Norwegian Ice from the Arctic Circle to the Equator: During the last few days small blocks of solid ice have been cut cut of the Svartis glacier (The Black Glacier), situated right under the Arctic Circle and transported by helicopter to the nearest road. This ice in bound for Libreville in French Equatorial Africa, and will be transported to there in a huge truck, which will start from the twon of MO, in Northern Norway (near the Arctic Circle) on February 10th, and is expected to take some 20 days. Why all this fuss? it started in a programme on Radio Luxemborg, where a glass wool expert claimed that, properly isolated an ice block from the Arctic could be transported down to the hottest Equator without melting. The Radio Luxembourg people did not believe this, and they promised to pay 100,000 francs for each kilogram out of a ton which remained unmelted after the transport had been completed and the ice block carried down to the Equator. The glass wool industries of eight European countries, including Denmark, France, Germany, Norway and Sweden, accepted the challenge, but released Radioo Luxembourg from the bet; it would cost Radio Luxembourg many millions of francs they said, because they claimed that the ice block would not melt at all during the transporting when isolated in glass wool. Now the glass wool industries are going to prove it. A couple of experts from the Norwegian glass wool factory have cut small blocks of ice out of the Svartis Glacier and transported it down to the town of Mo, where the small blocks have been frozen into one huge block of three tons, and this block will then be properly isolated by glass wool, placed on the truck and then be carried from the Arctic cold down to the heat of tropic Africa. The truck will also carry a load of medicines to Dr. Albert Schweitzer's hospital at Lambarene. The medicines have bee presented to Schweitzer's hospital by various organisations in the countries taking part in the ice transport. Photo shows Engineer Sivert Klevan (left) who is in charge of the transport and the Norwegian Lap Anders Svartisdal, who assisted Klevan in finding the best ice. Anders Svartisdal owns the ice, but he thinks the fun of the whole thing is sufficient payment.
Photo measures 8.25 x 10 inches.
Photo is dated 2-5-1959.
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