Evening star., 1924-08-16

piled up enough snow for the sleds and
the Arctic night has started. This will
be trip repete with hardships. 1t will
be about 1000 miles to Nome along a
practically unblazed trail. Once at Nome
they will be in wireless communication
with the. United States, but the journey
will be far from finished. They will
then have to proceed along a better
known trail from Nome to Tanana
where they will be able to take the
railroad again.
The trail from Point Barrow to Nome
is covered nearly every Winter by some
natives in dog teams. and DR.. Smith
probably would be able to hire guides
who know the country. He himself is
an experienced explorer. we'll acquainted
with Arctic conditions. Then men must
have been hardened and accustomed to
all sorts Of hardships during the Winter
trip across the Endicotts. officials
point out.
Hope Ship May Get By.
The Geological Survey. however. is
by no means without hope that some
ship will be able to reach Point Bar
row, and bring home DR.. Smith and
his party. 1t is pointed out that
smaller ship, probably one of the
trading schooners operated by Levi
son Bros. of Nome, will be able to
hug the shore line and get through
the ice which would battle such a
ship as the Bear or any craft which
may be sent to take her place. These
trading ships, piloted by experienced
officers, are able to take advantage
of every temporary channel opened
by the wind. dodge with agility be.
tween ice bergs and hug the shore
when a storm threatens. A larger
ship. obliged to keep in deep water.
mightbe caught in the ice and blown
into the Arctic Ocean, with little like
lihood of getting back. The greatest
danger encountered by the smaller
ships is of being crushed by the ice
against the shore and stuck fast. In
such cases, however, no lives are lost,
since the crew are on dry land and
carry enough supplies for the winter.
Ice in Behring Straits and along
the Arctic shore depends largely, ac-
cording to geological survey ex-
plorers who have been in the region
before. on the direction of winds. 1t
is oftentimes much more serious in
August than in September. When the
wind blows from the northeast the
icefioes, each jutting hill of ice acting
as sail, are blown away from the
shore line into the Arctic toward the
north pole. leaving clear channel
for days at time.
Changes Miraculous.
When they are from the northwest
they pack this same ice close against
the shore SO that the whole ocean
becomes practically a solid, floating
mass which no ship can get through.
The trading schooners are likely to
wait for opportune winds and break
through. A change in wind it is
miraculous difference in the surface
of the ocean in few minutes Now
there may be solid ice, the next clear,
green water. Old residents of Point
Barrow speak OF bad ice years and
good ice years" If this is nothing
worse than a bad ice year" Arctic
explorers in the Department of the
Interior point out. any worry over DR..
Smith and his party is premature
They admit. however. the possibility
of his being caught at Point Barrow
The bureau of education ship Box
er has left Nome for the school set
Elements along the coast, carrying
replacement teachers and supplies.
She is equipped with wireless and, il
she had become stuck in the ice,
would be able to communicate with
W ashlngton. Nothing has been heard
from her. She has not had time, how
ditions reported by the Bear above
kotezbue inlet. F. J. Foran, who is
an experienced Arctic explorer and
who had established a base for DR..
Smiths party at Nome, also has set
out for Point Barrow to meet them
in chartered ship Nothing has been
heard from him, although he will be
able to send word back to Nome by
wireless If he meets with any disas-
ter.
Storm Season Here.
Even if the explorers are able to
leave Point Barrow by water, their
trouble by no means will be over.
This is the season OF severe storms in
the Behring Sea The near disaster
that overlook the expedition into the
Alaskan Arctic slope last year led by
Sidney Paige still is in the minds of
Geological Survey officials here. On
the way from Point Barrow the ships
were caught in a storm. pushed
around st. Lawrence Island back
within few miles Of Nome and then
carried again helpless into the Arctic
Then the calm came suddenly and the
engineers were able to make Nome in
safety.
tensive exploration Of the lower SEQ
tions of the Meade and Colville
rivers, speaking of the expedition,
said yesterday that no worry need be
entertained for DR.. Smith, whose long
experience will At him to cope with
any emergency that may arise, due to
the unusual season. The trip last
winter over the Endicott range, he
said, was much more perilous un-
dertaking than would be the over
land trip from Point Barrow to Ia
mana, with a number of stopping
points on the way where provisions
would be obtained and any member
Of the partry who had been taken
sick placed in excellent hospitals un-
der the care of American doctors.
The Coast Guard is anxious to full
fill its mission this summer If posi-
BILE, and already has anothehr ship to
replace the Bear. The season is get
ting late, however. Coast Guard Of
fcials pointed out that the service,
operating upon a narrow margin.
often is hard pressed in an emer-
gency and must depend more than
ever upon the resourcefulness Of its
personnel.
Prizes Go to Employees Sons.
The Westinghouse Electric and
Manufacturing Company has given
scholarship prizes of $500 a year each
for four years to the sons of their
employees who won out in competi-
tive examinations. The scholarship
fund was established as a memorial