The Forrest City times., 1904-05-06
NAVIGATING ARCTIC SEAS
Experienced Seafaring Men Discuss One of Russia's Latest
 Naval Projects.


 rlouSly entertained at St Petersburg. it is certainly provoking wide comment, says the New York Tribune That fact alone IS more or less a condemnation or the scheme The very discussion implies a recognition of it's perilous ana audacious character. No such sensation would be created by an an houncement that the same vessels would be dispatched to the same des- lhatlon through the Mediterranean Suez canal and Indian ocean. What ever may be the considerations of pol icy that have suggested the idea, there lore every sane and intelligent person must perceive is dangers Wise men may well differ as to the precise degree of risk. put they cannot be blind to the risk itself.
 FeW persons are so we'll qualified to judge of the feasibility of this project as Admiral Melville He was a mem per or the company which went up iato the arctic regions through Behring strait on the Jeanette, and after their shlp went down he spent many weary months on shore near the mouth of the Lena. Well. with the right combina- ton or cireumstances-a good season. an adequate coal supply, the aid of a powerful ice breaker and so on-Ad- mlral Melville thinks it possible that the fleet might get through. He is careful not 10 say that success is prob able, even with everything in favor of the attempt: and he adds that If the season were not an open one it would De necessary to winter at some point on the Siberian eOast-which is not ex- actly rapid transit. Greedy and Peary are even more skeptical In fact, the majority of Americans who have had practical experience in arctic naviga- ton look upon the venture as fool hardy.
 Dr. Cook is an exception to the rule. He is trife more sanguire than the other authorities just quoted and he cites in support of his belief the fact | that Nordenskjold. with the Vega, made the voyage from the Atlantic to | the Pacific without serious harm The precedent is not a happy one. however. because the Vega was obliged to spend q winter in the arctic seas and took over a year to complete the voyage Again, one must offset against that in- stance of the sinking of the Jeanette | Nansen's famous feat does not throw much light on the prospect, because he committed the Tram to the control of the drifting ice and she remained in it | for over year. Still further. it must be remembered that both the Vega and the Fran were built so as to withstand pressure from the ice on their sides and had great powers of resistance be- low the water line The modern war ship IS especially weak there and would unquesuonably suecumb if she were once badly piHehed Even Achilles had his vulnerable spot.
 Practically all the calculations made by outsiders concerning the chances of success in this enterprise are based up- on the supposition that the Russian fleet would be piloted by one or more ice breakers. These are useful insti- tutions, but there is a limit to their ca paeity. On Lake Baikal, for instance they operate only in summer.
 It is safe to say that at that season the temperature conditions existing 15 or % degrees farther north would be much less suspicious Still greater dis advantages would result from another fact. In harbor like Cronstadt. or upon a large sheet of water which is entirely frozen over, the ice is station ary. The width of a channel which is once cut there is not likely to alter On the other hand In the Arctic ocean the pack is in almost constant motion A lead between two foes will open at one moment and close at another. Ad- jaeent cakes are forever grinding against one another. slowly and relent- lessly, under the influence of the winds and marine currents. There would be no certainty that the breadth of anave- nue opened by the pilot would be main tained long enough to insure the ad- vance of the convoy and there would be no guarantee of immunity after the gap narrowed If .he breaker were rot itself frozen in the warships might all be sunk V the crushing of their hulls. Before Russia tries this experiment she might ask some foreign insurance company how much it would ask to indemnify her in case of loss. The re- ply would doubtless be instructive.