Pole Station Now Half Rebuilt

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30312, 12 December 1963, Page 20

Pole Station Now Half Rebuilt

When the present summer season ends, the United States Amundsen-Scott South Pole station in the Antarctic wiU be good for many years, saia the scientific leader “ere for the last 13 months (Mr C. Roberts) in Christchurch yesterday. By the end of tile season the entire station will’ have been completely reconstructed and renovated. This job was begun by Navy Seabees last summer when half the reconstruction was completed. The second half is now being carried out. . Because of steel reinforcing of roofs, the station would be in no danger of collapsing under snow, as the old Byrd station was. Only 6in of snow fell at the South Pole a year and this would be removed during the summer period, he said There would certainly be no need to construct an under snow station similar to New Byrd Station at lhe South Pole.

Mr Roberts said the ambitious scientific researen programme carried out at the station had produced the best results of any other American Antarctic station. “I am prejudiced, of course, but I make the claim only after discussion with other station leaders,’’ he said. Research was carried out into aspects of meteorology, low frequency radio waves, radio noise, the ionosphere, aurora and air glow, seismology and geomagnetism. In meteorology the cosmic ray programme was satisfactory and work had begun in preparation for the cosmic ray forward scatter programme. When he left the station last week, Mr Roberts said, two masts of 180 ft and 120 ft for a transmitter and a receiver were being erected for use in this project, in which Soviet scientists will co-operate. Explosion Report Asked about what had been described in American newspapers as “an atomic explosion" last August. Mr Roberts said he thought the

particular term “atomic” illused.

“I was at Honolulu when we exploded an atomic device on Johnson Island, several hundred miles away*, and believe me' you were aware of the effect as the sky lit up,” he said.

“Where we were at the South Pole was probably a better position than any other to notice this sort of thing. Yet there was no explosion, our all-sky camera showed nothing and meteorologically there was little difference except that at or about that time it got a little warmer. Instead of say minus 75deg below, it warmed up to about minus 40deg. below zero.” Several attempts were again made to grow plants at the station, but most wilted It is an exceedingly difficult task and all it proves is that it can be done if one is lucky,” he said.

Mr Roberts, who was scientific leader at the joint American-New Zealand Hallett station two years ago, said one of the greatest problems affecting morale at the station was that for about six months radio contact with the united States had been impossible. In 13 months he spoke with his family on only four occasions. Contact was maintained, however with other Antarctic stations. Three things that were of significance during his time at the station, along with the nine scientists and 13 Navy men, was the record low temperature of 108.9 deg. below zero on July 14, the visit of the New Zealand GovernorGeneral (Sir Bernard Fergusson), “who was interested in everything,” and the impact of President Kennedy’s assassination. “This news reached the base two hours after the tragic happening in Dallas and plunged the station into a day of gloom,” he said.

Pupils in primary schools at Kisii, Kenya, who married after July this year are being expelled.—-Reuter.