Evening star., 1924-09-21
ALASKA EXPLORERS
QUIT POINT BARROW
Geological Survey Party in
Arctic Was Believed to
Have Been Marooned.

DR.. Philip S. Smith of the Geologi-
cal Survey and party of three
Washington engineers who were be-
lieved marooned at Point Barrow, on
the Arctic coast of Alaska, have
started in canoes up the Yukon River
to Nanana, the northernmost point of
the Alaskan railroad, according to
word received yesterday at the Geo
logical Survey offices here.
DIR. Smith, J. b. Mertie, r. X. Lynt
and Gerald Fitzgerald, who entered
the Colville River basin early in the
! Spring after sensational dog sled
journey over the Arctic mountain
range, drifted down the stream to
Point Barrow, the most northernly
point under the Stars and Stripes, ar
irving early in September. Just how
they reached the mouth of the Yukon
from this village was not explained
in the brief message received here.
1t is thought probable that they were
picked up by some whaler that had
got through the abnormal ice along
the coast this Summer
The trip up the Yukon. a distance
of about 500 miles. will insure their
return to Washington late next
month Once the explorers reach
Nanana they will travel the re-
mainder of the distance to Seward,
States, with all the conveniences of
civilization.
Most Complete Ever Made.
The exploration this Summer has
been the most complete ever made
or this extensive and practically un-
known territory of Uncle Sam, a
barren land given over to scrub will
lows slopinG from the mountains to
the Arctic coast
A second Geological Survey party
now in the same region. has not been
heard from. This party. under COM
mand of William T. Foran, reversed
the procedure of DIR. Smith and en-
tered the territory from Point Bar
row. intending to return overland.
They started in July, intending to
explore the short kuk River. Upon
the completion of this work they
Utunka River and come out at kotze-
bue, on Kotzebue Inlet, there to wait
transportation to Nome. They were
TO take their chances on a ship ar
irving at kotzebue. 1t was near here
that the L. s. Coast Guard cutter
Bear was crushed in the ice this Sum-
mer, and ice conditions still are re-
garded as the worst known for years.
Explore New Areas
Several little known areas of Alas
ka have been explored this Summer
by Geological Survey parties None
of these expeditions has reached the
coast. but all are expected back in
Washington some time in October A
detailed Typographical survey has
been made of the Hyder district, in
southeastern Alaska, by r. NJ Will
son. a Typographical engineer. A. F.
Buddington, geologist, is investigat-
ing the geology and mineral re-
sources of the Ketchikan, Wrangel
and Juneau districts. F. H. Moffit is
studying the geology and copper re-
sources of Prince William Sound, while
5. r. Capps and Kenneth Landes are
making supplementary investigation
of the Matanushka coal fields. w. r.
Smith and Ernest Roschen are study
ing the oil resources of the Cold Bay
region.
There has long been an hiatus be-
tween the mapped area of the Mount
Mckinley region and the Iditarod-
kushokwin region. r. H Gargent,
typographical engineer, will in part
fill up this gap by carrying a survey
from McGrath to Lake Minohumna.