| Summary: | Wilkins Is Off To Arctic Again: Plans To Drop Food To Starving Supply Teams On Way To Point Barrow./Weather Is Perfect./Hunt In Expanse Of White For Smoke Signals Of Stranded Overland Party. WILKINS IS OFF TO ARCTIC AGAIN Plans to Drop Food to Starving Supply Teams on Way to Point Barrow. WEATHER IS PERFECT 'Hunt in Expanse of "White fo IV Smoke Signals of Stranded Overland Party. By Frederic Lewis Earp, Special Correspondent of The Spokesman-Review and the North American Newspaper Alliance with the Detroit Arctic Expedition. (Copyright, 1926.) FAIRBANKS, April 10.-Captain George Wilklns, in the monoplane Alaskasn on his second flight to Point Barrow 12:12 p.m. by radio that the plane piloted by Ben Eielson, was crossing above Chandlar lake on the other side of the treacherous Endicott range. The plane was headed for the Anaktuvuk river, where the overland party of the Detroit Arctic expedition, which Captain Wilkins heads, is waiting for a supply of dogfeed before pushing on to Barrow. The Alaskan is carrying 120 pounds of emergency supplies to be dropped to the mushers, Robert Waskey, radio man with the overland party, was instructed at noon to start smoke signals to attract the attention of the flyers. The plane's second hopoff for Point Barrow was made at 9:40 a.m. today. The Alaskan was encountering light headwinds and making a speed of between 80 and 90 miles, the commander reported. Know Approximate Position. "Although at, first I believed it would be useless to attempt to locate the camp »f Earl Rossman and Robert Waskey on the tundra," the captain said today, "information received by radio last night from there gives their approximate position After getting into the Endicott mountains we will fly through Anaktuvuk pass and follow the river of the same name down the northern slope toward the Arctic. If we see the camp we will drop the dogfeed and then swing northwest to our original destination." Rossman and Waskey reported last night that the members of the party left behind by "Sandy" Smith and Herbert Anderson when they started on ahead 10 days ago for Jones island to get additional dogfeed were in excellent Condition. They have had no word from Smith, and if he is not heard from in another day or tow, Rossman intends proceeding down the Colville river to the Coast 80 miles away. Waskey reported that a story sent out from Wiseman by a Japanese musher was badly garbid. " No dog went mad and attacked the others of the team," said Waskey, "but one dog was shot because of its poor condition. We are suffering no greater hardships than are to be expected on a trip of this kind." Rossman said the meager food supply of the men is being augmented by ptarmigan they are able to shoot near the camp. Little Ceremony at Take-Off. Little ceremony marked the departure. Captain Wilkins and his pilot shook hands with Mayor Thomas G. Lanphier, second in command of the expedition, and others of the flying division. Then the big plane's Liberty engine roared and the ship went teetering down the field as if on tiptoes, suddenly pointed its nose upward and a few seconds later was headed west. Then it swung northward and disappeared oyer the low hills that show patches of bluegray where the snow is rapidly disappearing. The crew fueled the tanks yesterday afternoon to capacity end loaded 150 gallons in five-gallon tins. The time of the return of Captain Wilkins from the 1120-mile round trip is problematical, but he does not intend to remain any longer than Is necessary to discharge his cargo and get into the air again, provided weather conditions are right, which means that he may fly back again Sunday. Could Fly Twice in Boy. "There are 18 hours of daylight at Barrow and 14 here," the captain said just before hopping off, "and it would be ciuite possible to start from Barrow in the morning, return to Fairbanks and, without stopping the engine, load another cargo and return to the expedition's arctic base, all In the same day." The Alaskan took the air with a cargo of 3800 pounds, the heaviest load she has carried, but had no difficulty in taking off from the frozen landing field. Motor trouble, however, delayed the start, the mechanics and pilots toiling from 7 to 9 o'clock to get the engine tuned. Weather reports from Wiseman, 800 miles to the north this morning said visibility was good there, with the temperature 10 above and a light northerly breeze blowing. It is slightly cloudy here, with a fresh breeze, but to the north the sky is indigo blue.
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