TOWARD THE POLE

Taranaki Daily News, 20 July 1935, Page 6 (Supplement)

TOWARD THE POLE

BUST SEASON COMING.

THE LOST TRAIL OF NANSEN.

There is going to.be a busy season in the neighbourhood of the North Pole this summer. Apart from vessels sailing from other countries Russia is sending 76 ships into , the Arctic. The incurable, recurring fever for exploration has broken out in Russia, and the ice-breaker Sedov is in dock at Archangel almost ready to lead the way. No money has been spared,, and tremendous enthusiasm is behind the movement. . The leaders hope that the result will be new land for Russia, new mineral wealth, new knowledge, and the ageold honour of flying the first flag. . ' ‘ With part of her territory well in the.. Arctic Circle and the Polar seas foi?X neighbouring waters Russia thinks, nothing of pushing on into the 80 laiti-~ tudes, where the dream? of Arctic ex-, plorers begin to come true. ■ The explorers hope to find the ghostly, trail of Nansen in the Fram, lost these 40 years. Some of them are sure they will Succeed in crossing latitudes hitherto unreached. The; will be watching sky, sea, the ice-bound, land; and many wild creatures will be watching them' as / they go slowly in end out of the jee packs, down the long sea lanes, ahd disappear into the white silence. The true note of romance is struck by the announcement that the Sedov., is to search for a lost island, Gillis Land, said to have been first seen by ?an English sailor who was enduring' the hardships of Polar exploration in’ an ill-fitted vessel of the 17th century. The Sedov and her followers, with food enough for two years and perfect’ equipment will expect no news to be taken as good news for many a long month. Stay-at-home people t with love of adventure in their hearts, who are planning a meek' little holiday for a summer fortnight, read with envy of the route the Sedov will take. From Archangel she will make hbr way by North Cape, Bear Island, Spitsbergen (now a mass of whirling wings of guillemots, auks and gulls), Franz Josef Land, and distant, solitary Wrangel Island. Then she will be swallowed up by the vast Unknown.