In 1913, Vilhjalmur Stefansson led a large expedition to discover a lost continent he believed was under the Arctic ice cap. They sailed from Victoria, British Columbia on June 17, 1913. Six weeks later their ship was caught in the ice. Stefansson and several companions left the expedition and returned to safety. When the ship was crushed, the crew set up camp on the ice. In March of 1914, Captain Bartlett led what was left of his crew 80 miles across the ice to Wrangel Island. Twelve survivors were picked up by a small whaling schooner in September of 1914. 