The herald., 1922-07-06

And l have seen coal beds easily tapped
that even the lazy natives them.
THAT is not ALL have heard tales of fossil
ivory. of furs of radium Of great meteoric dia-
mond beds that formerly furnished crown jewels
for Russia. The wealth of the Arctic is ire
mendous"
Petersen may he right he may be wrong.
Anyway. there is cOrrobOrative evidence of sorts.
StefanSson certainly Seized Wrangel island last
year and took possession in the name of Great
Britain. Notwithstanding it discovered many
years ago by United States naval vessels and
claimed United States territory While Stef-
anssOn has refused to divulge the purpose of this
years expedition he did say this:
THE development and colonization of the
Northland will surely begin with the present gen.
GRAFTON. The mystery woven around the north
has resulted from misinformatiOn. Theories that
1t is unnhabitabe have been forever rejected, for
it has been proved that fuel and food exist in
abundance.
"Since the true conditions in the north have
been realized colonization and commercial
ploitatiOn will surely follow. The animal life is
the basis of attraction for commerce At first
1t would be largely n source of meat supply but
there are also large deposits of oil, coal, copper
and other metals"
AmundseH seems TO have many friends and
they have contributed literally to his exceedingly
comprehensive equipment. An American manu-
facturer of airplanes has Clipped in" to the ex-
o
metal u7onoplane which has been tested to meet
arctic conditions
Besides the monOplane, AmundSen will take
plane, smaller British ship which will be
used Only within the vicinity of the Maud. The
monoplanc with cabin in which passengers have
been carried will he self-suppOrting She is so
equipped that she carry large stocks of fuel
and provisions and to her can be adjusted skis.
wheels OF pontoons, so that she can land any
surface. With her aid Amundsen believes he
can Chart 2O0mile-wide course across the top
of the earth.
The planes will he designed to permit of land
ing on land or water and VIII be equipped with
fuel tanks for twenty hours flying Only one
plane will leave the ship at time with the sec
Ond always available for relief work
Two Norwegian avatOrs Lieutenant Omdal
and Sergeant Odd Dahl, accompany Amundeen.
They will carry movingpictu outfit and about
10000 feet of film. Both Omdal and Dahi are
expert wireless operators and expect to keep the
Maud in touch with Spitzbergen, and to receive
messages from the Norwegian wireless station at
StavaagYr
They also expect to talk with Washington
They plan to flash reports from airplane to the
mother ship which is equipped with transmitting
apparatus 0f 1000 miles radius. The ship then
will communicate with Alaska and Nome will
relay to the powerful station at St Paul on the
Behrng sea. st. Paul will send the messages di-
recily to Washington.
I'r. II. L. Sverdrup. technical expert for the
expedition, assembled ar Seattle what was said
10 be the most complete equipment of technical
apparatus for meteorological research ever assem-
blad for polar expedition. The e0uipmpnt
packed in forty cases was lent to the expedition
BY the Carnegie institute and Smithsonian insti
Triton, the coast and geodetic survey and tbe
United States weather bureau
The Norwegian army and navy have presented
TO the explorers the arms and munitions they
may need and sixty boxes OF specially selected