Scientist Describes Terrible Struggle
For Existence On Floating Ice Island
By Jack Ryan
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
FAIRBANKS, (/P) — A scientist
who spent nearly two weeks near
the North Pale described here
Monday the terrible struggle
% waged against hurricane - force
winds and bitter cold that froze
kerosene solid.
The Norwegian - born scientist,
Dr. Kaare Rodahl, was a member
of the original three - man Air
Force party that landed on an ice
island near the pole to set up a
semi-permanent weather observa
tion station.
* He said that during the first
week of their stay, the isand was
lashed by hundred mile winds.
The temperature was lower than
60 degrees below zero.
Dr. Rodahl said the three men
first dug into the snow to deter
mine the nature of the ice on
which they were to establish their
camp.
“When we removed about three
feet of snow,” he said,” he said,
we came to porous ice and then
dirt. When we removed the dirt
we came to clear, blue, glacier
ice. That was as solid as a rock.
Then we knew our island was
safe.”
The men immediately set to
work building a shelter of blocks
carved from frozen snow. A can
vas tarpaulin was used for a roof.
The canvas was supported by
fuel drums piled up inside the
structure.
“We were hampered by tem
peratures which we estimated as
being in the 60s below zero, or
colder,” Dr. Rodahl said. “We had
no thermometer, but our kerosene
froze solid when we tried to pour
it into a frigid stove. A bottle of
whisky the plane crew threw us
also froze. That would make it
colder than 60 below.”
On the fourth day of the stay
on the island, a sudden gale
sprang up within a period of 30
minutes. The wind grew in vel
ocity until it reached a force of
70 miles an hour with gusts up
to 100, Dr. Rodahl said. Powdery
snow whipped up by the wind
reduced visibility to zero.
The ice island is about five
miles long, eight miles wide and
200 feet thick in places but it
“jerked and twisted as the ice
pack battered it from all sides,”
the scientist said.
“Above the roar of the gale,
MEET YOU AT THE
BERING
SEA CLUB
for
BREAKFAST
6:00 to 11:00 p.m.
LUNCH
11:00 to 2:00 p.m.
DINNER
5:00 to 8:00 p.m.
8:00 to midnight
a la Carte
V • .
we could hear the pack grinding
and roaring around our island.
As pressure on the ice built up
under the force of the wind, loud
noises that sounded like cannon
fire came from the ice floes.”
The men could do nothing, he
said, but crawl into their newly
built shelter and cling to the can
vas roof to keep it from blowing
away.
The storm subsided in about
24 hours and the men resumed
work on their shelter. They now
have completed four snow-block
buildings roofed with canvas.
Tunnels connect the four rooms.
Tenth Rescue Squadron planes,
flying a 2,500-mile “milk run”
from Alaska, supplied the island
with tons of stores and equipment,
j
including 90 days rations, a gen
erating plant, radio transmitting
equipment to send out weather
information and a snow weasel.
Dr. Rodahl said the ice island
is drifting at the rate of about one
mile per hour in the polar sea.
EASTER CONCERT SUNDAY
AT METHODIST CHURCH
The annual Easter Concert by
the Senior Choir of the Commu
nity Methodist Church will be
presented on Easter evening at
7:30.
Mrs. William Cameron will dir
ect the choir in singing nine an
thems, and the congregation will
sing with the choir in the opening
processional hymn. “Holy, Holy,
Holy.”
The Masonic Organization will
attend in a group.
Mouse Visits Canadian
House of Commons
OTTAWA, (/P) — A mouse in
vaded the House Monday night—
Canada’s House of Commons, that
is.
George Drew, Progressive Con
servative leader, was addressing
Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent
on a technical point of procedure
when the mouse began running
around his feet.
Drew stopped momentarily,
looked down, then continued.
Laughter broke out among
members as the mouse scurried
among the seats.
“It’s a Liberal,” shouted one
opposition member.
The little invader was chased
into the corridors and killed by
a page boy.
Costello Sentenced To
18 Months In Prison
NEW YORK, (/P) — Gambler
Frank Costello was fined $5,000
and sentenced to 18 months in
prison Tuesday for refusing to
testify before the Senate Crime
Investigating Committee.
Sentence was pronounced by
Federal Judge Sylvester J. Ryan
who* denied Costello’s last minute
effort to obtain a mistrial.
The sentence would be served
in a federal prison. It would be
the first time Costello, with a long
career as a rackets boss, has
served time behind bars since
1915, when he spent 10 months in
jail for carrying a gun.
JOHN E. PROUTY
Public Accountant
Public Stenographer
Management Consultant
Box 336 Ncme, Alaska
Speed Overhaul Jobs With
Homemade Piston Cleaner
If you do your own mainte
nance on your car, you may be
interested in making this little
gadget we heard about.
It makes the scraping of pis
ton ring grooves fast and easy.
ft section of
piston ring
v *•"
Of course, you won’t have to
worry about this job if you use
Heavy Duty RPM Motor Oil.
First motor oil developed thru
atomic research, Heavy Duty
“RPM,” compared with con
ventional oils,* doubles the life
of average automobile engines
between major overhauls due to
lubrication... cuts in half the
wear-rate of vital engine parts.
4
Call us about it. Fine products
plus faithful service are the
mainstays of our business.
•“ Premium Type” oils as designated
by the American Petroleum Institute.
STANDARD OIL COMPANY
OF CALIFORNIA
Let My Record
Be Your Guide *
*
4t
>•
Frank Degnan
Unalakleet
for
THE SENATE
DEMOCRATIC PLATFOCM
Adopted by the Second Division Democratic
Convention at Nome on December 28, 1951.
1— We endorse the present Democratic Administration under
the leadership of Harry S. Truman.
2— We urge the President to clean house within the Democratic
Party, so as to remove those elements within it which have
precipitated a nationwide outburst of intense criticism and
discredit.
3— In accordance with American principles of self-government
and to secure our rights in National Affairs, we urge pass
age of legislation by Congress enabling Alaska to become
a state.
4— Pending enactment of statehood legislation, we stress the
right of the people of Alaska to elect their Governor.
5— We urge that Congress enact a speedy settlement of abor
iginal tribal claims as necessary for expediting the develop
ment of Alaska, with just compensation to the Native
People in settlement.
6— We oppose establishment of land reservations in Alaska by
the administrative method without specific action by Con
gress.
7— We affirm our belief in the American principle of equality
of opportunity for all people* with fair and equal treatment
regardless of race* creed* or color.
8— We consider improvement and expansion of our Second
Division road system to be of fundamental importance to
the orderly progress and development of the Second Division.
9— We urge the position that the Territory should stay out of
business commonly conducted by private enterprise.
10— We urge the rapid completion of all presently projected
airfields within the Second Division* and in addition* that
three more DC-3 fields be built as soon as possible to further
bolster the economy of the Second Division.
11— We urgently request the Federal Government to render all
possible aid so as to help revive gold mining in the Second
Division* its principal business.
12— We believe also that with proper encouragement from the
Federal Government* which has almost complete control
of Alaska* the Second Division's tin fields* and areas con
taining rich deposits of many other strategic minerals* can be
successfully developed for our country in this time of need.
13— We urge and recommend that particular consideration be
given to Education to the end that the high standard now
in effect in Alaska might be maintained and improved upon.
SENATORS—
HOWARD LYNG
ED ANDERSON
FRANK DEGNAN
REPRESENTATIVES—
TED DUFFIELD
CHARLES FAGERSTROM
JAMES WELLS
ANNUAL Women’s Society
N. C. Store °f
Saturday, April 12 Community
Starting 10 a.m. Methodist Church