Evening star., 1927-04-12
WILKINS AND PILOT
I LOST TWO WEEKS
Alaskan Explorers Have Been
100 Miles From Nearest
Human Beings.
BY PHIL ID. STONG

NEW YORK. April 12.-For two
weeks Capt. George Hubert Wilkins
end his pilot. Ben Ellison, have been
Zoe miles from the nearest human be-
1ngs. in the midst of a desert of ice.
weaponed against the deadly arma-
ment of arctic nature with only a
few pounds of food, coverings and
hunting equipment.
on Tuesday, March % they set out
from Point Barrow. Alaska, in the
biplane Detroit News No ! 10 search
for undiscovered land in the Arctic
Vhirty-four hours later they radioed
shat their plane was down on the ice,
100 miles from shore, Nith engine
trouble.
Their last message. received on the
following Friday, said only. Engine
trouble.
Yet wilkins frieDds and fellow ex-
plorers Comdr. RiChard Byrd and
Nilhjalmur StefaDsson. express their
anxiety only for the future progress
of the expedition-they have no fears
for the explorer
Gives Rason for Anxiety.
Il am distressed" says Comdr.
Byrd not because | am apprehensive
about his safe return. but due to the
possibility that his mischance may in
terfere with his exploration mission.
Il llnd a talk with Wilkins in Seat
tle ju4t before lie left the United
States for Alaska, and the last thing
he sid to me was: I want to say with
q great deal of emphasis that in case
| come down, l do not want you or
anyone TO come after me-
wilkins had absolute faith in his
ability to get back to civilization in
case of a forced landing on the ice.
e he were far from land. he thought
). might take year or two for him
20 return.
- have always considered that
wilkins is ideally equipped for polar
exploration by airplane, due TO his
knowledge of the Arctic, his knowledge
e navigation and his knowledge Of
y-gazg. Stefansson has proved that
- .an fve on the ice in that region,
aud he has told me a number of times
he would not be apprehensive if
Wilkins should come down in the
Polar Sea-
Time Required for Trip.
If WilkiI.s has started TO walk to
Point Barrow. as his prolonged 81
lence seems TO indicate, it is highly
probably that he will reach there in
time to continue his search for land.
Ten to twenty days" is Vilhjalmur
Stefansson's estimate Of the time re-
quired TO cover 100 miles in the Arc
tic, but considerably more if luck is
against him and he has continually
10 walk around open leads of water |
which may be miles long.
He may see these leads split out
almost before his feet. making
weeks walk or what would have been
only dozen steps the moment before. |
Or he may have to retreat before !
great ridges of ice thrown up by the |
grinding currents, flinging tons of ice |
toward him and opening treacherous |
canyons in their rugged walls.
But that he viii return eventually /
none Of his friends doubt AS for the |
blizzard which ragged over him for a /
week Nilhjalmur Stefansson said only |
that it would probably interfere with |
the work of his plane. Wilkins knows |
how to shelter himself against the eli |
matte rigors of a country where 20 /
degrees below zero is moderate
weather Melted snow viii furnish
him wa. Ter and one seal will supply
food heat and mukluks (noccasinsl
for many miles Of the journey.
FOresee Possible Dangers.
The trip will not be in the nature
of a Sunday afternoon hike, of course. +
At worst, Wilkins and Ellison might
not survive it: at best they Will have
an ardous, difficult trek, beset by
dangers and hardships.
These latter are not strange to !,
either man., and Wilkins is not likely |
TO mind them so much as the delay |
in continuing with his flights.
wilkins is a conscientious explor- |
er," says Byrd, 'and he puts the sci |
entific results obtained ahead of his |
personal gain or welfare"
Billiards and bad ice will mean |
something to him as physical discom-
forts, naturally, but they will mean /
more to him as they rob him of pre-
cious flying days before the veil of |
fogs is drawn over the Arctic late in
May
Copyright. 1927, by North American
Newspaper Alliance