TRACTOR TRAIN TO POLE

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28540, 20 March 1958, Page 10

TRACTOR TRAIN TO POLE

Study By U.S. Navy

The supplying of the United States Navy station at the South Pole by overland tractor train instead of airdropping is under consideration by the Navy. The American polar commander (Rear-Admiral George Dufek) confirmed this yesterday, and said that the subject was being studied to see if the tractor train would be more practicable than the plane. An overland journey to the pole would involve a distance of about 1100 miles, compared with 838 by plane from McMurdo Sound. The tractor trail from Little America station to Byrd base was 624 miles long. Admiral Dufek said that tractors were not in the American expedition’s plans for the Pole yet, but he agreed with Sir Edmund Hillary that such a train “would most likely be practicable to run.” Cost of Train

“When we have the figures I think we will find the cost to run a tractor train quite high because of the large amount of fuel that would have to be placed and kept at caches and also for the aircraft support," he said.

One of the disadvantages of tractor train supply was the time-wasting and expensive pioneering of a safe trail for which there was no guarantee of permanence. Such a trail was liable to crack apart in many places at any time, and this would involve another pioneering expedition to lay a safe ioute “The best I can say is that both systems can work, but I do not know which is going to cost more. We are working on that right now.” the Admiral said.