In Tom Swift in the Caves of Ice, Abe Abercrombie shows up with a tale of a valley of gold in Alaska. Andy Foger steals and copies Abe's treasure map before Tom forces him to return it. Andy is constructing his own airship, a large tri-plane. A race ensues between Tom and Andy to the Valley. The frozen wastes are hazardous and the Red Cloud is wrecked in the collapse of an ice cave. Tom and his party struggle to get the gold back to civilization.
Victor Appleton was a pen name used by at least eight authors who wrote for Edward Stratemeyer. Of the 38 titles in the first Tom Swift series, Howard Garis (April 25, 1873 November 6, 1962) wrote the first thirty-five, while Harriet Stratemeyer Adams (December 12, 1892 March 27, 1982), daughter of Edward Stratemeyer, wrote the remaining three.