Dr. Fuchs Begins Antarctic Journey

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28445, 27 November 1957, Page 21

Dr. Fuchs Begins Antarctic Journey

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright)

LONDON, November 25. Two short messages from the Antarctic today signalled the start of an epic bid to cross the 2100 miles of the world’s last unexplored continent. The announcement came from the 49-year-old British leader of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarc-tic Expedition, Dr. Vivian Fuchs, whose expedition is attempting the first crossing by land of the vast Polar wastes. With eight men. husky dogs and six vehicles with caterpillar tracks, Dr. Fuchs left Shackleton Base, on the edge of the white continent, at 9.45 p.m. G.M.T. yesterday. For 24 hours he had been poised ready to set out on the two months’ trek, awaiting favourable weather. His first major objective is the South Pole, which the expedition hopes to reach by Christmas. Then it will set out into the unknown for a rendezvous with the expeditionary group led by Sir Edmund Hillary, the rugged New Zealander, who was the co-con-queror of Everest. This group is already well on its way from the other side of Antarctica towards a point several hundred miles from the Pole, where the link-up with Dr. Fuchs is expected to take place some time in January. The first message received by the expedition’s London headquarters merely said: ‘‘Six vehicles left Shackleton 2145 G.M.T. November 24.” The second, a few hours later, read: ‘‘Main party departed in grand style, 2145 G.M.T., November 24. Three Snocats, two Weasels, one Muskeg (snow vehicles) pulling 20 tons.”

This cablegram added that four Royal Air Force men and Geoffrey Pratt, one of the scientists, had stayed behind at Shackleton base. Mr Pratt, it said, would later be flown to the advance base at South Ice, which the main party is heading for. An advance party of two—Hal Lister, a glaciologist, and Johannes La Grande, a South African meteorologist—is already there. Aims of Expedition Apart from the urge to be first across the Antarctic, the £500,000 expedition has specific scientific aims. I?r. Fuchs, himself a geologist, hopes to get some clue as to what mineral wealth may be hidden under the great mass of ice. The party will take meteorological soundings which may be of great advantage to world weather forecasting. Perhaps the biggest question to solve is whether the so-called continent is really a continent at all. One theory is that it consists only of ice on top of an ocean. The expedition is fighting against time to make its great trek before the brief Polar summer ends in February. Temperatures are onij r slightly below freezing point now, but any big delay means unbearable cold and dangerous blizzards. Dr. Fuchs carries with him a silver chronometer found on the body of Captain Robert Falcon Scott, the British explorer who

died after reaching the South Pole in 1912.

Compared with the days of Scott, Dr. Fuchs and his party have set out into an Antarctic well populated by many nationalities. Scientific parties from various countries are already settled in bases for observations in connexion with the current International Geophysical Year. The United States and Russia each have groups there, as have New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, Chile, France, Japan, and Norway. Message from Queen

Queen Elizabeth, patron of the Antarctic Expedition, sent a message to Dr. Fuchs and his party wishing them every success before they left Shackleton Base.

The Royal message, released in London tonight by the expedition headquarters, read: “As you start on your journey across Antarctica, my husband and I wish every success to you and your companions.—Elizabeth R.”