Northwest History. Aviation 8. Rescue & Searching Parties, United States.

• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1937
• Subjects: hope; diminishing; Arctic; Fairbanks; Alaska; soviet transpolar plane; Pilot Sigismund Levaneffsky; Moscow; arctic twilight; vanished flyers; George Hubert Wilkins; arctic explorer; Edmonton Alta.; Harold Gillam; S. A. Smirnov; soviet radio engineer; R. W. Cook; Canadian-Maroconi; Ltd.; Russian amphibian plane; Alexsei Gratciansky; Providence bay; Siberia; Russian freighter; Vladivostok; Northwest; Pacific > History > 20th century; Aviation; Alta; Gillam; North Pole; Pacific; Wilkins; Barrow
• Online Access: http://content.libraries.wsu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/clipping/id/86048

Hope Is Diminishing For Party's Safety In Arctic Night. Hope Is Diminishing for Party's Safety in Arctic Night. FAIRBANKS, Alaska, Nov. 19. (AP)— Fourteen weeks ago today—on Friday, the 13th of August—the wave band on 9080 kilocycles crackled the last message from the soviet transpolar plane carrying Pilot Sigismund Levaneffsky and his five companions from Moscow toward Fairbanks. Today, hope, like the abbreviated arctic twilight, had diminished for the safety of the party, but efforts still were under way for a winter search for the vanished flyers. Sir George Hubert Wilkins, noted arctic explorer, was weather-bound at Edmonton, Alta., on his way to Barrow, Alaska, to resume the quest. Pilot Harold Gillam, veteran Alaska flyer, took S. A. Smirnov, soviet radio engineer, and R. W. Cook, representative of Canadian- Marconi, Ltd., to Barrow yesterday where they will participate in radio service for the Wilkins party. Three Hours of Light. Only three hours of daylight remain now at Barrow, northernmost settlement on the North American continent. This means the Wilkins party would have to do most of its searching in darkness. The Russian amphibian plane piloted by Alexsel Gratciansky, meanwhile had returned safely to Province bay, Siberia, from Fairbanks, having given up the search. The plane will be put on a Russian freight for shipment to Vladivostok. Final messages from the Levaneffsky after the plane crossed the north pole, told of engine trouble. Soviet representative in the northland have stressed the belief the flyers landed safely in the arctic wastes but would be found alive. First reports were that the men had provisions for six weeks. Wilkins said the men, if alive, could survive on game animals they might bag.