Evening star., 1944-11-24

skis on pocket handkerchief.
They tell you up here that Fish
Hassell can drive q dog team, bulk
an igloo or keep a gang Of weather
bound travellers chuckling at hi
anecdotes through the longes
Arctic night.
Back In September, 1927, Fisf
Hassell and the late Shorty Cramer
who lost his life over the Atlantic II
1888. raised enough money to outfi1
q Stinson Detrciter named '"Tht
Greater Rockford" for a projected
fight to Sweden.
Nobody would believe us wf1er
we told them we wanted to 60 tc
Sweden from Rockford the shortest
way-that is, via Labrador anc
Greenland" Col. Hassell said, "They
said we were bushed. We drew maps
for them on tablecloths and wrap
ping paper and we argued until ouI
tongues were tapped out.
so finally we just took off
wanted to see my grandfather
home town In Sweden anyhow"
The two reached Labrador by way
of Cochran, Ontario, and struck out
for Greenland, where tiny landing
strip had been cleared for them on
the west coast near the Arctic Circle
by meteorologists and geologists in
the party of DR.. Herbert Hobbs OF
the University OF Michigan.
Flew Into Dead End" Fjord.
Fish and Shorty sighted the
mountains Of Greenland's rugged
coast at almost the point they were
aiming for, but they failed to rec
ognize the headlands and flew into
a deep ford which twisted into the
interior and turned out to be a blind
alley.
Shorty Cramer figured they were
south of their objective SO they
circled out of the fjord and headed
north across the icecap with the
gasoline running low. When their
engine coughed out there was
nothing below them but field of Ice
and snow. The coastal rim was no.
where in sight.
The two landed safely and Fish
said.
We'll, Shorty. this is the icecar
we've been reading about. Do We
hold the funeral here or start
walking?"
They started walking and they
walked for two weeks. They had a
compass and emergency rations and
they hit DR.. Hobbs camp on the
jagged coast by rare good luck along
with solid headwork. They were
among the first of a very few
white men to walk of the icecap.
"Of course. the Eskimos could
walk of If they want to-" Fish
said, "but they don't 60 UP there
in the first place--they'vc got toe
much sense"
Expects Broad Development.
Col. Hassell believes that the re.
sources OF Labrador, Greenland anc
Iceland will be developed by all
commerce, and that the safest
shortest and most logical air rout.
between North America and Europ.
lies in this direction. He believed Il
when he and Shorty Cramer tool
their long, cold walk, and he still
believes 1t now that thousands O
planes are crossing with a casualty
rate lower than that of motor trafdi
In the States.
Where are our young people Il
explore or open up new frontiers,
he asked, unless they come North
I've been up here three years OF
this last stretch and if I dom
know what I'm talking about by thi
time I never will"
The colonel learned to fly in 19l:
and year later was forced dow
in Lake Michigan, just of shor,
from the country estate Of a famou
Chicago publisher. The publisher,
gardener padded out and haule.
the colonel from the lake. A re
porter quoted the gardener as say
ing that when he padded alongsid
the crazy flyer he was swimming
like fish"
The next time the colonel saw hi
fellow pilots they shouted In unison
Hello, Fish,"
And Fish" It's been for 30 year
now, even to buck privates on tlai
post who know the colonel is neve
too busy to listen to their trouble
at any hour of the day or night.
I'm Fish to you," the colone
says, unless you want me to cal
yr,1 sMistar'u