GLOBEMASTERS RETURN FROM McMURDO SOUND

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28743, 14 November 1958, Page 12

GLOBEMASTERS RETURN FROM McMURDO SOUND

The United States Air Force flights to and from Antarctica for this season came to a close shortly before 1 o’clock yesterday afternoon when the last of the Globe* masters to return from McMurdo Sound touched down at Christchurch International Airport. The nine Globemasters now at Christchurch will begin their return flights to Donaldson Air Force base this evening, when Captain Wallace Malone will fly the first Globemaster out. Others will follow during the next few days, and the last Globemaster is scheduled to leave Christchurch on November 28. Ice Runway With the ice runway at McMurdo Sound expected to begin to break up shortly, only two more flights south-will be made until the ice freezes again in February. The Navy’s Super Constellation airliner, commanded by Lieuten-ant-Commander Robert KtdVtell, will leave at midnight tomorrow for McMurdo Sound. It will make a turn-about flight and will complete this year’s flights to Antarctica with another turnabout flight from Christchurch about November 25 or 26. Tomorrow’s Super Constellation flight will carry the deputy-com-mander of the Military Air Transportation Service. Major-General F. E. Glantzberg. two New Zealand geologists. Messrs B. McKelvey and P. N. Webb, and three

New Zealand journalists, Messrs P. Chisholm (South Pacific News Service)? J. E Anderson (Hawke’s Bay “Herald-Tribune”) and W. E. Jlarpcr ’"Dominion.” Wellington). The two geologists are members of a four-man New Zealand Uni-versity-sponsored scientific expedition. Dr. C. Bull, a physicist and Mr R. E. Barwick, a zoologist, the other members of the party, will go south on the last Constellation flight about November 25. The party will be taken to Wright Dry Valley, on the other side of McMurdo Sound and about JOO miles from Scott Base, where they will spend about three months. Travelling Light Of necessity, the expedition will travel light, as all the equipment must be ferried by helicopter, and wilj th err have to be carried as the party makes its survey in the unmapped area of some 2000 square miles. The expedition has been made possible by Victoria University of Wellington, and the New Zealand University Research Grants Council. Dr. Bull is the only member of the party not born in New Zealand. This will be his first visit to the Antarctic, but he has already visited the Arctic with three expeditions—in 1951. 1952-54 and 1955. Messrs McKelvey and Webb spent last summer in the Antarctic. and Mr Barwick the two previous summers.