User:Arsenikk/Sandbox
This is my own sandbox where i try out different stuff...
History of Jan Mayen
Etymology
The island in named after the Dutch discoverer, who is the first that there is no doubt had found the island, Jan Jansz Kerckhoff. During the 17th century, the island was called Janellayen Eyland by the Dutch whalers. In modern times it has been renamed to the norwegianised Jan Mayen.
A lot of the place names on the island were originally Dutch or German, but have Norwegianised (e. g. Wilczek-Thal becomming Wilczekdalen).
Viking discoveries
During the
There is a scholar discussion whether or not the old Norse name Svalbarð refered to the precent Svalbard or Jan Mayen. There is some evidence that it was Jan Mayen that was origianlly called Svalbarð. Among other things the distance of Svalbarð from different locations is more in line with the location of Jan Mayen than of Svalbard.
On the other hand there is no archeological findings of any viking age settlements on Jan Mayen. The island is very baren, without any real way of making a livelyhood on it. But if there were settlements, they could have eroded away. Even the findings from the 17th century can soon be erorded away.
St. Brendans voyage
The
In the next chapter the monks came to a new island (some scholars belive this to be the same island, but from a new angle). Brendan named this island The Rock of Fire. There came smoke from the mountain, so high that the monks couldn't see the top of it. One of the monks left the boat, and started walking towards the mountain, but was attacked by demons who ignited him. The other monks fled, and soon the mountain was not smoking, but on fire. It is belived that the demons that attacked the monk was fresh lava from the volcano Beerenberg.
The Zeno Map
Another explorer who may have discovered Jan Mayen are the brothers
Dutch whalers
The first Dutch to discover the island was Jan Jansz Kerckhoff on the ship t' Cleyn Swaentgen in
Noordsche Compagnie
At this time the Dutch were atempting to grow large in whaling. The largest company was Noordsche Compagnie, a cartel of trading houses throughout the Netherlands. The company soon aquired the rights to whaling at Jan Mayen in addition to their excisting rights at Svalbard and other areas in the Arctic. But also another Dutch whaling cartel got rights to whaling at Jan Mayen, namely Kleine Noordsche Compagnie. They received smaller quotas, but also operated out of Jan Mayen and Svalbard.
Noordsche Compagnie moved its base to Jan Mayen and established a number of oil cooking facilities and other infrastucture on the island. To begin with the whaling was quite profitable, and there would be up to 15 boats each year stationed at the island. But by the
.First residents
After a
some Englishmen had been left on Spitsbergen by accident and so Noorsche Compagnie decided to go ahead with the attempt.In addition to protecting the area, they expedition was to make metrological surveys on the island. Therefore there were cept two seperate diaries. The group was stationed in permanent housing, but did litte but try to stay the winter, except a little hunting and gathering of plants. Though one person actually learnt to read during the stay.
The expedition tried to gather plants (Cochlaria officinalis) to prevent scurvy, but unfortunetly their had to eat half raw polar bear meat. This resultet in trichinosis, eventually killing all seven men, probably the last one only a month before the whaling vessels returned. One of the diaries was litteraly found on the body of one of the deceised. An eqivilent expedition had survived on Svalbard the same winter, but had died the following season when they again had tried to stay the winter.
The first international polar year
The first
.Austria-Hungary was chosen to lead the expedition to Jan Mayen. Karl Weyprecht died in 1881, and instead the expedition was to be organised by count Hanns von Wilczek. As normal at that time, expedition members were reqruited from the navy, and Emil von Wohlgemuth was chosen as the expedition leader. A total of 15 people were selected for the expedition, of which five were officers. The expedition was to set up a permanent camp on the island, and was equipped with enough supplies for two years, in case it was not possible to leave the island the next summer.
The expedition sailed via
Pola left the island on
References
Barr, Susan (1991) Jan Mayen, Oslo: Schibsted
Kongsberg Station Nordagutu Station Bø Station Lunde Station Drangedal Station Neslandsvatn Station Gjerstad Station Vegårdshei Station Nelaug Station Vennesla Station