A day in North Greenland A rectification.

Member of

the »Danmark Expedition til Grønlands Nordøstkysf 1906—08«.

In the "Geografiska Annaler 1935, Sven Hedin", p. 611—612 are
shown two maps the presentation of which must be a great mistake.

On p. 611 is shown: "Map of North-east Greenland before the flight" (fig. 1) which, according to the author, Dr. Lauge Koch (p. 611, line 6—76^—7 from top) "shows what was known before the flights ".

This map is here reproduced as Map I. (Fig. 1)

On p. 612 is shown: "New mapping " (fig. 2),

The following Map II (Fig. 2) is the same as fig. 2, p. 612 in "A
Day in North Greenland", which pretends to show (p. 611, line 7—B7—8
from top) "what was discovered during the flights".

In "Meddelelser om Grønland", vol. 46, pi. 4 and on the large Map of Greenland (NE-part) issued by the "Kommissionen for Ledelsen af de Geologiske og Geografiske Undersøgelser i Grønland" are given the results of the cartographic works of the following three expeditions:

The Danmark Expedition 1906—08,
• The Alabama Expeditions 1909—13, and
The 1. Thule Expedition 1912.

"Meddelelser om Grønland", vol. 46 is issued 1917, and the NEpart
of the Greenland map 1918.

The following Map 111 (Fig. 3) is a reproduction from the map
of 1918.

On this Map 111 wil be observed not only the contours of the

coasts, but also of mountains and mountain ranges, of rivers, and
further several heights of the mountains, all in all enough to give
a rather fair idea of the land.

Naturally, it was impossible, save for Einar Mikkelsen on the
Alabama Expedition, to give any notions as to the interior of the
land SW of the "Nordøstrundingen".

But there is one thing that I should like to emphasize, namely: All contours of the coast and the position of the mountain ranges and the mountains and their heights are based on real surveying work and not on free-hand work. They are reliable in so far the circumstances would permit. They are surveying work.

If the reader will compare Maps I, 11, and 111, he will observe
some curious things:

1) The Zig-zag valley on the west coast of the Danmarks Fjord and the river, which were discovered by Knud Rasmussen and Peter Freuchen 1912, are to be seen on Map 111 (and in "Meddelelser om Grønland", vol. 51, pi. 11; — nothing on fig. 1 (Map I).

2) The tracks of land of the Nordøstrundingen and North and
South of this are already shown by /. P. Koch ("Meddelelser om
Grønland", vol. 46, pi. 4) and on Map 111.

3) The heights in the "New mapping " (fig. 2 [Map II]) are

in remarkable accordance with those from "Meddelelser om Grønland", vol. 46, pi. 4 (save one, the summit in the middle of Holms Land, which is in "Meddelelser om Grønland", vol. 46, pi. 4 given as 650 m, as 600 min fig. 2 [Map II]). —It must certainly be considered impossible, from an aeroplane, to judge heights with such an exactness as 510, 980, and 370 m. — There are no heights on fig. 1 (Map I).

It is therefore an obvious conclusion that these heights are taken
from "Meddelelser om Grønland", vol. 46, pi. 4 (The Danmark Expedition).

4) The greater part of the names in fig. 2 (Map II) are from
before the flights, which does not appear from fig. 1 (Map I); —
there are only five names on fig. 1 (Map I).

5) The summits of the mountain range from Amdrup Land to Hovgaard 0 are already laid in by the Danmark Expedition ("Meddelelser om Grønland", vol. 46, pi. 4 and Map III) and the heights of the summits were fixed by this expedition. — No mountains or mountain ranges are indicated on fig. 1 (Map I).

6) The rivers South of Cape Rigsdagen and the skerries in the
Danmarks Fjord are indicated in nearly the same manner in fig. 2

(Map II) and "Meddelelser om Grønland", vol. 46, pi. 4; — none
on fig. 1 (Map I).

Thus it is not correct of Dr. Lauge Koch to be content with writing (p. 610, line 3 from top); "The regions over which we flew were discovered in 1907 by the Danmark Expedition, and the coast contours (underlined here) were mapped by the cartographers...".

It appears clearly from the above-mentioned facts that the greater part of that which Dr. Lauge Koch calls "New mapping" (Map II) is due to and based on the surveying of earlier expeditions.

When I, personally, take up this case, it is from the following
causes:

1) On the Danmark Expedition I was one of the late Colonel
/. P. Koch's helpers in the surveying work.

2) The southern part of Map 111 from Cape Anna Bistrup to Norske
Øer was surveyed both by /. P. Koch, Gustav Tostrup, and
myself.

3) When /. P. Koch, who was the leader of the surveying work of the Danmark Expedition, went northward to search for Mylius Erichsen, Hagen, and Brønlund, he designed me personally for the charge of the cartographic work, if he should not return.

Fortunately he did return and the result was the maps from the northern part of East Greenland. The results from this expedition and those from Knud Rasmussen's 1. Thule Expedition and Einar Mikkelsen's Alabama Expedition must be regarded as mapping work of such quality that it cannot be extinguished or obscured by some sketches made as "free-hand drawing" (p. 609, line 3 from bottom) from an aeroplane.

Copenhagen, October 9th, 1938.

H. Bistrup.