The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1926-04-30
POLAR EXPEDITIONS
WELL WORTH WHILE
Organizer Of Arctic Parties
Defends Projects.

New Decentralization for the ]
risk and. expenditure Of money In
vOlved In three American Arctic ex-
petitions last summer was given By
Robert Anderson Pope, organizer OF
the Al-American Alumni Arctic expe- !
dltiOn. his outfit will be commanded
by Lieut.. Leigh Wade, assisted by
Lieut.. II. ii. ogden, both OF whom are
rOund-the-WOrld flyers.
All three expeditions win attempt to
locate and claim for the United States
a large body OF land believed to lie
north OF Alaska and eastern Siberia,
spoken Of by the explorers as "a new
polar continent" The National Geo
graphic society estimates that this
land comprises about 100000 square
miles.
Natives of the northern Alaskan and
Siberian coasts long have been cOn
WINGED that land lay to the nOrthWard,
explains Mr.. Pope. They base their
belief chiefly upon the nOrtherly flight
Of birds in the spring, just before
nesting season. Some scientists think
the birds fly clear across the pole to
S~pitzbergen and Franz Joseph land,
but the majority think they would not
be likely to attempt such a long fight
at the beginning OF the nesting season.
Resting Place Near BY.
e. w. Nelson, chief Of the bureau
OF biological survey Of the United
States Department OF Agriculture, re-
called the evidence Of Captain Hooker
OF the COrwin, in 1881, who found in
Vulnerable fresh tracks Of Wild geese
on Wrangell island, but not a sign Of
the geese themselves, indicating e tenn
pOrary stopping place.
Capt. John keenan, OF Troy, N. z,
cruising the Beautiful sea, north Of the
Alaskan shore, In search Of whales In
the seventies, offered more substantial
evidence. After taking several
whales the weather became thick and
he stood to the north. When the fog
lifted land to the north was e dis
tinctly by him and all the members Of
his crew.
Peary, on his unsuccessful attempt
to reach the pole in 1905, reported
that he sighted land to the northwest
OF Grant Land. Observing from an
elevation OF about 1000 feet, he could
see land at q great distance, which he
named Croker Land. Further north
between ATTITUDES 85h and 81 degrees,
almost at the pole, he found bear and
fox tracks, indicating that land was
not a great distance away.
Tidal Movement
The late r. A. Harris Of the United
States coast and geodetic survey Of
fered what the explorers believe to bC
far more substantial information. Mr.
Harris claimed that virtually all the
tidal movement at the pole depends
upon pressure from the tides Of thu
north Atlantic ocean entering the cir
cumpolar seas between Greenland ant
Spitzbergen.
II there were no obstruction tn
tides at Bennett island, north Of tn
Siberian coast, would be the same a
at Point Barrow, he said. But tn
tides of Bennett island rise aQd fal
On feet, while of Point Barrow ther
is a tide Of only O4 foot. Mr.. Hal
rls held this to be proof positive thu
there is some great obstruction arOUn
which the tides must flow. FUrthC
evidence Of land was furnished By II
dicatiOns that the Beaufort sea vii
tually is closed in to the north an
eastward. Ice does not drift freely
the northward. 1t seems to be caugl
in a pocket, and is Of Femarkabl
thickness and age. Northeast wind
will drive the ice to the westwaru
but there is little or no movement
the ice when the wind blows from Il
west.