The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-08-23
SCIENTISTS SAY WORK IN ARCTIC HAS HUGE VALUE
Topper Fields of Far North May Be Opened by
 ! a Discovery.

[ While hampered in thelr expressions of opinion by the lack of complete report concerning the activities of the southern party of the Canadian Arct1c exped5tion, headed by vihjalmnr Ste ia nsson, local scientists pointed out yesterday that the work of the party, which arrived in Nome. Alaska, early on Tuesday morning, might prove Of extreme value to science and com lmerca
 The finding of a greaf field of na- tive copper in the vicinity of the Cop per Mine river, in the neighborhood or Prince Albert Island, will, in the opin- ion of Dr. Chester A Reeds, assistant curator of the Division of Geology and Inyertebrate Paleontology of the American Museum of Natural History. not only prove of great value to the lbusiness world, but 1t will afford sct- entists an opportunity for displaying from a region that is still unopened ln a commercial sense.
 As for science, the observations and charts of the party should prove val uable, in Dr. Reedss opinion, in de- termining- the direction of the move ment of winds in the northern polar region, as weu as tidal phenomena. Further than this, Dr. Reeds xentured the opinion that tho observations of the party along the lines of tide and wind might so a long way in proving or disproving the theory that an un- Known continent existed in the great nnexpiored region north of Alaska and west and northwest of Greenland.
 The existence of such a continent, inc said, which might be of a nature similar to that of Greenland. might be more CT Less accurately determined by scientific knowledge concerning the traits of the wind. The tendency of -coi3 air, he asserted, was to travel in the direction of warm areas. hanging close to the surface of land~Ind water until l: has become heatCa enough t, rise of its own yo1itioa. In view of the existence of low area to the southwest of Alaska. pr. Reeds 1honzh. that discovery by the ex- p1orers of strong cold winds pouring down from the unexpIored region might mean the existence of an ice- bound body of land like Greenland. Until more definite reports were avail Iabie, however. there could be nothing but conjecture on this point.
 When asked by 8 reporter how the copped fields in ths Copper Mine river region might be opened to commerce, lDr. Reeds replied that two routes Imfght be worked out, but that either could only be used during the open lseason. that is. during August and a part of September. For a western passage he traced 6 route from the mouth of the Copper Mine river through the Dolphin and Union straits from Coronation Bay. past Cape Par Try, across Beaufort Sea, (ships always Ikeep in sight of land across this wa ter), past Point Barrow. and around the west coast of Alaska into Nome. From Nome it would be necessary to lgo on to Seattle in order to obtain suff1cient facilities for shipment by rail
 Concerning the length of this route, Dr. Reeds estimated that from the mouth of the Copper Mine river to Point Barrow would be about HOO miles: from Point Barrow to Cape Lisburne. Alaska, about 300 miles more, and from there about 200 more miles to the edge of the arctic circle in Boring Strait. From that point to Nome would add about 150 miles, conn., pleting a journey approximately 1,750 miles long. He would not risk an opinion regarding the possible cost of lfreighting copper ore over the route outlined.
 i A second route. approximately 1900 miles long, was ftraced via Baff1n Bay. This way led tetween Victoria Land