stefansson-wrangel-09-21-007-003

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years old when they started on the Wrangel Island expedition, and were
experienced men in the North. It was only the other two, Crawford and
Galle, who were having their first look at the Arctic.

As published, my newspaper stories gave the impression that the
fatal journey away from Wrangel Island was made under pressure of food
scarcity, that the purpose of the journey was to bring back succor to the
island from Siberia, that the men and dogs were weak from hunger, and that
the undertaking was of such a nature that there was small chance of a safe
journey to Siberia. This On more careful reading of the expedition documents
I now see I was mistaken in these things among others. I now realize that
the journey was planned and the date for it set several months before when
no approaching food shortage was contemplated, and was actually undertaken
later at about the time set. I now consider that the journey would have
been made at about the same time of year and with about the same prospects
of success if there had been the largest quantity of food on hand. That
food had begun to run low, although there was a considerable supply still
on hand, was merely a coincidence and did not affect the journey to
Siberia unless to give one more argument for keeping to the original program.
So far from food shortage being the primary cause of either the making of
the journey or of its fatal ending, I now realize that Crawford and Knight
made one of their initial errors in loading the sledge too heavily with
food by at least two hundred pounds, so that speed was retarded and the
danger of the sledge breaking was increased.

I wish to withdraw specifically any painful impression my original
newspaper story may have created through seeming to show that the death of
the three men, Crawford, Galle and Maurer, was probably a slow one from
freezing brought on through weakening by starvation. I now think it much
more likely and almost certain that death did take place in one of two

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