HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Herald, 1931-09-24, Page 6Greerdancrice Cap
Land of Adventure
Greenland, which .has always at
Ipraeted. men's curiosity, has become. b
tie last few years a hunting ground
r
the scientist and the aviator
ETrites Russell Owen in the N.Y
totes. In the last two or three years
en have gone thereto study meteor-
Iblogical phenomena, and have even
.lived inland ander conditions of the
utmost hardship that they might
Ilearn'something of the effect of Green -
lead's winds upon the world's weather,
or to ascertain if the island is a ouit-
able link in an airplane route from
Europe to Canada.
The great ice island has always
been a mystery, a bit of the,Iee Age
remaining close to civilization.
'THEORY OF CONTINENTAL
DRIFT.
The Wegener expedition went to
Greenland to make the most elaborate
examination that has yet been made
;of •the interior of the island. Alfred
;Wegener, its .eader, believed that
Greenland was moving westward and
that if he could prove this it would -
go far to uphold his theory of con-
tinental ice drift—that is, the theory
;that the continents were once a single
land mass and drifed into their pres-
ent positions. He also planned to
investigate the weather in the inter-'
ior, as Hobbs of the University of
Michigan had first done on the west -1
ern edge of the ice cap, and determine
the availability of Greenland as a sta-
tion along an aviation route between
Europe and America. Three stations
were established, one at the middleof
the ice cap, the most desolate meteor-
ological station ever built, and one on
each side of the ice cap near the coast.
! table or at work the tuen had to sit
inrtheir sleeping bags.
EXPERIENCE OF COURTAULD,
In contrast with this unfortunate
end of Wegener is the experience of.
Augustine Courtauld of the British
Arctic Air Route Expedition, who
spent five months alone in a tent on
', the inland ice cap and carne out none
' the worse for his experiences. The
worst temperature he recorded was 64
degrees below zero, which is milder
than had been expected in the interior
of Greenland. But what Greenland
lacks in cold it makes up in wind and
snow. Courtauld was buried so deep-
, ly when found that his rescuers had
to dig him out.
Courtauld's experience was due to
the fact that the party sent to the
inland station of the British expedi
ion was delayed so much by the wea-
ther that when they arrived there it
was evident that only one pian could
possibly remain and live on the food
on the food which could be cached. So
Courtauld stayed—to keep perhaps
the loneliest vigil the Arctic has
known, at least in connection with an
expedition. He did not mind it much.
"Many people tniglit imagine that
I was bored living with no company,
no scenery and little occupation," he
said after he was rescued, "but this
was far from being the case. One
cannot be bored living an entirely
novel life under such interesting con-
ditions. My physical and mental con,
dition, the weather, speculation about
the work of the expedition and the do-
ings of friends at home were subjects
which fully occupied my mind. I never
had the slightest doubt with regard to
my relief, though I fully realized it
might be delayed."
Such things men in Greenland are
undergoing that they may learn
something of Greenland's weather and
its effect upon the world, and Green-
land's availability as an aviation sta-
tion. The new explorers have not
dared more than the men who first
crossed the inland ice, but they have
kept persistently to an objective in
the face of appalling difficulties.
They have been worthy successors of
Nansen and Nordenskjold and Peary.
Even now a Danish expedition is be-
ing prepared which will spend two or
three years in Greenland, carrying on
and extending the work; it seems
probable that within a short time
there will be little of Greenland un-
known except what lies beneath its
magnificent shield of ice.
The central station was to be man-
ned during the Winter by Dr. Johan-
nes Georgi and Dr: Ernst Sorge. How-
ever, early last September, according
to the report that reached this coun-
try they sent outword that they would
leave on Oct. 20 for the west coast
unless they got . more provisions.
Wegener, with Dr. Fritz Loewe, and
thirteen Eskimos, started inland with
two tons of provisions. The trail to
the central station had been carefully
marked, on previous trips with black
flags. It was late in the season for
such a journey, and the going became
harder and harder, in blizzards and
snow, until all the Eskimos but Ras-
mus had turned back. Mile after mile
Wegener struggled on, determined
that he would carry sufficient food
through to relieve his men, and also
that the year's observations, for which
preparations had already been so
painful, should not be lost:
Oct. 20 came, and still Wegener
kept 'going, not knowing that the in
*old of . at_ . aneene kaa.-- ...V P
had proved more of a deterrent to his
inland companion than the shortage of
food. He had to drop part of his sup-
plies along the route, caching them in
snow cairns. Iri such intense cold the
snow becomes like sand and it is al-
most impossible to haul a sled. Dogs'
lungs become frost-bitten and the dogs
die. Vitality is sapped until every
movement becomes one of infinite la-
bor. Hands and feet and faces are
• .continually frostbitten, and a sleeping
bag becomes a frozen mass of fur
' into which a man wedge's himself with
difficulty to obtain very little sleep.
Sometimes Wegener made only two
or three miles a day. He cached the
last of his provisions six miles from
the central station and he and Loewe
and Rasmus staggered in exhausted.
Loewe's feet were frozen so badly that
he could not return, but when, it was
determined that there. was food
enough to last three men allwinter,
a reckoning that has not been recon-
ciled with the reported reason for the
journey Wegener and Rasmus start-
ed back to the west coast .in weather
almost equal to that in which three of
Scott's men, Wilson, Bowers and
Cherry -Garrard, made their historic
-trek in search, pf penguins' eggs,
Wegener had to go a mulch longer dis-
tance, however, arid both he and Ras-
mus were tired out before they start
ed.
He never reached the coast. The
next spring when the men at the cen-
tral station were relieved they learned
for the first time that Wegener was
missing. They had hoped he was safe.
Later they found his ski sticks 102
miles from . the central station, more
than half his distance to safety. He
had made this incredible march with
littlefood, in the midst of winter wea-
ther on the ice cap, but his strength
had not been equal to going the whole
route. Rasmus, his faithful compan-
ion, had sewed his body in blankets,
covered it with fur coats and buried.
it reverently in the snow. The rescue
party fsi'itid it there and after placing
it on the sled,'which was found forty-
two miles further inland, buried it
again in its last resting place onthe
ice which Wegener had traversed so
many times. Rasmus was never found.
Sorne deep crevasse probably holds his
body.
Concerning the situation as to food
Dr. Georgi, sending out word from
the central station last May, said:
"Provisions we had in 'amplequan-
tity. Even the addition of Dr. Loewe 1
caused no shortage,, since each twenty-
eight rations provision could be
stretched to a third more." So there 7
remains confusion as to the reason
for Wegener's trip. The station ran
short of fuel, however, ,and the tette-',n
perature in the know but varied frail e
freeeing' just under the cening to .4''1
degrees below WO at the floor. At
The King's Example
Quebec Soleil (Lib.) : The King has
just given a splendid example of econ-
omy to the British people by reducing
his civil list $250,000. This sum will
remain in the Treasury and will con-
tribute towards the ballancing of the
Budget.. Most of all it will be a lesson
them that, in these depressing days,
they, too, should devote a part of their
wealth to the succour of the unlucky.
We live in a time when all those who
possess great fortunes should do their
utmost, by the multiplication of their
good works, to soften the lot of the
people. The excessive prolongation of
the present crisis may bring disaster
upon society. It is when times are
bad that those who sow perverse doc-
trines get in their work. It is for
the rich to do all they can to hold
these evil influences in check. It is
only by their .generosity that they will
succeed in doing so.
... is .c..:.
The Mark of the Law
All was quiet and peaceful in the'
little country village. Suddenly a
high-powered car burst into view.
From one side of the road to the other
it sped. scattering the morning. shop
-pers in all directions.
, At the risk of ,his life the village
constable dashed forward with up-
raised arms.
The car, however, continued its wild
career, and finally came to a standstill
within a few yards of the village
pump.
"What ever's the matter?" the sweat
young thing at the wheel asked the
constable.
"Matter!" echoed the red-faced offi-
cer angrily. "You've been driving : to
the common danger, and I'm going to
pinch you."
"Oh, constable, are you really?"
she smilingly replied. "Well, please
do it where it won't show."
Living Cost Drops
27 P.C. in Denmark
Copenhagen — Danish housewives
have profited by a 2 per cent. ,faril
in the price of food, clothes, shoes and
coke here within the fast few
months.
Compared with July, 1930, prices
for those commodities are down 7
per cent. A decrease of about 20
per cent. In retail prices between
1929 and 1930 brings the total de -
ellen in the cost of living since 1929.
to approximately 27 per cent.
Western Canada's Wheat
Winnipeg, Man.—The wheat crop of
the prairie provinces Is estimated at
254,230,000 bushels in the annual esti
mate of the Manitoba Free Press pub-
ished recently. The figures show
27,622,000 bushels for Manitoba, 117,-
588,500 for Saskatchewan and 108,-
20,000 for Alberta.
Atny Johnson Hompe Again
Lympne, Eng: Amy Johnson ratch-
ethero last Wednesday from .13er-
in, completing a round trip flight in
ller oven plane to Tolcyo.
•
Off floe Ceest Dev'ant
Brixham Torbay Royal Regatta at 13,eixliarn,; Devon, is well mune 1
"fisherman's sailing festival," for chief' "feature is race 'for Knig
George V. challenge cup. Trawlers, .as they got under way.
Milk Perfect Food.
Dangerous Slayer
How contradictory the above state-
ment seems and yet how perfectly
true. Milk has been known for years
as the train article of diet for babies,
young children and even up to adult
life. It contains substances which
produce strong bone and good muscle
and provides nourishment in the best
form for the growing child. This
statement is true of pure safe mills.,
and all authorities are agreed that
milk in this form should be a large
part of the diet of the average healthy
child. Why then is it called a danger-
ous slayer? The answer is very
simple. -••It is well-known that many
diseases are -introduced into the hu-
man body through germs. Many of
the most malignant and dangerous of
these live and breed very,cemfortably
in milk. Some of these diseases are
diphtheria, scarlet fe='er, tuberculosis,.
typhoid fever. dysentry septic sore
throat and many ethers.
• erni f s'Ei sirs batetitaseedefrowee.a.
even the most intelligent people tell
the difference between pure and in -
pure milk—between milk which is a
perfect food and milk which brings
disease and death in its train?. No
one but a skilled chemist can be abso-
lutely sure of this for our senses of
sight, smell and taste are incapable of
detectingkthe difference. Impure milk
may clime from the most scrupulously
clean: dairy and we are therefore fac-
ed with the fact that the only defence
against the disease germs lurking in
milk is pasteurization.
Briefly, pasteurization means 'to
heat the milk to 145 degrees Fahren-
heit, keep it at this temperature for -
thirty minutes, rapidly cool it to forty
to fifty degrees Fahrenheit and keep
it cool until consumed. This process
effectively disposes of the disease
germs without materially altering the
quality or flavor of the milk.; Any
vitamin deficiency so caused is. easily
replaced by the. use of orange or to-
mato juice.
A few facts as to what has hap -
Ipened in one province in Canada—On-
, tario-through the use of unpasteur-
ized milk are. herewith appended. In
1928 the town of Dundas with a popu-
elation of 6,137 had an epidemic of
typhoid with thirteen cases due to
people drinking raw milk from a
r
dairy which employed a typhoid car. -
i tier and which did not pasteurize its
milk. '
In' 1927 Chatham with a population
f ' 16,441 had 109 cases of typhoid
I fever. This was' due to milk which
. had been pasteurized and which was
delivered to consumers containing the
t$r vitl germ. In 1930 the town of
Beeville also suffered from an epi-
ii� d°etiiid of typhoid, due to raw milk 'be -
I ing consumed instead of pasteurized
' milk, In. 1930 the. town of Kirkland
Ldke had 457 cases and four deaths
.front Septic Sore Throat all of which
' was directly attributed to the use of
' raw milk containing these germs. Had
the -'milk been pasteurized the town
I would 'have been saved from this epi-
idemie, of disease amt death.
• In contrast to .this we have cities
like Toronto in which not one case
1 tt£ kiz ignid,, , attributed 1» milk nor
are tjtere ai%^"vineT irlYrrC=TJVtata ons
eases because all milk sold in Toronto'
is efficiently pasteurized; Many come
niunities are enforcing the pasteur-
ization by-laws through their City
Councils and they are to be commend-
ed for this work along the lines of
preventive medicine. They are not
I only saving their communities from
the ravages of disease but are actually
improving the business conditions of
$e milk dealers themselves. Pasteur-
i'a'tien is the only method available
f malcing,your milk safe.. In addi-
`eet enables milk to be.transported
gr ter distances and kept longer and
g
til adds in dollars and cents to the
v.� '.., of the milk produced.
,The wife„ of an' American archeo=
I , renowned for his researches
id Mongolia, has obtained .a divorce
on the ground that his prolonged
absences, amounted to desertion. It
is a moving thought that among the
martins of science must be re-
cognized the pathetic figure of the
fossil-widow.—Punch.
Fish Catch Larger Wall Gardening
But Value Is Less
Canada's landings of sea Ash for (By Jeanette Leader.)
the f
ti•st half of the current year were
larger by about 767,000 pounds than
in the first half. of 1930, The catch
for the first six months of the present
year, say:;' a recent bulletin, was 303,-
351,800 pounds as compared with
302,584,300 pounds in the first six
Months of 1930.
Owing, however, to the general de-
cline in prices, the landed value of5
the catch for the six months war
lower this year than last, totaling a
little less than $6,413,000, as cempar
ed. with $9,501,000.
While the landed values decreased,
so far as catch was concerned there
was an increase_of more than 3,000,-
000, pounds in the cast el British Col-
uinbia and of more than 6,000,000
pounds in the ease of Quebec, while
Prince Edward Island landings were
also noticeably above the 1930 land-
ing's for that province. The New
Brunswick catch showed a drop of
about 1,800,000 pounds while theland-
ings in, Nova Scotia were 7,000,000
pounds lower than a year ago.
Asamong the different varieties of
fellthe increased landings were in
pollock, herring, smelts and lobsters.
The lobster catch totaled 34,936,000
pounds as against 34,296,700 pounds
in the .first half of last year.
The salmon catch in :uritish Colum-
bia this year is somewhat below the
corresponding figures for 1930, which
was a record year in the history of
Pacific Coast fisheries, Up to July
11 the pack of British Columbia sal-
mon was slightly above 100,000 cases.
In 1930 the output yup to July 12 was
137,953. The salmon caught in Brit-
ish Columbia in 1930 numbered near-
ly 37,000,000. The highest previous
number reported was 945,000 in 1926.
A Sheer Escape
It was the firm's annual dance. The
young bookkeeper had chosen a very
attractive lady partner.
_ "By the way," he volunteered as
they danced, "do you know that dolt,
the manager?"
His partner made no reply.
"He's about the dumbest half-witted
egg I've ever seen," the youth con-
tinued,
She stopped daneing and stared
hard at her partner,
"Young man," she snapped angrily,
"do you know who I am?"
"`Not the faintest dee," he said,
lightly enough.
"Well, I'm the manager's wife," she
informed him.
He paled. .
•"Gee whiz!" he exclaimed. "Er—do
you know who I am?"
"No," .said his partner.
He backed' hurriedly away.
"Then .thank goodness. for that!"
Suitably Named
The young poet presented his latest
ode to the busy editor.
The latter read it hurriedly.
"You haven't put a title on it," he
said. "What do you propose to call
it?" '
" `My Birthday'," said the poet,
proudly enough:
The editor handea him the MS.
"Then," he said, "I wish you many
,happy returns."
Heard in . the Suburbs
They were making out their weekly
budget. When it had been settled to
their satisfaction he leaned back in
his'ehair and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Anyway, dear," he said, "there's'
one thing we oughtto be thankful
for."
"What do you mean, Henry?" she
asked wonderingly.
"That our friends Haven't got the
things we can't afford;" he explained.
pilot Escapes Uninjured
A graphic picture of ante -gyro r l :ch ca:;glitef! .e et Cleveland airpor
races. James Faulkner, the pir,, es'capednnns cathed.
144,
„r,
during the tl.S
nat:oxi 1
Wald is ,the time to plant bulbs in
your garden and in pots for decorate
ing your rooms during the winter
months. Every available space should
i be used inthe garden for Hyacinths,
daffodils, narcissi, tulips, crocus, lilies,
peonies and other spring flowering
bulbs. They are inexpensive and
f many of them once planted come a ji
Iyear after year.
The soil needs not be very rich; any
soil that is well wonked and loose is
suitable. No fertilizer should touch
any bulb or plant and too much is far
worse than not enough.
Good drainage is very important.
Bulbs will rot if planted where water
lien during the winter. A layer of
and directly under the bulbs is ad-
vised, if possible,
Hyacinths should be planted five
inches deep, tulips and daffodils about
four inches below the surface of the
ground, and the smaller bulbs about
two inches deep. Lily bulbs need to be
six inches or more deep. It is. not nec-
essary to mulch the beds. If this is
done the tender shoots will be harmed
in trying teepush through unless the
lch .is removed very early in the
springmu
Pleasing effects may be produced
in planting bulbs by arranging colors
that harmonize. Beds of all one color
are striking; especially is this true in
the case of a bed of bright red tulips.
It is much better to plant only one oe
two colors in a bed, but in the border
clumps of different kinds are effective,
Do not buy mixed varieties of bulbs
for planting in a bed. On a sloping
lawn, early in the spring these words
were traced in letters of white, purple
and gold, "Spring Is Here." Crocus
bulbs had been planted in the lawn.
They bloomed and gave their message
every year and then disappeared be-
fore it was time to cut the grass.
For indoor culture see that the soil
is fine and free from lumps. Place the
bulb so that when the pot is filled to
within an inch of the top the bulb will
be just below the surface of the soil.
Water well and put the potted bulbs
in a dark cool place for about eight
weeks. Then bring gradually to the
light. Better leave the plants in a
warm room away from the light until
the shoots are several inches high. If
brought to the light too soon the flow-
ers unfold before they are fully ma
tared.'
Never allow the earth to dry out,
but it is just as harmful to keep them
too wet.
Hyacinths and narcissi and Chinese
lilies may be grown quite successfully
in water. Fill a print sealer (if you
haven't a hyacinth glass) with water
and set a hyacinth bulb on top. Leave
in the dark for eight weeks. The jar
will be filled with long White roots.
ptace `four or five narcissi' bulbs in a
dish, supporting with pebbles. Put
just enough water in the dish to touch
the bottom of the bulbs. Put in the
dark for about three weeks. These
bulbs are exceptionally popular. They
may be had to bloom earlier than any
of the others. They make very accept-
able Christmas gifts and are an in-
expensive decoration for the Christmas
tableeat a time when cut flowers and
plants are beyond the ordinary purse.
Have you planted any peonies this
fall? Many think that spring is the
time to plant these beautiful flowers.
Do not plant them in the spring. Nine
times out of ten they will not bloom
for ,many years, if at all. The fall.
from September until the ground is
frozen, is the time for planting, while
they are dormant.
•Do not move a peony if it is doing
well where it is. The shock to the
plant makes it sulk for years. And
while they are sulking there will be
no blossoms. Clumps should not be
divided ,unless absolutely necessary.
If Moved intact they suffer a shock
and frequently deteriorate in a few
years. It doesn't pay to cut them up
to replant either, for much the same
reason, Commercial growers have a
method of propagating them for the
market, but they do not use old
clumps.
Peonies must not be planted deeply.
This also prevents their blooming.
Placing the buds two inches below the
surface of the soil is sufficient. They
need a sunny, well -drained location
and thrive better away from buildings.
Put them in rich, mellow soil and give
them a yearly dressing of well rotted
manure and they will thrive and blos-
som for hundred years and more.
A Pointer for Papa
"Dad," said nine-year-old Tommy,
-rrwhy can't we see the other side of
the moon?"
It was about the twentieth question
he had asked in the last half-hour.
Papa put clewa.his paper and jumped
to his feet.
"What a boy you hare for asking
questions!" he snapped. "I would like
to know what would have happened to
the if I had asked as many questions
'as you when I was a boy."
Tommy shrugged his shoulders.
"Perhaps," he said, "you would
have been able to answer a few of
mine now."
"Our population Is overbalanced—
too many people. in the very large
cities, too few in the smaller cotn-
niunities."—Franklin 17. Itoosevelt..
"There is such a thing•'iis the cant
of patriotism, but what is much more
dangerous Is the cant of anti -patriot
ism."—Stanley .nal clwin.