The Washington times., 1915-08-28

half or three years" said Mcconnell at
his home. 1856 West sixty-ffth street.
Yesterday. THE difficulty which he
would face In trying to escape from tho
Ice to the mainland or to wrangle or
Banks Island lies In the fact that his
sled will carry only food enough to sup
port the party for a short distance. ON
this account he will have to stay near
spots where the hunting is good. unless
he eventually finds himself carried by
the drift to a point close enough to land
to make dash for It:
"Stefansson had with him 400 rounds
OF ammunition. He is a dead shot. On
ono of his previous explorations he sup
ported himSelf and two companions for
a year on the game which he killed with
sixty-two cartridges. have never seen
him miss his mark with a rifle.
There Is plenty Of game in the coun-
try where he now is--seais. polar bears.
and foxes. The polar bears live on sea!
ana ,h stay where they are pient'tuI e4. ana hs
hind by the bears. SO that all three are
found together. 1t is not necessary to
waste ammunition on foxes. which can
be trapped and killed In other ways.
Stefnnsson in all his expeditions mas
lived largely on game. He started on
the present trip in search of game to
prevent scurvy IN his party.
II he reaches land in the unexplored
region the party may live on the land
indefinitely. The 40 rounds of ammuni-
ton are enough, l should say, to Keep
the party In meat about two years.
II they strike a country that contains
walrusses they can live a greater time.
! After the ammunition is spent they
would not be at the end of their re-
| sources. Stefansson learned from the
blonde Eskimos tho art of spearing seal.
The steel Of the sledge runners or tho
gun barrel could be made into spears.
| The party had with them an oil stove.
in which they could develop heat enough
to forge metal: They had atches with
them to last for six years. Their fuel
would come chiefly from the blubber in
the seals and polar bears or walruses.
| The ice crust on which we left Stef-
ansson and his party extended about $40
miles from Wrangel Island, north OF
Siberia, to Banks Island, north of Alas
ka The Ice drifts with the ocean cur
rent toward the Siberian coast, and
might eventually bring Stefansson and
his party within striking distance OF
wrangel Island. They had with them
Ia canoe which would enable them to
Icross the open water.
| Search BY Aeroplane.
"If they do not reach Wrangel Is.
land, the only practicable plan Of rescu.
ing them will be that of sending an ex.
pedition with aeroplanes at a total cost
OF about 800, 600. At the edge of this ice
crust. about 500 m les long, the aeroplane
would leave the ship and fly about II;
miles in a northwesterly direction. The
avia tors could cover a range with theii
eyes Of about five miles on either side o1
their course, thus searching strir
twenty miles wide on their outgoing and
incoming trips each day.
The Canadian government, however
is too much engrosed in the war to con
slider the plan. The Aero Club Of Amer
lea has approved the idea as asihlt
one. but all efforts to raise the $4,000
have failed. and there appears to be nc
prospect now of starting such a relie
expedition. although l am firmly con
vinced that Stefansson Is alive and tina
such an expedition would be certain t
! locate him and his companions"