Northwest History. Aviation 8. Wilkins' Expedition, United States.

• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1926
• Subjects: arctic plane; Alaskan; Fairbanks; hunt for meat; Frederic Lewis Earp; North American Newspaper Alliance; Detroit arctic expedition; pilots; mechanics; Point Barrow; polar exploration flight; Thomas G. Lanphier; Ben Eielson; George Hubert Wilkins; expedition commander; Mount Clemens; Mich.; operation; Earl Rossman; Field Radio Station; Endicott; Anakuvuk river; A. Malcolm Smith; Arctic ocean; Colville river; Chipp river; polar basin exploration; Northwest; Pacific > History > 20th century; Aviation; Arctic; Arctic Ocean; Detroit; Eielson; Pacific; Rossman; The Landing; Wilkins; Barrow; Alaska
• Online Access: http://content.libraries.wsu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/clipping/id/86132

Arctic Plane Will Fly Again: Alaskan Will Take Air As Soon As Fairbanks Field Has Been Broadened. / Supplies Push Ahead. / Advance Train Crosses Mountains And Stops To Hunt Before Heading For Point Barrow. ARCTIC PLANE WILL FLY AGAIN Alaskan Will Take Air as Soon as Fairbanks Field Has Been Broadened. SUPPLIES PUSH AHEAD Advance Train Crosses Mountains and stops to Hunt Before Heading for Point Barrow. By Frederic Lewis Earp, Special Correspondent of The Spokesman-Review and the North American Newspaper Alliance with the Detroit Arctic Expedition. Fairbanks, March 25. -- Two rival crews of the Detroit arctic expedition raced today to see which will be ready first -- the pilots and mechanics at work repairing the single-engined plane, the Alaskan, or the graders widening and smoothing the landing field where the expedition's two planes will take off for Point Barrow for the polar exploration flights. As a result, Major Thomas G. Lanphier and Ben Eielson, the pilots, declare the Alaskan is ready to fly right now but that they will go over it once more to make sure everything is shipshape. The graders, under the personal direction of Captain George Hubert Wilkins, the expedition commander expect to have the field ready in two days. It will be widened another 50 yards at least, and will be extended in length to 900 yards. The temperature in late afternoon has been well above freezing and the mechanics and graders have been working in their shirt sleeves. Major Lanphier received word by cable today from his home in Mount. Clemens, Mich., that his wife underwent a serious operation yesterday. His plans for the flight will not be changed, however, unless he is needed there. STOP TO HUNT FOR MEAN. By Earl Rossman, Special Correspondent of The Spokesman-Review and the North American Newspaper Alliance with the Detroit Arctic Expedition. (Copyright, 1926, by N. A. N. A.) FIELD RADIO STATION, ENDICOTT, Alaska, March 24. (Via Fairbanks, March 25.)--After crossing the snowy summit of the Endicott range at noon yesterday the overland division of the Detroit arctic expedition is encamped today on the south bank of the Anakuvuk river resting and hunting game to replenish the meat supply as our stock of dog feed was exhausted when we reached the summit. The worst part of the 1000-mile trek to Point Barrow is now behind and A. Malcolm Smith, the chief, estimates that we will reach our destination on the shores of the arctic in eight or 10 days. The Anakuvuk river flows northward into the Colville river, which in turn flows northward into the Arctic ocean about 90 miles east of Barrow. Our route lies from here to the junction of the Anakuvuk and the Colville and thence northwestward across the barren lands of the arctic slope to Barrow by way of the Chipp river. In case the cut across the thin snow of the wind-swept region is not feasible, we will follow the Colville down to the sea and thence west to Barrow, the hopping-off place for the planes of the polar basin exploration. The last lap of our uphill grind to the summit was made in weather 47 degrees below zero, but all our party are in excellent health and waxing fat on "Sandy" Smith's cooking. Here is our dinner menu for today as a sample: Mountain sheep mulligan stew, macaroni soup, boiled rice, apple sauce and hot biscuits. When the hunter return with their supply of meat we will go over our gear tonight, making everything ready for the resumption of the trek early tomorrow morning.