The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1926-03-05
FLYERS TOSEEK
AIR route over
TOP OF WORLD
Real Reason Back of Seven
Expeditions Told by
Stefansson.
III Tinlea Specinl

In Times Special
NEW YORK, March 5.-Three rea-
sons why seven expeditions are hur-
rying into the arctic this spring
racing toward the uneXplored anu
frozen wastes around the top Of the
,vorld-have been outlined by VilhJal-
mar Stefanson, who commanded the
canadian arctic expedition of 1915
1917.
The explorers of 1926 are not seek
ing the north pole, but spot more
inaccessible to man. Their objective
lies at "a N. 100 w, and is known
among scientists as the pole OF rela-
i've inaccessibility. In other words
this spot is the center of uneXplored
arctic ice fields. 1t lies on a direct
line between western Alaska ana the
north pole.
The Lure
That is one reason-the lure OF the
,nattainable - Stefansson explained
as he lolled in tweeds on a stu1ted
divan at the Harvard Club ana Wis
ualized. with the far-away look IN
his ewes that is characteristic OF eX-
nlorers. the hardships and dangers
that lie ahead of his fellows in the
frozen north.
1.-THE second reason is to discover
new land" continued Stefansson.
But not a new continent. There
is no continent there. AS we'll try
to find a cow in a canary's sage.
Land there may be, with grass
that can be converted into beef ana
minerals beneath the ground. But 1t
will he an island that is found--noth-
ing large enough to warrant the
name of continent"
The Third Reason
There is a third reason, more I'M
nortant than either of the Others
the explorer said.
1.-THE chief reason is to demon
strate the existence of a short com
mercial air route over the top OF the
Globe" Stefansson explained.
1.-THE man who succeeds in doing
this will have done as much for
trade with the Orient as Magellan
did. The new way to the East lies
over the top of the world-it merely
remains for man to demonstrate
this.
"To claim that there are danger"
involved is to eXaggerate. To say
that an airplane can fly across the
Atlantic and not the Arctic IS just
as ridiculous as to say that a ma
chine can fly to Chicago, but not
half way there
probably the first party to fly
across the top of the world will
swing around by way of the North
Pole Just for the public interest
that such a stunt will arouse" he
said. "But Capt. George wilkins,
commanding the Detroit Arctic eX-
pedition which already has started
told me that if a miscalculation
hould lead him towards the pole he
g.ould turn aside and avoid it.
"Since Peary discovered the North
Pole seventeen years ago, scientific
explorers have not been interested
in reaching it. That is DONE and
they turn to something harder, the
discovery of this inaccessible bit of
territory amidst the broken ice Fields
between Alaska and the pole"
Stefansson explained that Attic
expeditions now preferred cold
weather to the warmth of summer.
Floating Ice
when the frost congeals over the
pen water, progress can be made
with dog sleds." he explained. ut
S the broken fields of floating ice
hat present the greatest difficult
les"
The Detroit expedition, which al
lady has started, plans to fly from
ONT Barrow April Is, using a cou-
de of F'okker monoplanes with three
Wright 'whirlwind" engines in each.
Two other expeditions will fly in
May, the Ellsworth-Amund di-