The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-01-15
l1Oo Workers Are Hurt When Bronx Elevated Train C
Why Krassin Expedition Succeeded

The Daily Worker prints here
with the following account of the
exploits of the Soviet ice-breaker
"krassin" in the rescue of men,
bers of the Italia crew.
1t is still premature to write an
exhaustive report of the activities
of the "Krassin" expedition. For
aside from that aspect of the &C
tivities of the expedition which at
tracted general attention-the as
sistance given to the Mobile expedi-
ton and the search for Amundsen
and Guilbeaux--it had also under
taken other tasks of a purely scien-
tific character. l am not bold enough
to assert that the results of the
scientific investigations-in-as-far as
the direct task of the rescue work
permitted such investigations-are
of great interest. However, the
scientific material will have to be
subjected to a long and careful
study. Then only will it be possible
to estimate properly the final re-
suits of the activities of our expedi-
ton in their entirety.
1t may be said without exaggera-
ton that the entire world was
amazed by the overwhelming success
of the "Krassin" expedition. The
same ship about whose sailing and
further movements only the scan
tiest news was being published, i'm
mediately won the attention of the
press the world over, which up to
that time was occupied with de-
tailed description of all expeditions
with the exception of the one under
taken by the Soviet ice-breaker
"Krassin."
How, then, is to be explained the
success Of the Soviet expedition
which was entirely unexpected as
far as Western Europe and America
were concerned, but of which we
were confident from the very begin
ming of the expedition?
First of all we had started out
with the firm determination to
achieve the rescue of the Inflated
Italians in the shortest possible and
in the most practicable way. Hav-
ing set to ourselves that task we
approached its execution in a scien-
tific way. We did not have to study
anew the conditions under which
work is to be conducted in the Arc
tic. The experience of many Polar
explorations was behind us, and an
exact knowledge of the meteorologi-
cal factors, of the condition and the
movement of the ice floes, of the
currents, etc., made us perceive i'm
mediately that the execution of the
task in hand, i.e., the rescue of the
Italian expedition, required a pow
erful ice-breaker which alone would
be able to overcome the icy barrier
unsurmountable to all the other
ships. The ice-breaker was to be
assisted by an airplane with a suf-
ficient radius of activity; the air
plane being the eye of the expedi-
ton.
1t was exceedingly important to
select the right route which was
outlined with great exactness, due
to the familiarity with all the pre-
ceding Polar expeditions, of which,
by the way, not single one used
ice-breakers. The only precedent in
this respect was for us the journey
of the Soviet ice-breaker "Yermak,"
north of Spitsbergen. And, indeed,
Makarov's northern trip was for us
a splendid example.
We had correctly decided upon
the western route which meant that
the attempt was to be made to reach
the Italian group from the west and
the north of Spitsbergen. But when
venturing upon our rather difficult
trip, though we had a infinitely elab-
Grated plan, we were considering the
probability, and even absolute posi-
5ility, of a number of unexpected
occurrences and those grave OBJ
stacles which the elements present
in the North and which might be
overcome only with the aid of ex-
per'ence, patience, prudent courage
and presence of mind.
For that purpose it was necessary
to be provided with a personnel that
was irrepl oachable and highly quail
flied. 1t will be no boasting if we
say that the personnel of the ex-
redition fully came up to the re-
ou'rements of the task; both the
commanding staff and the crew con-
sisted of selected sailors who had an
exceptionally rich and unique ex-
perience of sailing or ice-breakers
in the midst Of urending icy wastes.
1t is hardly necessary to speak
OF the lersonne! and the activity of
our aviation group-it has won the
admiration CT the CT tir, world.
However, the decisive fact or deter
mining the success of every expedi-
tion, and in particular Of a Polar
expedition, is the unity # purpose,
the coordination of activities Of all
parts Of the expedition. Fully con-
scious of the Importance of all these
elements. and owing to the spirit of
the entire personnel Of the expedi-