New Britain herald., 1928-09-18
ALASKA shown AS
new WONDERLAND
Explorations Reveal Many Won.
derful Sights There

were revealed To-Day Oy OF. 1nOInA1
A. Jaggar in further advices to the
National Geographic Society In
Washington concerning The society's
expedition which he headed in the
Mount Pavlof Volcano area Of the
Alaska Peninsula.
The area. in its own way. the re-
ports indicate. may be as remark
able az are the now famous Valley
OF Ten Thousand Smokes. in Alaska.
and the Carlsbad Caverns. New Mex
leo. both OF which were set aside as
National Monuments after Nation
al Geographic Society expeditions
had revealed their natural nlarvels
and scenic beauty.
Lake Region Found
DR.. Jaggar wired his report to the
Society's headquarters in Washing
ton from Seattle where the expedi-
ton has just arrived in the States
after a summers adventurous ex-
ploration which disclosed huge vol
cano cones, far northern lake
country of amazing beauty, caribou,
bears. foxes and hair seals in unex-
pected numbers. and yielded valu-
able collections OF rocks, minerals,
fossils. flowers, MOSES and seaweed.
Through Pavlof Bay. at the taper
ing end of Alaska Peninsula. which
looks SO slender and small on maps
of North America. the party sailed
IS miles to the head OF Canoe Bay.
an almost landlocked body of water.
hitherto UNEMPLOYED. which DR.. Jag
gar describes as veritable baby
mediterranean" North of the Bay
to the Boring Sea. anw west of Port
Mueller. the explorers entered an
area which disclosed hundreds OF
lakes scattered among treeless
wastes and low ridges of great geo.
logic interest.
Extensive Area Mapped
The expedition mapped $500
square miles of United States domain
which hitherto has been unsurveyed,
recorded scores of physical features
hitherto unnoted. and also corrected
many details placed on older maps
from tradition and hearsay.
"Old small scale Russian maps OF
this interior are quite erroneous"
DR.. Jaegar says. "On the Boring Sea
side several bays marked and named
do not exist; the long glacier ex-
tending west from Pavlof 10 great
field Of clinker lava. Mountains are
misplaced and six lakes shown south
of Nelson's Lagoon amount to a vast
flat containing 500 lakes and ponds.
The so-called otter Bay. mentioned
on some pilot charts, is in reality
valley"
BY boat, foot and horse the party
travelled some 1900 miles. Often
they pressed on amid gales. fogs and
driving SHOWS; sometimes they came
upon valleys carpeted with the gor-
geous flowers of the Far NoNh-vio-
let's, daisies and lupines. and across
miles and miles of tundra were the
rounded pin cushions of moss,
made pink. white. blue and yellow
by clusters Of tiny flowers.
Bears and Caribou Plentiful
Animal life was far more profuse
than had been expected. The party
had been in camp at Canoe Bay
only one hour when members saw
tracks of the red fox and brown
bear. On short trip out of camp
the explorers counted ~ caritou
AM. three bears. Crossing noun
tain north of the bay the brown
bears were 50 numerous. DR.. Jag
gar noted. that Il began to wonder
whether we could get back to the
boat without stepping on a bear.
But it was on a volcano that a
dramatic capture was made OF
remarkable specimen. The bear
was skinned for mounting. and will
be presented to the Cleveland Mu-
scum of Natural History. 1t meas
ures 8 feet, 10 inches. from nose
preserved.
The caribou were in small bands.
usually from three to nine. and it
was near the inner narrows OF
Canoe Bay that a colony Of hair
seals appeared and splashed about
the boat with great unconcern.
On Canoe Bay the party encanp-
ed on a site where there was fine
claiming and on islets we're scores
of huge olive -drab gulls' eggs.
flecked with brown.
Along hundreds of miles of shore
line DR.. Jaggar employed the am
phibian boat, especially built by the
expedition. which could run along |
stony beach. penetrate the grass
flats and tundra. and take to the
water when headlands impeded its
course.
Boat That Runs on Beach
The boat was steel, equipped with |
an automobile engine and twin
screw propellers. having an enclosed
body with water-tight compartments
fore and aft. 1t carried freight. it
ms. inland trips. it conveyed fue'.
it was used to trolling and hauling
a beach seine. and by night it was
drawn up beside the tents where it
served as sleeping cabin for the
expeditions leader. 1t needed no |
harbor: 1t could run ashore in a
surf and continue on its way.
'Canoe Bay Is a glorious place"
DR.. Jaggar wires. North is fine. |
snowy volcano with its cup crater |
in full view. rugged encircling out |
liers. and sweeping wash fans lead |
ing down to the waters edge. COW
cred with dark purple tundra.
Then again no one can accur |
ately describe the panorama that |
sprad itself when the clouds lifted |
Close at hand were the exquisite. |
pencilled cones OF Pavlof Sister and |
Pavlof. both glistening with ice. In
the north face of Pavlof. the side |
toward US. mighty cash or split. !
where the whole north rim of a for
mer circular crater had fallen away |