The Battle For Arctic Wastes
And What It Means To
By MORGAN M. BEATTY
WASHINGTON (P> — The cnp
ture of a German “weather" ship
by the U. S. Navy in Greenland
waters adds another chapter to
an amazing epic of modern sea
warfare than began in 1930—ten
years before the war began'in
Europe.
It’s the German scheme to base
raider fleets of air, sea, and un
dersea craft on Arctic and Ant
arctic lands, and British and Am
erican efforts to prevent the strat
egv from bearing fruit.
In that, the world’s two big
navies have been largely success
ful—but not entirely so. There is
much evidence to indicate the
Germans have large caches of
fuel and food in the polar re
gions. Some of them were plant
ed probably 10 years ago. And
they probably have radio sta
tions there, too.
VAST HIDING PLACE
The Arctic is a vast hiding
place in both winter and sum
mer. Storms rage and fog is fre
quent. Fjords can hide the larg
est ships in the world, unless a
chance voyage leads another ves
sel to the spot.
Naval and weather obervers
began to suspect German inten
tions in 1930 when the Weggener
scientific expedition left a north
Gorman port for Greenland.
Later on, German scientific ex
pcditions visited many areas in
both the Arctic and Antarctic.
What they were doing is not en
tirely cle3r, but it is probable
they spotted fuel and food gen
erously in safe spots.
They also made plans to tap
the rich coal deposits of Spitz
bergen, the Arctic island off Nor
way. They have their eyes on a
big Norwegian whaler repair
base on Deception island in the
Antarctic, too. And the recent
Byrd expedition for the United
States government reported Ger
man and Japanese “investigat
ive” expeditions were both pre
sent in that region.
GERMANS WATCHED
The German scheme did not go
unnoticed by the British and Am
erican governments. The United
States sent the Byrd expedition
to the Antarctic. Admiral Byrd
came back talking about the
Palmer peninsula as a base for a
United Slates fleet in case the
Panama canal should be blown
up.
More recently, the Briitsh sent
an expeditionary force to occupy
Spitzebergen and its coal mines.
The admiralty disclosed German
plans to use Spitzhergen rad:o
facilities and coal for the nazi
A'lantlc submarine and raider
fleet.
And now the American navy
captures a “weather” ship off
Greenland.
The Germans have been de
prived of iheij- main stations in
the polar regions, but the contin
ued presence of Allied patrol ves
sels indicates the British and Am
erican navies still are suspicious.
Greenland is the focus of naval i
action because it is closest to the(
main British supply line from
the United States, and affords in
numerable hiding places for Get' •
man raiders, subs, and planes.
Greenland’s fjords—especially on
the west coast—can he penetrat
ed in winter. Caches of food and
fuel can be taken away by nazi
naval craft.
Greenland is the polar area
where winter weather for both
North America and northern Eu
rope often begins.
Oddly, the Weggener expedi
tion reported in 1930 that Green
land might not be thu winter
weather factory it had been
thought up to that time. But wea
thcr observers have been report
ed there, both inland on the
ground, and in airplanes. Two
such planes were seen in March
of this year.
MORE SECRET RADIOS
More important, there is evi-j
donee that the Germans still t
have secret radio stations in
Greenland for relaying orders to
their Atlantic raiders. And many
Greenland fjords probably have
been charted as hiding places for
submarines and sea raiders—es-;
pccially on the west coast. There j
the gulf stream sends a warming;
current to keep the ice softened
all winter. It is fairly easy to
pierce everywhere except at Ivig
tut.
But they are not going to be;
ersy to find. Greeland has many,
many thousands of miles of coast
line. Much of it is merely shown
on a map. Depths of harbors, ice
conditions, are not generally
known. The United States coast
guard recently sent expeditions
up that way. They reported back
that winter cruising around
Greenland was not any more haz
ardous than anywhere else in the
north Atlantic, except for the)
need for a constant lookout fori
icebergs. They said there were
many radio stations, and radio
was surprisingly well developed,!
indicating the Germans probably
can use bootleg radio stations op- ]
erated by Greenlanders who
evade the local police.
BbLLBOYS BOON —Prof. Russell Oakes, the merry in
ventor of Waukesha, Wis., demonstrates his device for bashful
bellhops (if such exists). The waiting hand is there and when the
hotel guest, as expected, deposits a tip, the money slides through
a slot and down a tube. A bell rings and amount of tip is shown;
if there’s no tip, a “Xo Sale'' appears.
NOTICE TO CNEPronS
NOTICE is hereby given, that
Gilbert Fidjfland, has been ap
pointed by the Probate Court of
Cape Nome, Second Division,
Territory of Alaska, Executor of
the esta*? of J-Cet Edward I/iu
rltz Stephansc-n. deceased, and
all persons having claims against
the said estate are required to
present them with proper vou
chers, within six months from
the date of this notice, to the un
dersigned executor at the office
of O. D. Cochran, at Nome, Al
aska, or to the said executor at
Teller, Alaska.
Dated at Nome, Alaska, this
the 9th day of December, 1941.
Gilbert Fidjeland, Executor
of the estate of Jafet Edward
Lauritz Stephansen, Deceased
Publish Dec. 12. 19, 26, Jan. 1
N E W CURTISS PLANE FOR ARMY US E—Adapted to mass production is this new
all-metal, low-wing Curtiss AT-9 just delivered by Curtiss-Wright plant in St. Louis to the army air
force, for tests at Wright field in Ilayton, Ohio. The plane, designed for the training of pilots for fast
fighters and bombers, has a top speed of over 200 m.p.h., a range of 750 miles.
SOMETHING NEW IN NAVAL NEW S—A propeller set amidship rather than at the stern end is the unusual feature
of the Sea Otter (shown in model), a new type inexpensive cargo ship which, says the U.S. navy, might challenge the submarine. The
-hip, capable of 12 knots, is 270 feet long overall and can carry a net 1,500 tons of cargo. No fewer than lf> gasoline engines such as are
in motor boats drive the vertical shaft. Ship's flat silhouet'e would make it a poor target for hostile surface vessels or airplanes.
Mocvvhoarl res Largest Family arid 33 Year Old Mother
Mooseheart, the child city of the I.oyal Order of Moose, In Illinois, welcome* 88-year-old Mr*. Andrle Nicholson and her ten children. from
Cambridge, Ohio Moose Lodge No. 631. The family is the largest ever admitted to Mooseheart. Pictured above on the step*
heart Clock Tower are left to right: Mrs. Nicholson; .Sandra, 2; Juanita, 8; Curtis, 5; Carl, 6; Frank, 7; John, it: ('!'
Raymond, 12; and William, It. '■\r"o"\ nrr ”
World’s Most Famous Graduating Class
On June 14, at the child city of
Mooseheart, famed home and school
for underprivileged children, estab
lished and maintained by the I/oyal
Order of Moose, one of the world's
leading fraternities, a class of 72—
47 boys and 25 girls—will graduate.
This is the twenty-third graduation
at this famous academic and voca
tional school. The total dumber of
graduates is now 1,535. This year’s
graduates come from 25 states, and
1 Province in Canada. Illinois ranks
first — 11 graduates; Pennsylvania
second—10; Ohio third—9. and In
diana fourth—8. The average age of
the graduates is 18 years, 3 months,
and their average number of years
residence in Mooseheart is 10 years,
4 months. In addition to the high
school diploma which each gradu
ate will receive, a certificate speci
fying the nature of the technical,
trade, or vocational instruction in
the work In which he or she has
been trained, is also given. Twelve
trades and vocations are repre
sented in this class. Certain of the
graduates plan to enter higher
schools of learning.
Home and School
The Moose Child City of Moose
heart, founded July 27, 1913, by
U. S. Senator James J. Davis of
Pennsylvania, is an estate of twelve
hundred acres, thirty • five miles
west of Chicago. Title is in the
Supreme Lodge of the World, Loyal
Order of Moose. It Is a home and
school for almost a thousand nor
mal children of deceased members
j of the Order. Instruction in about
| twenty trades, including agriculture,
, is given.
Mooseheart represents an invest
ment of more than TWENTY-FIVE
MILLION DOLLARS, Its adminis
tration calls for an annual budget
of almost ONE MILLION DOL
LARS.
The educational concept of Moose
heart is to take full account of the
needs and capacities of the indi
vidual child and fit the instruction
to that individual, to the end that
he may best adjust himself to a
complex, changing social and physi
cal environment.
Lowest Mortality Rate
Mooseheart’s health service is
primarily a service of preventive
j medicine. As a part of this service,
' Mooseheart has one of the most
complete modern hospitals in the
j country, to which the children are
| admitted for observation and treat*
j ment. The health records of Moose
heart show that its mortality rate
is lower than that of any institution
of its kind in the world.
Mooseheart’s dairy farm covers
one thousand, one hundred and
fifty-seven acres. Its maintenance
is largely for the purpose of pro
viding Mooseheart children with
the necessary foodstuffs. Moose
heart's farm pays big dividends,
both in the health of the children
and in financial profit. It is con
sidered to be one of the greates.
farms in the State of Illinois.