Evening star., 1925-10-04
BOWDOIN'S SAIL CAFF BROKEN
in SOUALL ON LABRADOR COAST
Arctic Ship Suffers First Mshap Since Running
Aground Off North Greenland, But Loss Is
Not Considered Serious IN

The Bowdoin. flagship Of the Mac.
| MILAN Arctic, expedition. has suffered
its first mishap since it ran aground
| on the uncharted coast Of northern
Greenland. While picking its way
through the tortuous island-crowded
waters off the coast Of Labrador. neal
Cape Strawberry. the gaff of the main
sail WAS broken in sharp squall. ac-
cording to radio advices reaching the
National Geographic Society.
Thanks TO the foresight of John l..
Reinartz. radio operator of the Bow
doin. who presented small short
wave radio set to a fellow fan in
Battle Harbor on the voyage North
a new stick is being trimmed at this
mission station to measureme nts
! radioSd ahead and will be ready for
| the Bowdoin on arrival.
Loss Not Serious.
The loss of the Saf1. which is the
short wooden, arm supporting the top
of the sail. is not a serious matter.
for the .Bowdoin can still proceed
under her oil engines. Sails have
been used where possible to conserve
fuel.
The incident. however. again EN-,
pha sizes the Importance of the short
wave radio set which the expedition
liams. staff correspondent Of the Ma
, tional Geographic Society with the
expedition. tells briefly of the impor.
tant part radio has played in the ex-
pedition and some Of the amusing
difficulties that have to he overcome
almost daily.
The radio MESA ces from the Bow
doin go out from a 31-foot wire amid
ships. around which hangs an invis-
lNto
thing moving within that cone inter
fefes with messages and something is
moving inside it most of the time
Whenever the damp foresail swings
to the starboard IL jabs a deep salient
into the invisible area. Every time
the ship is watered. 30 gallon.cans are
carried across the cone base
Have Intelligent Pups.
We have three Eskimo pups
aboard and one of them is intelligent
enough to know that he can warm his
back against the wire antenna. 1t
would not be so bad If he would stick
to his modern substitute for hearth
and household gods. But about the
time that a volunteer operator in
Pittsfleld or Cedar Rapids is perhaps
telling his family he has just tuned in
on the Macmillan Arctic expedition
the pup. puplike, becomes interested
in something else. and the distant
operator on land has to start his dial
turning all over again. Every time
the ships small boat goes over the
side the antenna must be disconnect
ed and some radio enthusiast in Con
necticut gets his first intima tion OF
shore leave, not by Morse code or
voice. but by the fact that coherent
signals give way to what the Max.
kovick missionary describes as two
birds whistling and man drowning
Several times a day the radio wizard
Reinartz. bolts for the companionway \
to sepei invaders from his invisible
cone. whose Significance his shipma es
are so slow to grasp.
Motor BOtherx Little.
The machinery of a compact little
ship also adds to radio problems
Strangely enough. the ship motor
though only s feet away. bothers little
But electricity Is used for everything
from keeping the icebox cool and
hoisting anchor to charging the port
| able batteries for moving picture ex
hibitions ashore at lonely mission sta
tions. The two light motors, which
! generate all our current, raise hob