stefansson-wrangel-09-32-053r

THE DEVELOPMENTS OF 1924 309

WRANGEL ISLAND OF UTMOST
VALUE, SAYS RUSS CHIEF

Great Plane Base

Davidoff Declares Action Permanently Ends Efforts of
Imperialists to Seize Island

Moscow, Nov. 19.—The Soviet expedition, which sailed the
armed transport, Red October, to Wrangel Island and there raised
the Russian flag, returned here to-day.

With the Red October party was Charles Wells and his thirteen
Eskimos. Wells, who is a citizen of the United States, and his
Eskimo companions, had been planted on Wrangel Island by an
expedition sent out by Stefansson. They had been engaged in
hunting and fishing there during the past year.

The American has been assigned quarters in the government
naval building under the soviet commissariat of foreign affairs.

When removed from the island Wells had in his possession United
States and British flags, not Canadian flags as was first reported.

Commenting on the results of the Wrangel expedition, Com-
mander Davidoff said: “Raising the red flag on Wrangel Island is
of the greatest importance to soviet Russia. It terminates the
efforts of imperialists to seize the island, on which they intended
to organize a base for airplanes flying from the United States to
Europe. The island would have made an ideal aerial base because
it possesses a natural plateau.

“Wrangel Island is of the greatest importance to soviet Russia
economically. It is very rich in furs, sea animals and fishes. Its
forage is suitable for the establishment of deer breeding. It is not
yet known whether it possesses rich minerals, as geological speci-
mens gathered by the expedition have not yet been examined
scientifically.”

(Toronto, Ontario, Star, November 19, 1924.)

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