stefansson-wrangel-09-25-004-001

Second Article on Wrangel Island

For me at least Captain Jack Haldey is the first big
figure in the story of Wrangell Island. Baron Wrangell, who first searched
for it as a continent (1821-24), did not find it or any other land. Kellet,
who found it (1849), did not land on it nor did he know it was an island.
De Long, whose voyage proved it to be an island (1879-81), saw it only from
a distance. Hooper, Muir and Nelson, who first landed (1881), stayed only
a few hours. Berry and his men came a few days later and remained three
weeks. From them we have an approximate map of the island by the information
about it in other respects is neither compregensive nor detailed.
Bartlett in 1914 remained only a few days and his story of them is only
a few pages with little but personal information of how the landing was
made and why he had to leave his ment there while he proceeded to the mainland
of Siberia. John Munro was in command of the party on the island after
Bartlett left but he has given us no printed accound of what happened during
the following seven months. McKinlay and Maurer both published newspaper
artciled and it is possible that other members of the party may have
printed fugitive pieces that have not come to my attention. The only
story that approaches completeness is narrative, discussion of motives
and methods, and in information about the climate and country, is a handwritten
manuscripts by Jack Hadley now in the archives of the Department
of the Naval Service at Ottawa.

Jack Hadley was in himself no less pleasantly unusual
than his career was romantic. Of English parentage on both sides, he was
born in Canterbury and told his various escapades as a choir boy in the