STEFANSSON DISPELS COMMON THEORIES OF HARDSHIP IN ARCTIC

Vilhjalmur Stefansson, speaking before an audience which overflowed the Living Room of the Union, In an illustrated lecture gave an extremely interesting account of his many experiences in the Polar regions.

People Ignorant of True Conditions

Referring to his past experience as a lecturer, Mr. Stefansson declared that he had always found it necessary to describe a few facts concerning the Arctic, about which the general public is in complete ignorance. "For instance," he declared, "it is possible to go more than 500 miles farther north on the Atlantic side than on the Pacific, due to the fact that the Gulf Stream penetrates much farther north than does the Japan Current in the Pacific, and as a result the open water extends much nearer the Pole. For this reason it means nothing to ask an Arctic explorer how far north he has been.

"Most people suppose that the Arctic Circle is extremely could, but it really has a temperature which is about the same as northern Montana in the winter time. In the plains just east of the Rocky Mountains in Alaska for instance, there is no trace of glaciation, while it is known that at one time, all of New England was covered by an immense ice-sheet.

Greenland an Exception

"This distorted idea of the fact is probably due to an historic idea that the north is dreadfully cold, and to the fact that the present-day school geographies are usually incorrect on this point. Greenland, however, is an exception to the rules as it has a heavy rainfall and a high altitude, both of which factors tend to produce heavy glaciation. Nevertheless, on the great Canadian Archipelago there is no trace of glaciation for the past thousand years.

"According to Admiral Peary's idea, Polar exploration was nothing more than a problem in transportation--a problem of how to carry the most food in the most compact form. Peary's plan by which he reached the North Pole was to lead his sieds with food, and to send them back for more supplies as soon as their cargoes were exhausted. In this way, he just reached his goal, if he had fifty more miles to go he would have turned back.

Peary's Method Wrong

"After talking with Admiral Peary on his return. I was convinced that his method was wrong. It seemed to me that although seals had never been seen in the region of the Pole, that they must exist, and that if this was true it would be possible to go on much longer trips, and to stay for a much longer time away from civilization. Accordingly, I decided to make an expedition to test my theory.

"Soon after this, I got together a small army of scientific men, and finally secured the necessary appropriation to make the trip. At this time, however, the Government of Canada, decided that the land to the north belonged primarily to Canada, and that their country should pay for all scientific explorations.

"Personally, it made no difference to me where the money which was to finance the expedition came from, and I accepted this offer. I soon found out, however, that Government control was not all that it was supposed to be. However, after disposing of the useless material which was forced upon us, we were able to make an extensive exploration and determine many facts of scientific importance."

Following this address, Mr. Stefansson showed a series of lantern slides, which graphically depicted his experiences among the inhabitants of the Arctic and in the ice fields of the North.