Evening star., 1940-01-07
By John Lear,
Associated Press Star Writer.

lou zero, hardy Fl nnis1a troops are s
Russian troops.
Identification has even been started on
the MurmanSk Railway.
There, where the night is a month and
a half long and where Laplanders once
were sparsely settled, cities have sprung
up almost overnight with modern apart
ment houses, hospitals, schools and
movie theaters.
Kirovsk, built to exploit iron ore dis
coveries close to Leningrad industry
Gron came in the past far overland from
the Ukraine and the Urals), has popu-
lation of at least 10000.
Monchegorsky had one house in 1884.
Copper and nickel were found nearby.
Within few years there were 1880
people.
Murmansk had 1000 to 5000 inhabit-
ants in 1916. Today it has Ill., and
the biggest shipyard in Russia is abuild-
ing.
Iron ore reserves under the Kola
Peninsula alone are estimated at bill
lion and half tons. Two-thirds of exist
ing chemical elements have been dis
covered in this mineral-rich earth. Polar
waters are equally fruitful; large fish
canneries have been established and fur
bearing animals abound.
Fodder crops and vegetables have been
raised in spite of the cold, and milk
COWS have been bred successfully al
though reindeer is still the staple stand
by in the meat line.
Fresh flowers are always available,
even in the winter night, at the worlds
northernmost botanical garden near
Kirovsk.
A wonderland in its own right, Kola
is only the western door to far greater
realm of scientific magic-the realm
of the northern sea route administra-
ton.
The northern sea route is path
through the ice of the Arctic Ocean from
the eastern to the western tip Of Rus
sia. It is a commercial shortcut from
Murmansk to Vladivostok- $3.50 miles,
compared to the 13,000-mile route by
way of Suez and the Indian Ocean. 1t
brings Arctic ports within 18 to 20 SAIL
ing days of London and Rotterdam, and
connects the great inland waterways OF
the Oh, Yenesei and Lena, three OF the
worlds longest rivers.
Although it has achieved fame through
dramatic rescues of explorers STRANDED
on ice foes and the thrilling wanderings
of camp on a cake of ice circling the
North Pole, the Northern sea route is
strictly business proposition.
Work in the Arctic in the past has
consisted of brilliant and often disastrous
dashes for a single, spectacular objective.
This is different. Here no one filings
headlong into frozen dowhere. Moth
ing that can be planned is left to luck.
All along Russia's Arctic Ocean shore
radio stations are strung. At regular in
tervals they broadcast weather condi-
tions and ice movements, charting routes
for water caravans. Over the paths they
choose fly airplanes, spotting open water
and frozen stretch and radioing the
ships below. Then, as a last precaution,
each convoy of boats is led by one or
more icebreakers, built like sturdy
needles to pierce the Arctic pack.
At first, the objective was to make one
trip east-to-west, or west-to-east, in q
single summer season before the Ice
closed in. In 1896, IA boats did that.
Now the goal is round trip in one sea-
son. A requirement OF the third five
year plan is that the North Sea route
be made regular mode OF travel.
Progress against the ice is necessarily
slow. The Soviet's present accomplish
ments were sought in vain for centuries.
But however long it may be before regu-
lar Arctic Ocean travel comes, the North
ern sea route already has opened a
fascinating land.
Siberia, once a dreaded prison for
exiles, has been made land Of promise
for all who believe in the ultimate
triumph of Soviet Socialism.
Along a vast ice-locked frontier two
thirds the size of the United States, 233
scientific experiment stations drag new
treasures from q hitherto useless region
almost every day.
Gold, the dream of all adventurers,
has been found in the far northeast in
a lode more precious than the richest
strikes" of Alaska's heyday.
Iron has been dug out from under
the snow in tremendous amounts. So
has coal. Oil wells spout on the rim
of the polar basin. Salt has been mined.
Copper, too, and lead, zinc, tin, graphite,
mica and asbestos. Silver and platinum
have been uncovered, along with peat,
asphalt and f1ourite.
Incredible things have been made to
grow in this land Of the frozen sun.
Wheat as tall as a man. Strawberries,
planted in June, ripe and an inch
in diameter in September. Cabbages
as big as elephants heads. Vegetables
crossed to grow quickly. because the
Arctic summer is short. Apple trees