OASIS IN THE ARCTIC

this is the tree line north of here trees do not exist this is the diesel electric plant heartbeat of the post this is the airstrip lifeline to civilization this is the arctic snow-covered ice fields and limitless space [Music] so [Music] at latitude 58 degrees 47 minutes north on the western shores of hudson's bay the canadian government maintains the military post of fort churchill although the post was primarily intended for use as a nordic military testing and training station by the joint services of the canadian and the united states armies the airstrip of the rcas air rescue service is now serving as a dispatch point for equipment and supplies being furried north for radar defense installations [Music] with the constantly increasing activity in the north the fort has become the supplying and jumping off point into the central arctic [Music] here in the heart of nowhere hundreds of miles from the nearest civilization has been constructed a small city a veritable oasis in the arty here are comforts and services that are comparable to those to be found in the most modern communities and some facilities not available in many rural centers [Music] [Music] although precipitation is light blowing snow forms huge drips and the prevailing northwestern winds combined with low temperatures result in a wind chill which is more truly arctic than inland points further north periods of extreme cold exist when exposed flesh may be frozen in a matter of seconds and to lack an essential piece of equipment or to become lost when your absence is unknown can be fatal [Music] winds of over 110 miles per hour have been recorded at which point the anemometer disintegrated [Music] so [Music] the establishment of the distant early warning radar net is proceeding and supplies for the construction of the various sites are being buried northward by canadian and united states civilian aircraft together with globemasters of the u.s air force [Music] the date 22 may 1955. headed for a destination west of baffin island the 2095 with major milton vaner in command takes off past the trees that line the runways to define them from the air in the winter [Music] airborne with the course set for the northern terminal major boehner trimmed ship and the crew settled down for the long hop [Music] the altitude 5300 feet the airspeed 310 knots the ground speed 280 miles per hour the outside temperature one zero degrees below zero fahrenheit the wind speed two zero miles per hour north northeast the heading north northwest 356 degrees the time sixteen hundred and thirty hours the latitude six seven degrees crossing the arctic circle [Music] approaching site number 28 the runway built on the frozen waters appears [Music] with a sharp left bank the landing approach has begun the red light signals that the aircraft's romp has been lowered and the cargo is quickly discharged [Music] ice fog floats in the background created by the exhaust of the aircraft's engines [Music] the unloading completed engines are started for an uneventful return journey so [Music] the date one june 55 a dc-4 has made a forced landing 15 miles north on the rapidly throwing ice of the bay and the owners are making desperate efforts to salvage the aircraft from 500 feet the principal hazard the salvage crew is encountering appears in the opening waters of the bay looking for a clearance signal the captain makes a dry run over the drop area [Music] [Music] [Music] wood shavings are being air dropped to the skin aircraft where they are spread over the ice floor as an insulation against the sun if the ice flow can be prevented from melting it will serve as a rock to float the aircraft to shore through the fast opening waters [Music] hex of wood shavings are stacked for the next drop [Music] a helicopter is also engaged in the rescue work as reconnaissance and transport to the scene flight sergeant clark on loan from the rcaf as drop master signals for the kickout and then checks the accuracy of the fall [Music] after the final drop the aircraft returns to base the salvage operation was a pioneering effort and was completed successfully in july when the plane was floated into the churchill harbor [Music] [Music] it is zero 230 hours half past two in the morning and the sun rises over the ice cakes that are still floating in the bay on a summer day in july [Music] the arctic is not all freezing temperatures ice and snow in the summer mild weather is prevalent trees with one side eroded show the intensity of the northwestern winds and even those partially protected do not escape the effects [Music] communication lines are constructed in a tripod formation to prevent blowing over in the winter and sinking into the muskeg in the summer the grave of a trapper lies in the lonely tundra [Music] the arctic can be beautiful flowers of many varieties are to be found in all directions [Music] so [Music] the summer carnival opens with a parade [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] games of chance and concessions raised money to cover the summer comp expenses for the girl guides and the boy scouts [Music] [Music] as the day grows to a close a concert by the royal canadian horse artillery bond is followed by a u.s special services show [Music] [Music] major megans announces the winning carnival queen and colonel houghton the post commander congratulates her and so are 2200 hours 10 o'clock in the evening the busy summer day ends [Music] [Music] 12 october and the sullen skies ride outpost on the approaching winter [Music] the angry seas leap and surge freezing as they dash themselves against the rugged rocks [Music] the spray forms a foam similar to a fire extinguisher mixture [Music] the first snowfall as the wind offers its obligatory [Music] and as the sun returns beautiful frost patterns are formed south in the tree line [Music] a pit filled with ignited oil is the site of the arctic testing by the united states engineer test team of a new firefighting chemical [Music] the results were highly satisfactory [Music] february 1956 inaugurates the arctic bomb penetration test of the snow ice and permafrost establishment of the car of engineers u.s army [Music] a helicopter of the transportation corps takes off to survey the prospective drop site [Music] [Music] [Music] the bomb dropping was conducted with the cooperation of the royal canadian air force who contributed a b-25 bomber and crew from the 406 squadron [Music] with flying officers al arnold and jim gallagher piloting the 264 takes off with a loading of 250 pound inert bombs with a target area located 11 miles east of the main camp [Music] arriving over the target a dry run is made to familiarize the crew with the site [Music] [Music] meanwhile the ground forces are converging on the area in over-snow vehicles of the m-29 and m-76 types [Music] the red flags are up and flight lieutenant robert colder and major george ray who is acting as safety officer check the target area [Music] communications are established with the observation towers where the impact points will be plotted with transits an rcaf flight lieutenant cooler who is the ground to air communications officer contacts the mitchell bomber through the cold call of bob mitchell from brass knob and advises that the area is cleared for the drop [Music] while the aircraft circles onto the baseline an arctic raven comes in on a bomb run of his own [Music] at 2500 feet the bomb dropper flying officer jerry carter gives a final correction bomber to pilot right bomber to pilot left left bomber to pilot steady steady bomber to pilot and ground bomb gone [Music] the target is marked so that the bomb may be excavated and the drop evaluated at a later date [Music] the aircraft makes a low pass over the area to observe the results from the air [Music] aircraft to ground brass knob bob mitchell bob mitchell returning to base and closing down on this frequency [Music] with activities similar to these the last frontiers in the far north are gradually disappearing but the struggle of mine against the elements continues for this is still the arctic cold wind-swept bleak lonely the narrator was ronald shulman you