San Francisco to Leningrad via the North Pole

SAN FRANCISCO TO LENINGRAD VIA THE NORTH POLE Main Highway of the Air to be in the Arctic Regions By Elizabeth Cannon Porter That most of the world's air traffic' will be in the far north was the surprising statement of Captain D. M. Le Bourdais, who recently- returned from Wrangel's island where the red flag of the soviet govern- ment of Russia is flying. "This is because the great masses of land are in the north, and the shortest distance between the important cities of the world will be across the Pole," he explained. He went on to say that he expected this vast region of the almost unknown to become;' a network of air routes within the next decade. The Arctic ocean he designated as the Mediterranean of the future, with all of the most important countries of the world border- ing on it. Another prophecy that the young explorer made was that we will purchase caribou steaks in the butcher shops, for, with the trans- portation problem solved, thef wealth of the far north will flood the markets of the world. Incidentally, the speaker destroyed some popular fallacies. "It is not always cold in the arctic," said he. "In the Summer the thermometer frequently registers 90 or 100 degrees. It is the same sun, and in the summer it shines' all the time." In proof of the mild atmosphere Captain Le Bourdais exhibited the pictures of young esquimaux clad in the lightest and most abbreviated fur costumes, re- sembling the sarong of the islander of the South Seas. He also showed men harvesting potatoes in an Alaskan field within the Arctic circle. Another photograph was of fire flowers on which perched a butterfly. He corroborated the descriptions of travelers of the wild flowers ofj1 this region, telling of seventy dif- ferent kinds found in one locality. The topograph much resembles in appearance the country which lies between Salt Lake City and the lake. "We have witnessed the disappearance of the western frontier in our generation," he explained, "and some of us1 may see the open- ing of the northern frontier — the greatest of all time — a region aggregating 50 million square miles." Despite the luxuriant growth of vegetation in the summer, neither cattle nor sheep can be maintained here because of the long winter which would necessitate feeding, the correspondent explained, but opined that fifty million reindeer might support life. From 1200

662 IMPROVEMENT ERA caribou originally brought from Siberia, there are now 400,000 in Alaska. To Sheldon Jackson belongs the credit of bringing the first of these animals to North America, he said. The "horrible" Arctic regions Le Bourdais described as bonanzas of mineral wealth, their coal and oil deposits hardly touched; their rivers teeming with fish; the wastes bearing sumptuous furs. "This will attract population, for people will go where it pays," he added. How a woman lived when all the men died and was taken off as the sole survivor of Wrangel's island, was told in thrilling fashion by the Captain. She was an Esquimaux named Ada Blackjack. Esqui- maux are necessary for the success of any far north exploration, explained the speaker, because they make the clothing which the men wear. Women Esquimaux are especially in demand as they manufacture the fur garments and soften the skins by chewing them with their teeth. So whole Esquimaux families frequently accompany the white men. Four governments have successively vied for the possession of Wrangel's island, about sixty miles long, because of its strategic value for aviation. Olaf Steffenson, who had spent five years among the Esquimaux, went for Canada on the largest expedition. His flagship was caught in the ice and carried toward Siberia. It was finally crushed in an ice jam 60 miles northeast of Wrangel's island, which was then un- occupied. Steffenson was on shore hunting caribou when it happened. The crew stood in the darkness of a January, taking off supplies on to the floating ice. Because of the currents, the ice buckled and would only freeze for about seven feet. There were 25 men in the crew. They separated into groups of four men each. One party con- sisted of the surgeon, the oceanographer and the anthropologist. Two of them had been with Shackelton to the South Pole. The scientists with one sled and supplies for 50 days, endeavored to cross the 170 miles to Siberia. They were never heard of again. Of the others who tried to make Bartlets', eight lost their lives, including a party of four sailors1. Kellog originally took up the island for the British as early as 1849. It was not followed up, however. In 1851, John Muir and others went there. Carlot tried it in 1914, when the war broke out. In 1921, Mauer, survivor of the Carlot expedition, interested a Canadian, Allan Crawford, to go with several friends. At the northern outpost they engaged Ada Blackjack, the Esquimaux woman who was to prove herself such a heroine. They expected to engage other Esquimaux at Siberia but were disappointed in this. A relief ship was to come for them the next year. By some misadventure the vessel did not arrive. The four men had found hunting poor, and expecting help, had not laid in

SAN FRANCISCO TO LENINGRAD 663 proper supplies for the second winter. Therefore, when its night closed in on them and they feared starvation ,they decided to make a break for Siberia, although traveling in the winter time is usually avoided in the north. They left the woman to nurse Knight, who had scurvy and could not go with the others'. All lost their lives. The man who had been left behind and was faithfully nursed by the Indian woman died in June. It was still "no man's land." When the ship did finally arrive they found the woman there alone. The crew took her away and left Charles Week and twelve Esquimaux to hold the island. In the meantime Steffenson, going to Australia, and wishing to pay off some of his expeditions, approached Carl Lamon, the millionaire reindeer king of the north, and asked him, "How would you like to take Wrangel island off my hands? Send ships there and raise the American flag?" Loman took him up on it and engaged the Hermit with its skipper, Louie Lane, well versed in the; navigation of the north. It was on this boat that Captain Le Bourdais made the trip. However, they were only two days out of Nome, Alaska, when the crankshank broke. They had to put back to that port for repairs. It was Sept. 7 — late in the season, for the far north — when they finally got under way. On the 15 th of the month he sighted the islands. "Wrangel's in sight," cried the lookout. "Sure enough, there it was, a black perpendicular cliff looming through the fog. Next day it began to snow and snowed steadily for three days." They could discern the south coast line, a glistening belt of ice, thirty-five miles in width. Behind this loomed the mountains. After an eight day vigil they came within six miles of the shore. But the skipper was afraid that hist ship would get caught and be frozen in for the winter, so towards night he would make for the open sea. After three terrific days of storm the crew ran out of drinking water. They melted ice. said Captain Le Bourdais. They found that they could approach Herald Island, a smaller body of land 38 miles' east of Wrangel, with greater safety so they approached it, landed, and took possession of it for the United States. After raising the American flag, the men, with Captain Le Bourdais acting as scribe, wrote a proclamation claiming the land for the United States government, placed it in a bottle, and fastened it to a cliff. Four miles beyond they espied a little gravel beach. Always on the lookout for any possible sign of life, it was suggested that they explore the beach. Through his powerful glasses one man reported: "I see a sled on the beach and what looks like a camp. It is about 200 yards in front of the slate cliff." Accordingly they went there. On arrival they found the tracks of polar bear and arctic foxes.

664 IMPROVEMENT ERA By the sled they found the bones of a man. thigh, shoulder blades and jaw. The latter they brought back to try and identify by the dental work in the teeth. On the sled were cans of pemmican, a gun, rusty, but with a plentiful supply of ammunition, indicating that the party had not perished from want. Nearby, in a fur sleeping bag they found the skeletons of four men, intact, except for the skulls, which were gone. With them they had matches, stove and bedding. The discoverers attributed their deaths to the fact that they must have lain in the track of the winds of this region, been enveloped by a blizzard, and smothered with snow. On their return to the ship, the second mate, an Englishman inured to the hardships of the north, remarked that he would give anything for one day under the skies of the blue Mediterranean. Although they had grown to expect a daily catastrophe, the worst yet awaited them. A fire was discovered in the engine room, close to where 200 gallons of gasoline and 200 gallons of oil were stored, The men formed a bucket brigade. While the mate dipped a bucket into the sea another pulled it over the side and handed it to a man who passed it along a line until the end man poured it on the flames. It did not occur to the crew to desert the ship, for it was their one hope of escape from the grim clutches of the north. A second man was detailed to dip, and the others redoubled their speed, '(expecting any moment to be blown to atoms. The extra water quenched the flames and they put the fire out. Luckily the lights had lasted through the horror. On their return to Nome the first question that greeted them was, 'Did you see the Russians?" Never having landed on Wrangel's island, they had not. The Russians had passed through three weeks- before, planted the red flag of the Soviet government, and arrested the party they found on the island, two of whom had died. The Reds deported the men to China where they were finally taken care of by the Red Cross in Manchuria. Although the Soviets confiscated their pelts which they had accumulated in the fozen north, they got restitution for some of them. Among the furs were 157 white foxes and 40 polar bear skins. Los Angeles. Calif. Here And There There would be no "sexy" magazines printed if there were not people who are willing to buy them. Money is a disease. A man took a bag of it once and was confined in one room for ten years. We forget the beauty of the rainbow when we run to seek the gold at its end. Those who are entirely wrapped up in themselves make very small packages. — D. C. R.