POLE EXPEDITION
ARRIVES SEWARD
NORTHWESTERN
ADVANCE PARTY NORTH POLE
EXPLORERS HERE; FOUR
MEN IN PARTY
DEPART ON THE FIRST TRAIN
Snow Motors and Equipment Arrive;
Ten Special Sledges
Completed.
Headed by Alexander Malcolm
Smith, or just plain “Sandy,” the
advance party of the Wilkins Arctic
expedition, which is being sponsor
ed jointly by the American Geograph
ical Society, the Detroit Aviation So
ciety and the North American News
paper Alliance, arrived in Seward
this morning on the S.S. Northwesit
ern. With Mr. Smith is Earl Ross
man, H. F. Mason and Gordon Scott.
The three so-called snow motors,
or tractors, with which the planes
and equipment will be hauled to
Point Barrow from Nenana, also ar
rived on the vessel. The party ex
pects to leave for the Interior on
one of the first trains out. While in
Seward they are making the Van
Gilder hotel their headquarters.
Captain Smith is a veteran . Alas
han and as has been stated previ
ously it is doubtful if there is any
sourdough in the Territory who is as
familiar with the strange, unmapped
regions the party will traverse as
he. Of him Stefansson, the famous
Arctic explorer, Dr. Isaiah BowTman,
director of the American Geographi
cal Society and Delegate Dan Suth
erland have repeated said, “We have
selected “Sandy” Smith for the most i
important task in conjunction with !
this All-American Polar Flight, '
which has taken on international sig
nificance, because he knows Alas
ka and the Arctic better than any
ether living man.”' Jle will he in
charge of the snow motor section,
overland to Point Barrow from Ne
nana.
Earl Rossman, is also an oldtimer
of the Territory, and especially of
that particular district to which they
are embarking for. Much lias been
written of him during the past week
of his moving picture work in the
Arctic regions. He is accompanying
the expedition as official photogra
pher and historian.
Gordon Scott, of the Snow Motors
Corporation, Detroit, is the expert
in direct charge of the three trac
tors. Engineer Scott tested out the
snow motors in the Snoqualmie Pass
counry, Washington, prior to leaving
Seattle. Each of the snow motors
will travel four miles an hour in
second gear, and ten miles an hour
in high. In the tests the motors
climbed steep drifts, turned in and
out of deep depressions, traversed ra
vines and crusted snow with ease.
The spinning drums look startling,
but are capable of propeling the ma
chines witih surprising speed.
H. F. Mason, a young Seattle man,
was the last to join the party. He
is a photographer and an expert ra
dio engineer. A portable sending
and receiving set is among the equip
ment which arrived this morning.
The sending outfit is of short wave
length, and operates from the mo
tors. At Point Barrow a permanent
base will -be established and com
SEATTLE
Rooming House
Over Liberty Theater
CLEAN
STEAMHEATED
ROOMS
Baths In Connection
Mrs. W. E. Dewitt, Prop.
tt
A CARLOAD
OR A SACK
C-O-A-L
HEALY LUMP, NUT OR MINE RUN,
BAXTER NUT OR MINE RUN
EYAN JONES LUMP OR MINE RUN
NANAIMO RANGE COAL
IN SACK OR BULK
THE ALASKA TRANSFER
WOOD, ICE. HAY AND GRAIN,
TRANSFERRING AND TEAMING
ARCADE BLDG.
A F. DAVIS
MB
THE SURROUNDINGS
Service and Food are the best at
FISHERS’ CAFE
PRIVATE BOOTHS DANCE ROOM
CHARLES FISHER, Prop.
A Satisfied Customer
is always a customer. We guarantee our meats,
butters and eggs to be strictly fresh. That is
the reason we are never idle.
SATISFACTION AND SERVICE AT
CARSTENS PACKING COMPANY
E. KURTZ, Mgr.
munication kept up with the planes'
radio sets, during the flight to and
across the pole. Messages will he
relayed to the North American News
paper Alliance.
The ten special made double-end
er sledges, built in Seward by Cal M.
JBrosius, were inspected and dccept
ed this morning, to the complete satis
faction of all parties concerned. They
will be shipped to Nenana immediate
ly.
Scott said the snow motors will be
put in operation at Nenana, one of
which will be left there to clear a
field for fire planes to be used on the
expedition. The e:r< two will hau»
five sledges carrying a (total of fifteen
tons of provisions and supplies, large
oil and gasoline, for the planes.
Smith will act as guide of one ex
pedition which will go from Nenana
to Tanana, thence north to Betties,
up the John river and follow the An
akvuk to the Arctic ocean, from
where they will go along the frozen
sea to Point Barrow. The snow mo
tors are expected to make thirty
five miles a day and it is expected
it will take for thirty-five to forty
days for the trip.
The men will carry very little food
outside of sugar, salt and flour, as
they expect to live off the caribou
and other game which abound in
the district.
Scott said the party would proba
bly not be alble to leave Nenana be
fore February 15 because the gaso
line would not arrive before that
time.
Mr. Scott will drive one of the
snow motors but two other drivers
will be hired at Fairbanks.
Originally, there w'ere three special
planes ordered for the expedition
but one was destroyed in a fire last
week when the hanger, in which it
was housed, burned to the ground.
The remaining two planes will be
shipped to Seward on the next trip
of the S.S. Victoria.
Under present plans the take-off
from Point Barrow is scheduled for
March 21. It is stated it is confi
dently believed land will be discov
ered in the unexplored region be
tween Barrow and the ice pole.
Should this prove true, the planes
will return to Barrow without land
ing on the initial flight, report the
discovery and, accompanied by a
second plane, go back and explore
and map the new territory. If no
land is sighted, on the initial flight
an attempt to fly over the top of the
world to Spitzbergen, aprpoximately
2,100 mile% from Point Barrow.
Captain George H. Wilkins, is the
commander of the expedition. He
will arrive in Seward from Seattle on
one of the next steamers. Accom
panying him will- be Major Thomas
Laniphier, commandent of the Sel
phridge Field (Michigan), who has
been granted a four-months leave of
absence. Laniphier will act as of
ficial adviser from the Point in
case land is discovered. He will claim
all discoveries for the United States.
Sergeant C. N. WiS'ely of Cleve
land, an engine expert, and Palmer
Hutchinson of the Detroit News, will
.be members of the party as well as
Ben Eileson, pioneer aviator of the
Interior, who has been in the East
for the past two years.
The Cordova Chamber of Com
merce,,^ last night, elected the follow
ing officers for the ensuing year:
President—Edw. F. Medley.
Vice President—Thos. S. Scott.
Secretary—John Muller.
Treasurer—L. C. Pratjt
Executive Committee—Charles J.
Goodall, George C. Hazelet, F. A.
Hansen, Jas. L. Galen, W. J. Mc
Donald, H. I. O’Neill and H. G.
Steel.
RESIGNS FARM JOB
H. Lindberg, who has been in
charge of the government experiment
al farm at Sitka the past five years
has resigned his position and arrived
in the Capital City and is en route
,5outh. He expects to leave on the
Watson for Ketchikan, says the Em
pire.
Two fine horses belonging to the
Valdez Transfer Co. are mysterious
ly missing. Thursday evening they
failed to return to the stable, and a
search of the surrounding country
has failed to reveal an/ traces of
them.
WANTED—Second hand range in
good condition. Call Gateway.
FIREMEN GET TEN DOLLARS
The Standard Oil Company has
sent the local fire department a check
for $10 in payment of ten tickets to
the recent annual New Year's Eve
ball. Though the doner did not attend
the best wishes of the company was
extended to the fire volunteers.
Or. W. >W. Council made an
emergency trip to Cape Hinchinbrook
last night in the Kittiwake and
brought in from there Lee Harpole,
who was suffering from a badly
lacerated wrist, which he had cut
on some glass. Harpole is recover
ing nicely from the accident.
Congratulations are being received
today by Mr. and Mrs. E. F. .Schroed
er on the birth of an eight and a
half pound baby girl yesterday after
noon. District Attorney F. H. Fos
ter, Mrs. Schroeder’s father, is get
ting used to the title of “grand
father” today.—Cordova Times.
| Hardware, Stoves and Ranges, J
«E
S£
Powder—Caps—Fuse—Miners’ Supplies
Ship Chandlery and Ship Linoleum
Anchorage, Rope, Oil and Twine
Halibut Lines and Hooks
Sheet Metal—Plumbing Shop—Gun Repair
J. L. GRAEF
55
»
Paints and Brushes
»
VtA'
KMKM L*
^A^A'KA^A^A^A^A^A^A^A^A^A^A^A^A^A^A^i
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1 A I A Clf A CTCfl MCUID I
ALASKA STEAMSHIP
COMPANY
Vessel
Scheduled
Lv. Seattle
Scheduled
Ar. Seward
Scheduled Sail
from Seward
Alaska
Northwestern
Victoria
Alaska
Northwestern
Victoria
Alameda
Jan. 9
Jan. 16
Jan. 23
Jan. 30
Feb. 6th
Feb. 13th
Feb. 20th
Jan. 16
Jan. 23
Jan. 30
Feb. 6
Feb. 13th
Feb. 20th
Feb. 27th
Jan. 16
Jan. 23
Jan. 30
Feb. 6
Feb. 13th
Feb. 20th
Feb. 27th
S Steamers in the above schedule will make all regular ports of call j=
E in Southeastern and Southwestern Alaska. E
Steamers In the above schedule will not leave Seward earlier s
than MIDNIGHT, sailing date. E
Winter Round Trip tickets will be on sale from November 1st 1925 to s
February 2th, 1926, return limit, March 25th, 1926. Fare—$125.00. jjj
For further particulars see Agent E
NOTE—Freighter Latouche is scheduled to sail January 20th for all 5
Alaska ports if business offerings warrant. E
J. H. FLICKINGER, Agent =
PHONE MAIN 125 SEWARD, ALASKA =
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S. S. ADMIRAL WATSON
Sails from Seattle Arrives Seward South Seward ifi
Jan. 20 Jan. 27 Feb. 3 * S
Feb. 17 Feb. 24 Mar. 3 *
* Connecting with train, ffi
Winter round-trip tickets are on sale from Nov. jjj
1st to February 28th, 1926. Return limit March 25,
1926. Fare $125.00. jj£
WAYNE BLUE, Agent g
Telephone Main 81 Residence Madison 40 g
Pacific Coastwise Service g
SHB^SSH.P.ALEXANDgR. PRESIDENTEXlJ._'XXT
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STEAMSHIP STARR
WILL SAIL WESTBOUND ON NEXT REGULAR TRIP JAN. 10
San Juan Fishing and Packing Co.
G. C. HENDERSON. Agent
PHONE MADISON 1S*. SEWARD, ALA8KA