I HE NOME NUGGET
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Entered as second class matter October 14, 1943, at the
post office at Nome, Alaska, under Act of March 3, 1879.
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THE SUN WILL KEEP COMING UP EVERY DAY.
Soviet Scientists Argue Whether Arctic
Would he Heated by Bering Strait Dam
By FRANK CAREY
WASHINGTON, UP — A couple
of Soviet researchers are having
a red hot argument over whether
the icy Arctic could be warmed
up by blocking the Bering Strait
with a dam more than 50 miles
long.
This was reported today in a
U. S. Department of Commerce
publication presenting translated
summaries of articles appearing
in recent Russian publications.
A Russian engineer named P.M.
Borisov suggested that dam proj
ect some lime ago. He described
it this way:
Pumps of tremendous power at
the dam would move vast quan
titis of cold water from the Arc
tic Ocean into the Pacific Ocean.
It would cause an influx of
■warm Atlantic waters on the
other side of the Arctic Ocean.
Borisov believes this would
melt the ice covering the Arctic
and cause a substantial warming
of the adjacent coast.
As Borisov sees it, winter in the
Arctic would then become as
temperate as in Belgium.
Catastrophic Results
But another Russian technician
named D. A. Dragaytsev has now
leaped into print to say it would
be a useless venture which would
have catastrophic results else
where in the world.
In the first place, he said, such
a project would not cause the
Arctic ice to disappear, because
thawing of the ice could only be
accomplished by warm air from
the south, and by direct and
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scattered radiation from the sun.
Moreover, Dragaytsev added, if
such a dam were built and a new
current were created it would
bring huge volumes of ice to
block up the entire Bering Strait
from the surface to the bottom
of the sea.
Enormous masses of ice would
then be driven ashore along an
extensive area, blocking the
coast and the mouths of great
rivers all year round.
Finally, even assuming that
such a project would warm up the
Arctic, it would have “catastro
phic results for other parts of
the Soviet Union.
“Winters would be colder, sum
mers would be hotter and pre
cipitation would drop off.
The arid zone of subtropical
deserts of North Africa, central
Asia and the Gobi would move to
the north . . . the entire eastern
shore of Asia would experience
colder winters and ice conditions
in Far Eastern waters would
worsen.”
The Commerce Department’s
publication didn’t say whether
there was any rebuttal from Bor
isov in defense of his pet project.
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BATTELLE INSTITTT: REPORT ON
NORTHERN TRANSPORTATION
SEATTLE, Iff) — Liquid gold
from northern sands and green
gold from tourists’ pocketbooks
will boost Alaska and Northwest
Canada to new heights of pros
perity and growth in the next 20
years, the Battelle Memorial In
stitute predicted Friday.
The Columbus, Ohio research
organization recommended, how
ever, the early construction of five
major highway projects at a cost
of $240 million as a necessity in
developing the huge northwest
area.
Climaxing a 15 months study,
the Battelle Institute presented
to the Alaska International Rail
and Highway Commission a re
port which predicted that in the
next 20 years there will be:
An increase of nearly $1.4 bil
lion dollars in annual income;
A population increase of from
364,000 now to 598,100;
A potential of 850,000 travelers
annually to Alaska and an ad
ditional 550,000 to northwest
Canada. They are expected to
spend about $380 million annual
ly;
An increase by more than $400
million annually in the value of
petroleum produced, with the
Canadian section of the area
claiming a large share of the in
crease.
Should Encourage Tourists
The Battelle study concluded
its report, however, with this im
portant recommendation: “Alaska
and appropriate Canadian agen
cies should develop a planned,
integrated program to encourage
travelers to the region. This
would involve a considered as
sessment of the attractions with
in the region, planned for an
encouragement of development
of desired facilities to meet the
travelers’ wants and needs, and
stimulating travel to and within
the region through proper pro
motional activities.”
A member of the Institute noted
that at the present time “really
effective promotion has not been
done.”
Sen. Warren G. Magnuson, D
Wash., acting chairman of the
Commission, and member Sen. E.
L. Bartlett, D-Alaska, praised
the report as “an excellent base
from which the interested state,
provincial and national govern
ments can work."
They pointed out, however, that
it does not represent the conclu
sions of the Alaska International
Hail and Highway Commission,
which will be reached at a later
meeting in Washington, D.C. and
then be submitted to the U. S.
Congress.
It may be expected, they said,
that the Commission’s conclusions
will be based principally or al
together on the studies of the
Institute.
B. D. Thomas, presdent of the
Institute, also painted a glowing
picture of the vast area from the
Willamette Valley of Oregon
through Washington, Western
Canada and Alaska.
He said: “This area has the
most promising future that the
human race can show anywhere.”
“The time is going to come,” he
said, “when the area from the
Willamette north to Vancouver
will be one vast metropolitan
area with 50,000,000 people.
Northland Ultimate Frontier
“The northland will be the ul
timate frontier. The population
there will increase extremely
rapidly. The northland will feed
on this area (Willamette to Van
couver) in a way that will make
all our predictions conservative."
! The importance of early con
j struction of the five highway
projects plus better public trans
! portation, accommodations and
services was emphasized in the
report.
Road Construction Priorities
Highway construction recom
mended included these projects:
1. Upgrading and asphalt sur
face treating of the Alaska High
way from north of Charles Lake,
B.C., to the Alaska border. 2. Con
struction of an asphalt surface
treated road from Hazelton to
Jakes Corner. 3. Construction of
a new hard surface highway from
near the mouth of the Stikine Ri
ver, up the Stikine and Iskut
Rivers to a junction with the
Stewart-Cassiar road. 4. Reloca
tion, upgrading, and hard surfac
ing of the Haines Cutoff from
23.3 miles north of Haines to
Haines Junction, Y. T. 5. Con
struction of a gravel road from
Juneau up Taku Inlet and the
Taku River to the British Colum
bia boundary and construction of
a new asphalt surface treated
highway to the junction with the
proposed Hazelton Lakes corner
road south of Atlin.
“All of the highway improve
ments recommended could be fin
anced over a 20-year period from
the estimated additional revenue
that would be generated by an
integrated road system,” the Bat
telle specialists predicted.
They also said the annual cost
of $20,500,000 for upkeep and in
terest charges would be more
than ofset by increased revenue
from gasoline taxes.
The report frowned on the feas
ibility of constructiong a Fair
banks-Central British Columbia
railroad link. It reported that
such a line “would require an
annual subsidy of about $34 mil
lion by about 1980."
The area covered by the study
included all of Alaska, all of the
Yukon Territory, the northwest
corner of Alberta, the northern
half of British Columbia and the
MacKenzie River area.
Conclusions drawn from the
study include:
Oil and Natural Gas: Based on
plausible projections from present
known deposits, oil and natural
gas potentials for the area are
large and will make major con
tributions to the economic growth
of the area in a period of 5 to
20 or more years hence. An in
crease in annual value of coal
production amounting to $10 mil
lion is deemed possible.
Mineral Development: Best
chances for future commercial
development are from deposits
close to the coast of iron ore,
copper, mercury silver-lead-zinc,
tungsten, asbestos and limestone.
Annual value of metals may well
increase by 1980 by about $155
million.
Power: Because of keen com
petition among various energy
sources, there is a lessening in
terest in the United States in
hydroelectric potentials. The In
stitute sees a possibility of some
hydro developments along the
Peace River with power being fed
into a network to the south and
southeast.
Land Transport and Freight:
Foreseeable natural resources de
velopments will not require ex
tensive land transport of freight
over new or improved major
roads or railroads. Substantial
freighting that might result from
new discoveries of minerals in
interior regions will largely move
most economically by shortest
land route to the coast and thence
by water to markets.
Marine Transport: The provi
sion of frequent marine transport
facilities for passengers, autos and
trucks Terry service) along the
Inside Passage to connect existing
road terminals at Prince Rupert
and Haines is vitally important
for the economic growth of the
area as a whole. Extended and
improved marine barge service
for rdilroad cars, vans, and con
tainers between ports in Alaska,
British Columbia and Pacific
Northwest states should contrib
ute to lower freight costs and re
sult in economic beenfits.
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