The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-12-02
BY NINA NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
Written for the United Pressl
TASPRA, CRIMEA Dec

~
Written for the United Press,
CASPRA, CRIMEA. Der
- Resting under the hot sun
10 the roar Of the kind sea. I want
10 tell you about months spent
near the north pole.
Deep polar night holds SWAY
there at this moment. AuroraS
are flashing through the skies.
storms rage, thick fogs creep from
the windows" of free water in
the ice, or they reflect the outlines
OIL lcebergs; fairy world bewitched
by moonlight.
In the polar night the hour is
not like an hour, the day not like
day. On such moonlit nights it
was nice TO go out alone on skis
10 the cupola of icebergs.
once, while studying snow for
nations, fell into a crevice and
from there I could see the stars
through network of ice crystals
formed on the TANKS of the ice
bergs.
And in February when the polar
DAY started burning, the sun GEN
erously scattered colors every
where. Masses of snow crashed
down from the ranges, revealing
the lcebergs.
Then l watched the ice packs,
which told me the story of their
many centuries accumulation. The
annual layers are uneven. A DOW
erful and clean layer speaks of
that years low temperatures; dirty
thin ones speak of years of in
tensive thaw. The alienation of
layers is regular, as if planned.
The periods range from seven to
twelve years.
1T is interesting that in central
Il Asia, where I used to work, the
water arteries fed by icebergs dill
fer in their yearly yield of water
in the limits of the same seven
to twelve years period.
Snow reacts to the wind almost
In the same way as sand, forming
the same sort Of landscape. So,
when was sliding over the snow
on skis, in a 30-degree frost, the
yellow burning velvet chains of the
southern deserts seemed to stand
before me-deserts of white sand.
met a female polar bear with
two cubs. We looked one another
in the eyes-and went on in differ
ent directions.
Another time during the two
hours of my absence from camp
the bears destroyed the tent; broke
the food boxes. 1 found my torn
clothes on the icebergs and the
guns about a kilometer from
camp.
Making observations of the life
of birds, I fell through the ice.
The temperature of the air was %
below zero. While I walked the
two kilometers to the station my
clothes became entirely frozen.
But after this ice bath I was lucky
enough to escape without so much
as a sneeze.
DUT our station knew bad times
ID often enough. There was the
occasion when both the doctor and
the radio operators Essential per-
sons in a polar colony were sick
simultaneously with violent form
of cold.
Then there were the times when
in the middle of the night, with
out any apparent reason, the dogs
suddenly would fall i'll and die with
signs of hydrophobia. The pup
pies would die in the same offhand
way. The world of bacteria in these
ATTITUDES is mysterious and not well
enough studied.
The floating ice brings great
diScomfortS into polar work.
Ice is a treacherous element. 1t
suddenly surrounds your sloop with
the intention of grinding you to
powder. It is particularly bad when
this happens in fog. The float
ing ice almost buried five of us in
the British channel during our last
trip to Ketlitz island. But we got
away with only the loss or motor.
TOR a "tenderfoot,' work in the
Il north is difficult. You can
lose your life with any step you
make. But with experience the
dangers disappear.
In the spring used to go on
excursions alone, in small sloop,
and 1 succeeded in finding my way
among the icebergs which pressed
upon me from all sides, as easily
as a good fox-trot dancer picks his
way among tables on restaurant
floor.
Hourly Temperatures