Evening star., 1942-08-04
Of Stors, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress
In Laboratory, Field
And Study
By Thomas r. Henry.

| By Thomas r. Henry
A few weeks ago Attu Island, nearest
spot to Asia under the American flag,
was only name on the map.
Today 1t has become a vital spot In
the defense of the North American
| continent.
According to experts of the Smith
sonian Institution, who have studied its
geology, fauna and flora, 1t constitutes
the westernmost island of the Aleutian
archipelago, curved chain of lofty
mountains more than $4,000 feet high,
only the SUBMITS of which rise above
the level OF the sea. In fairly recent
geological times the ocean level was
much lower and there was a nearly con-
tmuous strip of land joining Alaska and
Siberia.
The present climatic conditions on
Attu are rigorous the average summer
temperature being only about SO degrees,
with maximum of 66. Winter tempera-
lures, however, are not excessively low,
the average being about IL degrees F.
One of the rainiest spots on earth-the
island has yearly humidity average
OF about 80 per cent. The mountains
are enveloped in almost perpetual fog.
There may be $50 rainy days year and
as few as wholly clear days In the
toi inc
winds are much more severe.
Under these conditions, say Smthso-
nian botanists, it would be expected that
the plant cover would be sparse. There
are no trees on any of the Aleutians.
except for few planted spruce trees at
Dutch Harbor. This makes the problem
OF firewood complicated and building
possibilities limited.
Most OF Attu Island is covered with a
monotonous heath consisting chiefly of
c1oWberries In the valleys, where plants
are protected from the winds in winter
by heavy snow cover, there are mea-
doWs where are found many plants IA
mlllar in mountain meadows of the
continental United States, such as lark
spurs, violets, anemones and butterc,1ps,
In these valleys underground streams
are common. They sometimes are sep
arated from the surface by only a thin
crust and people have been known to
break through.
Attu Island naturally is very sparsely
inhabited. The small population subsists
entirely by fishing. They are no large
mammals except whales Some foxes
and rats live there. Ravens and eagles
are common, as we'll as various water
fowl There are no ants or butterflies.
Bees are few, but flies often are abun-
dant and sometimes are an almost in
tolerable nuisance.
Due to the short growing season and
low temperature, and especially because
OF the prevalent summer fogs. the region
Is not suitable for agriculture. The most
important food plant is kind of lily
which grows on most of the Aleutians.
IL Is called the "sarana," and Sarana
Bay. one of the most important harbors
on Attu, takes its name from this plant.
The bulbs Of the sarana lily are about
the size of garlic cloves. When roasted
In embers, they take the place of bread
better than anything else the country
affords After they are baked in an
oven and pounded they make an ac-
ceptable substitute for flour. In this
form they are mixed in all the native
soups and in most other dishes as well.
Capt. James Cook, who visited the
Aleutlans in 1778, wrote that these bulbs
were. rather tasty and that they could be
eaten every day without cloying the
appetite
The stems of some kinds of docks are
cooked and eaten like rhubarb. Young
Stalks OF the cow parsnip, a familiar
plant through most of the United States,
are eaten raw much like celery.
Native fruits are restricted to various
KINDS OF blackberries, whortleberries,
croWberries and cranberries. Tea is made
from geranium leaves and from the
plant commonly known as Labrador
tea"
Russlas kazaks-or Cossacks as they
are known outside the Russian-speaking
world-constitute a historic, but not a
racial, entity within the Soviet Union.
This is the conclusion of DR.. Ales
Hrdlicka, curator Of physical anthro-
pology of the Smithsonian Institution, in
bulletin on the racial backgrounds of
the Russian peoples.
The term "Kazak," DR.. Hrdlicka saws.
Is OF Tatar derivation and signif1ed IAN
armed freebooter" In Turkish a similar
language, it means "a light-armed,
mounted soldier" The word was used by
the Tatars to signify a variety of light
cavalry before it became used by the
Russians for similar troops formed along
the southern boundaries of their country.
These horsemen became the privileged,
lifelong and hereditary defenders of
these boundaries. Owing to their prowess
both as horsemen and fighters, the term
"kazak" in the course of time became
surrounded, even in Russia ITSELF with
semi-romantic and heroic halo.
The original "Kazaks" of the 14th to
the 10th centuries were in the main of