stefansson-wrangel-09-08-005-002

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The summer of 1881 two American ships landed
on Wrangel Island, the Corwin for a few hours, and the Rodgers for
two or three weeks. The Rodgers made a map of the island which,
although not correct, is the only one we have to date. In that con-
nection arose an American claim to the island which like the previous
British claim would have led to permanent ownership if followed up
within five years. Like the British earlier, the Americans showed
no sign of interest in Wrangel Island and, accordingly, that claim
lapsed in 1886.

From this time on no one is known to have
landed upon the island although whaling ships sailed within sight
of it occasionally. The first landing subsequent to '81 was made
by the officers and crew of the Canadian Government ship Karluk, of
my 1915-1918 expedition. They landed in February, 1914, and remained
until September. On July 1st, 1914, they formally raised the British
flag and reasserted British rights to the island.

Our men left Wrangel Island in September, 1914,
and the British claim based on that occupation and reassertion of
possession lapsed according to the above cited principle of interna-
tional law in September, 1919.

Meantime, I had been conducting in Canada a cam-
paign to arouse Canadians to the idea that the most northerly possess-
ions are valuable. In that connection I urged the Canadian Government
to follow up our Wrangel Island work before some other nation stepped
in and occupied the island. The nation I had particularly in mind
was Japan. I have the greatest respect for the shrewdness of the
Japanese and I had some private information in addition to what
everyone possesses through the newspapers to show that they were
extending their commercial and other operations steadily northward
into Siberia. I took it to be likely that within a few years they
would see the value of Wrangel Island. Probably no nation would
have protested against such Japanese actions, for there would have
been no legal or reasonable ground of protest. Furthermore, had
there been such a protest and had the case been submitted either
to impartial arbitration or to an international court, the decision
would certainly have been in favor of the Japanese (or whoever had
occupied the island subsequent to the lapse of British claims in
1919).

Together with several friends who had the same
views, I succeeded in inducing the Government at Ottawa to agree to
a series of arctic expeditions to reassert the Canadian sovereignty
and to occupy unoccupied lands in the polar regions. Through circum-
stances into which I shall not go, these plans after being carried
forward for several months and after a good deal of money had been
spent, were postponed for a year.

Meantime, I had taken up with the Hudson's Bay
Company
the question of establishing a fur outpost on Wrangel Is-
land
. I urged this upon the Company for two reasons: (1) It would

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