RETURN OF THREE GLOBEMASTERS

Press, Volume XCIV, Issue 28155, 19 December 1956, Page 16

RETURN OF THREE GLOBEMASTERS

Bad Weather Causes Delay

Bad weather at McMurdo Sound has caused a 24 hours’ delay in the return of the three Globefnasters which are still in Antarctica.

The State of Florida is now expected to reach Harewood at midday today and the City of Peoria and the State of Washington at noon tomorrow. The State of Washington has been under repair since its nose-wheel collapsed when it was making a landing at McMurdo Sound in October. For the flight to Harewood it is likely that the Globemaster’s nose-wheel will be locked down in the same manner as that of the State of Tennessee, which flew back to Christchurch last week after a. similar mishap in the south. After additional repairs at Harewood it is probable that the State of Washington will return to the United States for a depot overhaul. A United States Air Force spokesman said yesterday that when the last Globemaster took off from McMurdo Sound it was believed that it would leave behind two Air Force, officers, eight members of the civilian repair crew, who are dismantling the abandoned Globemaster, State of Oregon, and a Civil Air Patrol cadet, 17-year-old Robert Barger, who was seselected from 51,000 boys and girls between 14 and 18 years of age to accompany the United States Air Force to the Antarctic.

The current phase of the air dropping of materials and supplies for the United States Geophysical Year station at the South Pole is thought to have been completed on Saturday when 12 tons of supplies and a Douglas fir Christmas tree were dropped at the Pole.

A dispatch from McMurdo Sound says that the elevator well of the Globemaster making the drop was damaged as a big canvas container was being bundled out. As a result the Christmas tree and accompanying ornaments had to be dropped without parachute, but they all landed safely. Sergeant Richard Patton, the only Air Force man at the Pole station, reported that the party on the ground dashed out and retrieved the tree and immediately started setting it up. The Globemasters are due to return to the Antarctic some time between January 1 and 15 to resume dropping of the final construction materials and additional food supplies at the Pole and fuel at the Marie Byrd Land station.