The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-10-31
EXPLORERS APPROACH
NEW SIBERIAN ISLAND
Authorities on Arctic Currents Believe
Amunsden and Storkerson Will Ar
rive There Early Next
Year.

Seattle, Wash, Oct. 3l.--Two Arctic
explorers, ROAD Amundsen, noted Nor
wegian, drifting in his iee-locked boat
eastward from the Atlantic, and Storker
Storkerson, lieutenant of Vilhjalmur
Stefansson, Canadian explorer, floating
westward from the Pacific on an ice pack,
are believed approaching the new Sibe
rian islands, which jut out of the Arctic
ocean off the mouth of the Lena river in
Siberia. Authorities credited with know
ing the Arctic currents believe the two
will reach the islands early next year.
No other explorers are now in the Arc
tic and it is thought very likely that
neither Amundsen or Storkerson knows
the other has the same goal in mind.
They probably viii not meet. for Stor-
kerson is expected to arrive ahead of
Amundsen and probably viii land far
west of Amundsen's course.
Amundsen, the discoyerer of the south
pole and navigator of the difficult north
west passage, is on the first lap Of a
journey to the north pole He expects to
make the last lap by airplanes, Storker
son is bound back in the general direction
Of civilization after spending several
years in the Arctic. Both are seeking
new lands and studying the currents and
life of the northern ocean.
When Amundsen reaches the Siberian
islands, the current, ii is believed, will
turn and carry him north. He is ex.
pected TO remain with the drift until it
lands him on the immovable ice far up
towards the pole. There, according to
his plans, he viii establish base and
attempt to fly the rest of the distance TO
the top Of the globe.
Storkerson, according TO his plans, will
leave his ice pack when il reaches the ST.
berian islands With his five men he will
come ashore and make his way back to
Alaska. His friends expect to hear of
him landing sometime next summer near
the Lena However, they say he may
change his plans and come ashore before
that time.
Stefansson, when he was in the north
last winter, planned to make the trip
Storkerson is now on. After he complet-,
ed arrangements and purchased all the
necessary supplies and dogs, illness
forced him to come outside. When he
left he put Storkerson in charge.
The Canadian thinks Storkerson's trip
is one of the most daring Arctic feats
ever undertaken. 'He is up there camped
on the ice and practically living off the
ice pack" Stefansson says. "0ther ex-
plorers do their work from their ships.
Ships are little less than floating hotels.
Storkerson has no ship. II Storkerson
doesn't get homesick we should hear from
him next year"
Storkerson and his FIVE men were land
ed last May on the ice pack about $50
miles northwest of Herschel island.
Rough estimates show that the ice at
times drifts more than 10 miles day.
This current, Stefansson thinks, carried
Storkerson westward until in October he
probably was about 200 miles due north
from Wrangel island, off Siberia, and
east Of the new Siberian islands.
The Karluk Stefansson's first boat,
which was lost, was carried westward
from off Alaska. When it was crushed
in the ice it was off Wrangel island.
Storkerson expected to get caught in the
same current and go on beyond Wrangel
to the Siberian islands