every other island on the northern frontier of Asia is clearly the property of some other nation, either by discovery or by occupation, but this one spot is clearly ours. If we let it go now, we shall have no second chance at it. The occupation need not be any cause of national expense, for there are plenty of commercial companies willing to handle it in the regular way of such development. Personally, I want to have nothing to do with Wrangell Island commercially, for it is my chief desire that what I have said and done shall rest entirely on grounds of public spirit.
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