Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-07-29

that there are seals nearly everywhere
under the ice of the Arctic Sea, If only
you know how to find them. We did
know, and so always had plenty of
meat, both lean and fat, for men and
dogs, and plenty of extra seals fat to
burn in our houses for fuel and light
But as in the case of Nansen, the
troubles of my party increased when the
Summer approached BY May "a.
Mobiles day of landing on the ice years
later, 1t was getting too warm for snow
houses, and tents we're used A little
later IL began to rain and thaw water
formed on the ice We Waded knee deep
and sometimes waist deep in slush or
water over the foes. Between the foes
the leads we're wider and more frequent.
In one case we were stopped by strip
of open water that grew to be 10 miles
wide between us and the land we were
heading for, which was then a little less
than 100 miles away. This lead not only
delayed us II days. but during that time
the cake Of ice we were on drifted back
ward 30 miles. that much farther away
from land.
Escape From Prison.
This backward drift meant delay and
vexation rather than danger. For.
knowing the methHds of hunting and
living thereby, our party was prepared to
spend the Summer on the Ice II need be
and TO make our way ashore the fol-
lowing Winter when the open water and
slush froze solid again. That did not
prove necessary for the wind changed
and the ice foes became more closely
packed. 1t was possible now. with only
little danger and difficulty, to make
our way from one ice cake TO the next.
ana so We eventually got ashore on June
20, with every one of our original six
dogs still we'll and as fat as pigs.
Like Nansen's, our party landed on
an uninhabited Arctic island. Banks
Land. How We lived by hunting after
we got ashore and how we finally got
INTO communication with people is an
other story.
On May "a, 1918. five men of my same
expedition. under command OF Storker
Storkerson. found themselves more than
900 miles away from land on the same
SORT of drifting foes. Their case was a
little different in that they were not in
hurry to get ashore, for they had come
out there to spend eight months, living
ny hunting and drifting with the ice. to
see where IT was going and to study the
uepthS OF the ocean by soundings as
tney oriited. On the way out in the
cold Winter months they had been
comfortable in. snowhouses as thew
travelled with their dog teams. Bv the
new living and hunting technique thew
nad Kept their clothes dry and their
dogs we'll fed.
During the idle period of Summer
TINS party 10. @ Gumaef. Martin
kflian, L0rne Knight. August Mask
ana Storker Storkcrsonl lived on A
noe about five miles In diameter, which
they had CHOSEN because OF Its thick.
ness and consequent safety. This foe.
nke drifting island. carried them 450
miles IN six months. Then. in Octo-
Der, when the leads had begun to
freeze over they started for shore,
AFTER travelling about 300 miles from
noe 10 noe, they landed on the north
coast OF Alaska in November That
was an inhabited coast and they were
soon among people,
On these three occasions the parties
concerned had been IS, 100 and 200
miles from shore, respectively, on the
same day OF the wear when Mobiles
party landed on the ice 30 miles from
shore. Such parallelism as to dates
Is not possible in regard 10 another ex-
petition that resembled Mobiles in
some aspects more than did any of
the preceding three.
The wilkins Flight.
On March 20. 1927. George Hubert
Wilkins and Carl Ben Eielson were
flying mile high in a single-engined
monoplane through the combined dark
ness OF biiz2ard and night over the Ice
n nj
Alaska. Their fuel gave out and they
had to come down more suddenly even
than did Mobile BY chance In a
hundred. they landed safely~-it was
chance because OF the darkness. though
II would have been safe enough In
daylight, They were 80 miles from
shore and they walked that distance
To land in IL days.
wilkins knew the technique for find
ing and securing seals for food and
fuel; but this did not have to be used,
for they carried Il little gasoline that
had remained In their fuel tank. and
they had rations for two weeks They
slept comfortably Mt night, for they
knew how to build snowhouses and use
them The sledges they dragged had
been built from the wreckage Of their
plane, and many other things were Inn
proVlsed
Their luck was not always good
Twice wilkins fell in the water when
scfambling across mush Ice from foe
to hoe, This was at a temperature Of
30 degrees below zero and he went I'm
up 10 his armpits. That was uncom-
Portable, and for some days after his
clothes were not dry But they we're
not permanently wet, as Nansan's had
been, for wilkins knew how 10 dry
them eventually, and thereafter to keep
them dry
The wilkins and Mobile cases had
several parallels, but many differences
wilkins also carried q radio and with
It reported his landing, but there was
no one ashore tn Alaska who could
rome to the rescue Moreover, wilkins
had instructed against rescue opera
lions, for he thought he would he able
10 walk out In case of trouble, but
Mobile had left no such orders, The
two landings were both forced Both
parties had q certain amount OF wreck
age after landing which they could use
10 improvise gear of value Both PARTIES
knew how far away land was~-Wiikins
only by mathematical observation