Evening star., 1924-03-23

ital and all the comforts of
modern life, several hardy.
seasoned scientists and technical ex-
perts have just cut themselves away
from any communication, even by
radio, with civilization for period
CT at least five months, while they in
wade and explore the last stronghold
Of the frozen north across the Alaska
Yukon divide, to the most northern
part of the American continent, Point
Barrow, which juts into the Arctic
ocean.
The men on this perilous expedi-
ton come within the class which
some members of Congress have a
penchant for referring to as holding
swivel-chair sinecure jobs on Uncle
Sans pay roll, and who, they say.
would starve to death but for the
salary the government pays them.
Vet here we find them hopping off,
from the outpost of civilization, for
some l.100 miles, "mushing'' their
way beside a dog-train. crossing a
previously unscaled mountain range.
back packing their canoes from one
river to another, traversing, explor-
ing and surveying an area equal to
all New England except Maine, en-
during cold 80 to 40 degrees below
zero-aud throughout all this abso-
lutely on their own resources.
These daring men who. like many
others on the government pay roll,
work not merely for their twice
monthly pay envelope but for the
4dvancement of science and the pro-
motion of human welfare and the
future greatness of this nation, have
gone into the outlands of the Arctic
circle to get geological and topo-
graphical data of the Navy's largest
petroleum reserve consisting of 35,-
400 square miles of the Alaskan ter
ritory.
DR.. Philip 5. Smith, former acting
director of the geological survey,
who has had many years experience
in Alaskan exploration, is in charge
Of the expedition and has notified
Washington headquarters that, with
a party of IL dozen men and l40
Eskimo dogs, he is proceeding into
the wilderness of snow and the
great polar desert.
Accompanying DR.. Smith are DIR.
J. 3. Mertie, another geologist, and
two engineers, 4. X. Lynt and Ger
aid Fitzgerald. Every man in this
party was selected because Of robust
physique, technical ability, previous
Arctic experience and proved ability
to endure hardshtps met in travers-
ing an unknown region and to COM
bat the rigors OF an Arctic winter
in the bleak stretches where there
Is no vegetation or possibility of
shelter except as they carry it with
them.
+ :: i; y
EOR many years the tide of civili-
cation has swept up the Yukon
valley, notably during the gold rush.
The last Ten or twelve years the
geological survey has been mapping
zones ia Alaska and pushing The i'm
penetrable north further and further
baoL until now it has made its last
stand in naval reserve No. 4.
Last year the survey covered Il
strip of territory along the head
waters of the Alatna river These
previous explorations afford a. broken
trail almost to the Arctic mountains.
Beyond those mountains all is terra
incognita-'
Another expedition last year swung
around the water front of Alaska
and made incursionS inland for as
far as $50 miles up the Meade river
from Dease inlet, which opens into
Seaufort sea.
Some idea Of the daring of these
ren and the vastness Of the open
spaces which now surround them can
be CLEANED from the fact that while
this relatively small section of land
in the extreme northwest of America
looks neglig igible on the map, Alaska
tseaf is one-fifth the size OF the
whole of the United States, and this
goal of DR.. Smiths expedition is the
last great unsurveyed area on this
continent
This is DR.. Smiths tenth annual
trip OF exploration in Alaska, where
he has canoed more thar 1,500 miles
in exploring new territory and tramp
I'D more than 5000 miles He has
mapped $4,000 square miles himself
When it Is stated that DR.. Smith
and his companions are proceeding
with the dog sleds it must not be
supposed that, bundled in furs, they
are riding comfortably over the miles
Of snow. They are "mushing" with
The sleds, helping 60 push them in
rough places and even going ahead to
break trails for the dogs. No one
rides unless he is a corpse.
DR.. Smith and DR.. Mertie, the geol-
ogists, are both men Of giant frame,
and together weigh a quarter of a
ton. Both have been on many ex-
plora6ona
This method Of travel gives a ter
rife appetite For the best success
been taken that there shall be plenty
for the men to eat DR.. Smith has
figured on having the entire party go
through the ordeal in prime physical
condition, in order that there may &c
nothing to interfere with the work
which is the underlying reason for
\ the journey, rather than any thought
pf adventurous escapade.
j At the same time it had to be TAX
zen into consideration that by the
time the party abandoned the dog
sleds on reaching the headwaters of
streams flowing toward the Arctic
ocean they would probably have to
back pack their entire equipment, in
cluding supplies, instruments and
even canoes So they will have to be
down pretty light, because they must
consider the probability of something