NORTH POLE IS ANNEXED

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 109, 25 May 1937, Page 7

NORTH POLE IS ANNEXED

—Press Abbji.-

Soviet Air Expedition To Arctic LIVING ON ICE-FLOE

(By Telegraph

-Copynghtj

LONDON, May 24. The North Pole has been annexed by the Soviet air expedition, headed by Dr. Otto Sehmidt, which antends to live for a year on an ice-floe near the North Pole to study the possibility of establishing a permanent polar landing base for the projected Mpscow-San Francisco air route. The explorers' christened the ice-floe on which they landed, 12^ miles from the North Pole, 12} mdles from the Rudolf Island meridian, ' ' Comrade Stalin. ' 5 Already the party is transmitting four weather bulletins daily to Moscow. The scientists will live in an aluminium house 11ft. by 7ft., the floor of whdch is rubber. The windows are made of unbreakable glass. The minimurt temperature indoors will be 14 degrees Fahrenheit, Itho'ugh outdoors it will be 14 degrees -below zero. The explorers ' clothing includes a complete covering of merino wool, pure silk und'erwear, flannel-lined breechos, and shirts, reindeer fur sudts, and fleeee overcoats lined with fox-skin. The Soyiet Government 's best chefs and dietitians worked for months to produce typical Russian delicacies in tablet form, includmg borsch soup, "Arctic biscuit," comprising chicken, beef and flour. A year's food supply will be contained in 75 tin boxes. M. Stalin has selected the airman, Levanseky, the hero of the aeroplano rescue of passengers of the ice-brealcer Chelynskin last year, for the _ ftrst flight from Moscow to San Francisco