Evening star., 1937-05-22

rents, measure the depth of the sea
and study any plant or animal life.
Radio Is vital to the success of our
plan because the airplanes which will
fly the region in the future-even to
America-will be able to orient them
selves by it and receive weather ie-
ports
The radio station to be set up will
have 70 watts power and will be
equipped to operate on both short and
long waves. Amateur operators all
over the world are expected to be able
to communicate with the new settle
ment at the North Pole
The station will be centered abou.
8 little black, fur-lined hut, 10 feet
long and 6 feet 912 inches wide,
equipped with many of the comforts
Of home.
The four men will have 48 different
kinds OF food, including concentrated
meat from 5000 chickens, concentrat-
ed eggs, milk and sausage.
Over heavy Woolen underwear, they
will wear shirts of reindeer fur, wolf
for stockings and fur trousers.
No effort will be made by the
quartet to keep the some 1000 miles
OF ice foe that will be their yard"
anchored to the pole.
They plan to let it drift as it will,
making their observations over as large
region as possible.
Route Long Considered.
The observations were expected to
determine the feasibility of the air
route from Moscow to San Francisco
by way of the North Pole, a project
that has been seriously discussed by
Soviet aviators and scientists for some
time.
Such an air route presumably would
lie slightly northeast from Moscow to
Rudolf Island and from there in a
straight course over the pole to San
Francisco.
The distance from Moscow to the
North Pole is about 1000 miles; from
the Pole to San Francisco Is about
5000 miles.
The present base at Rudolf Island Is
approximately 1900 miles airwise from
the Soviet capital.
DIR. Schmidt's expedition made the
$50 miles from Rudolf Island to the
Pole in five hours and As minutes,
| circling over the earth's axis at 11:lO
am. Rudolf Island time approximate
y 2:l0 am. Eastern standard time
Friday. After Is minutes of looking
Tor suitable landing place, the plane
was brought to rest.
DR.. Schmidt became known as an
explorer in 1923 when he was q men,
Der OF the Soviet German expedition
which mapped a large glacier In
Northwest Pamir, West Central Asie.
In 1929 he was aboard the ice
breaker Sedoh with the research party
that built permanent scientific sta
ton in Franz-Josef Land in the Arctic
and in 1880 he made voyage to No.
vaya Zemlya in the same region of
the Arctic Circle, discovering q num-
ber of islands, one Of which was named
in his honor.
DR.. Schmidt was head of the almost
disastrous Bering Strait expedition
aboard the icebreaker Cheliuskin in
1884 when his vessel was caught IN
the ice for five months before being
crushed of Kamchatka.
He supervised the abandonment OF
the ship and maintained discipline
despite hardships until Soviet aviators
picked more than 100 survivors OF the
ice in one Of the sagas Of modern avia-
ton.
All four members Of the Winterine
expedition are Arctic veterans, al
though the youngest is but ~ years
old.
Papanin, who was born in 1894
served in the World War with the i'm
perial Russian feet and was the leader
Of the feet mutiny in Leningrad.
Later he became military commissal
and helped organize the Cheka or &C.
cret police. Afterward, he turned tc
scientific work and was first manage,
Of the polar station In Ftanz-Jose1
Land.
Krenkel, II Of vhose a years haye