The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1914-10-03
U1ZzRA ER

at a position close to that in which the Jeanette
was first gripped by the ice in September, 1879.
Why should all these vessels have been moved
continually to the west by the Arctic drift? Sim
ply because, as Mr.. Harris and others have ex!
planned, the incoming tide from the Atlantic has
to sweep to the eastward and around some great
obstruction that reaches down from close to the
pole to a point fairly near Alaska and the upper
most shores of the Dominion of Canada The
ebb tide in passing out in turn has to follow the
same circuitous route, but its movement is to the
westward, and probably stronger in it's general
effect than the incoming or food tide. Why
should this be?
Look at the little map that goes with this arti-
Gle. The curving lines with time marked in
Roman numerals show how the advancing high
tide moves from the Atlantic and the other fig
ures and decimals indicate the measure of the
rise. Plainly, the further the water sweeps into
the pocket ending at Beaufort sea the smaller
the tidal fux and the slower the water moves in
the interval of tide change; the water, so to
speak, is being crowded. Accordingly on the ebb
the sweep is freer, as it is ~trending toward the
great open Atlantic, and this probably accounts
for the aggregate net gain in the westward drift.
In this fashion, with the tidal data available,
the photographer has been able not only to COM
pute the general area of the unknown continent
or archipelago, but to approximate its broad con-
tours. True, the Karluk never reached her OBJ
1~ective, and Stefansson did not even see Croker
land, but his ship, in her unchecked wanderings
In the grip of the Arctic pack, confirmed the ex-
istence of the vast barrier In the Arctic basin and
will inspire further efforts In the direction of its
exploration.
After the Karluk sank Captain Bartlett and his
men made their toilsome way outward over the
pack ice to Wrangel island, where they encamped
with such of the ships stores as they we're able
to carry off with them. From Wrangel island
Captain Bartlett and one Eskimo made a sledge
trip to the Siberian coast and Providence bay,
thence crossing in the American whaler Herman
north of the st. Lawrence island to st. Michael
on the Alaskan shores. From st. Michael news
of the p~redicament Of his men on Wrangel island
was dispatched to the United States, and steps
were at once started looking to the early relief of
the shipwrecked crew.
At this time the United States revenue cutter
Bear is on her way into the Arctic ocean and
would undoubtedly have gone sooner had it not
been learned that the Arctic pack was still as far
south as Point Hope, Alaska. The work cut out
for the doughty little steamer is perilous, for she
will probably have to nose her way north and
westward against a good deal of opposition as it
is. We can best gather an idea of the task by
reference to the kindred duty performed by the
ship in the early summer of 1898 when she got
the crews OF the eight whalers out of their hazard
Gus positions on the northern Alaskan coast.
Capt. F., futile, then in command of the Bear.
started from st. Michael on July 7 and on the
18th of that month stood northward through Ber-
ing strait. Arriving off Point Barrow about July
80, the Bear was made fast to the solid pack. 1t