Evening star., 1938-03-17
By IVAN PAPANIN,

LENINGRAD. March II (N.ANA.,
(by wireless) Except for the summer
struggle with thaws and several ice
jams in the wintertime, seven months
OF comparative comfort on our ice
noe rather spoiled US.
BY January our dwelling house was
covered entirely with snow. only the
top gable slightly protruding. First we
tried to dig ourselves out, but we lacked
the strength to do so. After every bliz-
zard. therefore, we only dug steps in
the snow and hibernated.
On January 81 a furious gale blew
up. Somewhere, far away, a crack re-
sounded and reached our tent. The ice
suffered severe pressure. We held our
breaths and listened. We actually felt
sick at heart.
remember how, before our de-
parture, when still on the mainland,
the thought that we would soon re-
main alone in the white waistland, face
to face with Arctic nature, sometimes
induced a certain melancholy feeling
These feelings came unexpectedly at
various times to all Of us. Speaking
frankly, there was perhaps also a GER
tain sense Of fear. But now when the
Arctic showed itself in all its ugliness
none Of my comrades displayed the
slightest nervousness. We had feared
the Arctic only from a distance.
Fine Threads Of Cracks.
Around q circle of $50 feet every
thing was covered by a binding snow
All along the fissure blocks Of ice were
heaped up. It thundered, crashed and
rumbled. Eight hours later, it was un.
believably calm. After a close ex.
animation. we found fine threads OF
cracks in the foe. It was difficult tc
foretell that these were the lines alona
which the ice field which had served
US so long would soon break apart.
will remember forever the critical
days of February 1-8 when our enor.
nous field dwindled to a small frae.
ment. On February / the first fissure
appeared under our storehouse, the
door facing the gap. One could easily
have fallen into the bottomless stream
I smashed the roof with an ak. We
loaded our provisions and hauled it tc
the windmill, where all our rescued
property was stacked. The velocity Of
the wind rose to 10 feet per second
We had barely removed the stores
when crack appeared under our
dwelling tent. No one despaired. We
pitched silk tents near the windmill
for our dwelling and our radio sta
ton. Provisions from our second
storehouse, which was in process OF
being cut of by new assures, were
hurriedly removed to the center Of the
noe.
Another Trial.
The gale of February 8 was an
other big trial The wind was so
powerful it overturned all our loaded
sledges. Both the silk tents were
blown down and torn to shreds. All
our lanterns were extinguished. Our
electric flashlights penetrated only
into wild tempest Of whirling snow.
Rumbling, cracking noises resounded,
and our dwindled ice camp split along
new assures. We hadn't q chance to
seek shelter. We began building ig-
loos from snow blocks In q terrifying
clustering wind. We missed our large
dwelling tent. which had become COM
pletely submerged. Our new foe was
so tiny that we were compelled to
establish our radio mast on a neigh
boring field. We could have remained
three months longer If the icebreak-
ers Murman and Taimyr had not
reached us February 10.
(copyrigh.. 1888. by the North Amerie Ia
Newspaper Alliance, Inc.)