The Washington times., 1917-01-11
READY FOR POLAR
SCIENTIFIC TRIP
Captain Bartlett Plans to Make
Another Dash North in
1918.

Equipped for a scientific study OF
che Polar regions, the Bartlett Polar
expedition, the first purely scientific
expedition to enter the far north, VIII
sail from the United States during
the summer OF 1918.
Scientific research, rather than as
covery, will be the primary object.
But ten men will be taken into the
Polar belt, including the ships crew,
mechanicians, and. scientists Each
will be a man Of tried caliber, for
once started, there will be no return
ticket to the civilized world, at least
for three to FIVE years. Each man
must be capable OF supreme endur-
ance and versatility
MonopIanes included.
/. Two or three scout-type mono
planes, an innovation in Polar expedf-
lions, will be included in the equip
ment to supplement the customary
dogs and siedges.
They will be used for observation
purposes from the base of operations,
always the ship, and might prove in
valuable in returning to civilization
should the expedition meet with dis
l.aster.
How the natural forces operate at
the Pole; whether the perpetually
moving icefioes OF the Arctic Sea,
swirl in a continuous circle about the
Pole; whether their movement is di-
rected by a constant east wind-so
frequently noted in former expedi-
tions-or whether by ocean currents;
just what atmospheric conditions pre-
vail-these are some Of the questions
hoped to be answered before the trip
is concluded.
To study Ocean Fauna.
A careful study of the fauna life on
the ocean-fioor of the Arctic, with
comparisons with the animalculae ex-
istence of other waters, will also form
part OF the research work. Chart
ing new lands-if such exist-and
soundings OF the Arctic ocean in vari-
GUS latitudes are further detectives.
! Admiral Peary, making deep sound
ings at the Pole. probed for 1900 feet
nearly two miles-without finding
a bottom.
Our ship will be built of toughest
liye-oak, with special constructive
features to resist the terrific impact
with ice foes. 1t will be small, to
permit of quick moving, which Is
often imperative to escape being
caught and crushed like an egg shell
between rapidly approaching ice
| fields. II caught in such a cul-de-sac,
the only recourse is blasting out a
/ berth" with dynamite, or abandon
| ing the vessel to her fate.
Complete Equipment Aboard.
The ship will carry a most COM
pIete equipment of scientific fnstru-
ments-many probably supplied by
the United States Coast and Geodetic
| Survey.
Timed foods of all kinds, tea,
! coffee, and chocolate, will be carried"
said Captain Bartlett, "to provide a
varied diet. The principal food, hoy
ever, will consist of seal, walrus: and
polar bear steaks. We can, at some
convenient place in the Arctic, kill
several thousand f-these and pile
them up on the ice, covered with
snow, as our food reserve. They will
Il hcCpp VI IHC
] average winter temperature we will
below zero, this slightly moderating
in the brief summer.
| start In July.
Starting out from some port on
the Pacific, probably Seattle, In July,
we will pass through Bering strait
and proceed north around Alaska.
Arriving at some point off the Ameri-
can coast in September, we will set
the ship in. the rapidly forming ice
/ fields and resign ourselves to a con-
! tinuous drift with the ice, wherever
it may lead us.
1--WE expect to come out at some
point between Spitsenbergen and
Greenland. In thus drifting with the
ice we will be able to note its trend
and just what forces are operating in
its directions. Whether it is moved
principally by the water currents be-
meath, or is driven by a constant
wind. is yet to be determined.
Numbers of important scientific
theories may be either blasted or sub
Stimulated through these observa-
tions.
Make Frequent SOundingS.
Frequently. hourly IL possible,
soundings will be taken of the sea
bottom, and specimens of the fauna
from the sea floor collected. The
theory that at some former age the
earth's equator was located at what
is now the Pole and changed to it's
present position by a 'hip-hop' of the
earth, may he somewhat cleared up
by a study OF dead fauna life OF the
Arctic ocean, II any can be obtained.
"The expedition will include some
distinguished meteorological, in order
that an intensive study of the atmos.