Fuchs Going Faster; 260 Miles To Pole

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28480, 9 January 1958, Page 8

Fuchs Going Faster; 260 Miles To Pole

(New Zealand Pres* Association; SCOTT BASE, January 7. Dr. Vivian Fuchs’s Antarctic traverse party has just crossed the 86th parallel of latitude. It is now 260 miles from the South Pole in latitude 86 deg. 2min south, running down the meridian 30 deg. west. For the third day in succession it has run 30 miles or more. Yesterday’s run was 30 miles, in spite of wind raising much drift.

Dr. Fuchs radioed through Scott Base today:—“Now that we are reducing the number of vehicles and the crevasse areas are behind us we are making better progress. Even over the hard areas of sastrugi we go 20 to 30 miles a day, and though we shall be some-

what late we ought to catch up on the good surfaces around the Pole.”

In a message to Squadron Leader John Lewis, leader of the Royal Air Force party which flew the Otter aircraft to Scott Base, Dr. Fuchs referred to the extra stocking of Depot 700 by Squadron Leader Lewis and the Royal New Zealand Air Force flight

under Squadron Leader John Claydon.

He said:—**l>do. noV want risks taken by you or John Claydon to get the fuel there, as it is additional to our minimum requirements already there; but it will be a safeguard against increased consumption in cold weather, witness first South Ice trip.” Seismic Recordings Dr. Fuchs’s party reported today that it was at the next station for taking seismic recordings, but was having some trouble with a seismic camera. Tjie seismological shots and the complementary gravimeter measurements are in the care of Geoffrey Pratt. He and the expedition’s glaciologist, Hal Lister, customarily travel ahead in their snocats to make their observations, allowing themselves to be overtaken or leapfrogged by the main party. Whether the pause for the seismic soundings is short or long depends almost entirely on the snow conditions at the point chosen. The observations may take one hpur or several hours.

The two dog teams are still with the tractors and doing very well but Just keeping up, according to today’s message from the traverse party. Ken Blaiklock, a surveyor, is leader of the dog party. His companion is Jon Stephenson, an Australian, whose scientific interest with the expedition is geological.

The British -party- is now at 8000 ft, having climbed steadily since leaving its camp at South Ice, which was at 4600 ft.