The Coolidge examiner., 1934-08-10
Hopes to Open Ship Routes
Through Arctic Sea.

through Arctic Sea.
Washingtou.--A.ous the bleak
Arctlc eoasf - siberia. a; ihr muuth
% the River .Lena. the Soviet gov
eminent iA constructing the most
northeTiy port Ia the world
Though one 90 the SIX longest
rivers % Asa. being almost 1909
miles In length. the River Lena
plays minor role lu the ll'c ~ the
cou'.nsut The sparse population ~
its basin and is Ice gammed mouth
ou thr dangerous. little known Arc
tic ocr8u has prevented the Lena
from taking part ln world trade
and limited Il 90 internal com
merce, Says the National Gcosraph
ic sacie'y.
As hnaian population spreads
toward tbe Orient. however. this
uew pprI and The opening - nayi-
gallon rouses through The Arctic sea.
may mean that Lena wlll be-
come busy trade artery. through
which s.U pulse the wealth of min
erals. timher. and valuable furs Of
Central IBERIA
Rising as clear mountain tor
rvEt "a tie Ealkal mountains. the
Lena rushes uorihward between
steep. forrst-ciad Gifts ~ red sand
sioHe from 4o0 to go feet h.sh ard
t4ea between lowcr chalk cliffs gut
ted wlih innumerah,e Erostoes- At
the to@a of Nl1lm. $50 miles from
its source. Il Is Joined hy the within
river. uoted for Us gold mines.
cHh Resembles Castle.
Its volume doubled. the Lena
flows far miles through the dense
talsa. a primesni cou.ferous forest
streicalns from the Arctic circle TO
Turkestan. Through The dark wild
shruboevy run packs ot howl-
ins wolves. Flying squirrels leap
from plhe 90 pine above prowling
brown Tears. sables and ernlues.
The mOnotony of the foresied
slopes Is broken occasionally by the
nlckerinE red camp fires of hunters.
tent settlements surrounding poet.
houses. and limestone or sandstone
cliffs one series % cliffs. the "a
nous 'Colounades ~ Lena rcsem-
hles 4 castle. whose battlements of
red and green limestone strata
stretch for miles along the river.
shortly beyond the Junction with
the ractt Olekma smoke from burn
Ing coal fields i seen rising from
the banks of the Lena. These banks
were loug ago ignlted b. forest
fires. giving rise to legends of volca.
noes In central Siberia.
The Lena valley has n wealth Of
minerals. Because Its tributaries.
the Within. olekma. and vilyul. how
through a region rich Ia gold. the
Lena carries more of the precious
yellow metal In rs sands than per
haps any other river. Coal Is found
In several places along the Lena
valley. In the region OF the up
per Lena are petroleum fields and
whole mountains % salt. Near IA
kutsk are silver mines Iron and
zinc. sulphur springs bubble on the
hanks % the middle Lena. Jasper lis
found AZ Zhigansk. Platinum Is SD
abundant In the Aldan valley that
natives are reputed 70 make bullets
ont OF H.
Yakutsk is Chief City.
aYakutsk. the chief trading post of
eastern Siberia. and an important
fur market. il built on alluvial soil
about TWO miles back from the Lena
and about half way between its
source and mouth. When Ice breaks
in June. floods sweep the town.
For this reason. many houses are
built On high platforms. Yakutsk
boasts a wooden blockhouse fort
built In 1882 By Yermak. the yolga
boatman who turned pirate.
@Yakatsk has few brick Office
buildings, schools and churches. but
most OF the city Is an unprepossess-
Ing collection Of skin yurts (tents)
pitched In spaces between snow
swept l3g houses. The few muddy
streets become Quagmires when the
ground thaws. Many Of the inhab-
ltants are exiles, reindeer-riding
Tungas. who breed cattle, and the
more advanced Yakuts. who occupy
the entire length Of the Lena val
ley, farming on the fertile elevated