MYSTERY OF THE ARCTIC

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7929, 12 October 1911, Page 8

MYSTERY OF THE ARCTIC

Superintendent A. E. Snyder, commanding the Royal North-West Mounted Police at Whiteliofso, Yukon. Territory, reported to the commissioner, in 1909 that from north of the Porcupine district of Northern Ontario there had come repeated rumours of the existence of a wonderful "tronical" region which was still inhabited by mastodons, says the " Success ** magazine. "The Indians,' concludes Superintendent Snyder, "report having seen the gigantic tracks of these'animals." But little attention was paid to these stories, until in November of last year Mr C. J. Mclntyre and two companions reported a most amazing discovery north of Porcupine. They were travelling by dog-sledge, with the < thermometer at 40 below, when to their astonishment the temperature began, to rise so fast that within a space of two hours they had thrown off their warm ■garments, and the enow was soft underfoot. "It seemed," said Mr Mclntyre, "as though we were suddenly passing from winter into spring." Soon after they came upon the first of numberless hot springs, the snow disappeared entirely, and dense vegetation took the place of tho stunted bush and timber of the plains. Because of necessarily slow travel on foot the explorers were not able to determine the extent of this wonderful oasis in the far northern wilderness. They found severals good-sized river flowing with warm water and teeming with fish, and the country was alive with bear, caribou, ducks, pheasant*, wild goose and other game, and gold wa/ found in a number oi\ creeks.