ANTARCTIC AEROPLANE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1232, 14 September 1911, Page 5

ANTARCTIC AEROPLANE.

VALUE FOR RECONNAISSANCE. By Teleerapli—PrcES Association'— Copyright Fremantle, September 13. Lieutenant Watkins, the aviator, who is to accompany the Mawson Antarctic Expedition, has arrived hero. Tho aeroplane he will uso is fitted with nn ice carriage and will travel sleigh fashion when not in uttf. • Tho Lieutenant anticipates that tho Mar cold will bo no bar to flying, and that tho machine should prove specially useful for mailing reconnaissances of travcrsable routes. In •the event of making a dash for tho Pole, the aeroplane could slay in the air for fivo hours, and travel 300 miles there and back in that time. It will be capable of carrying one passenger. DR. MAWSON AND HIS PLANS. "Somo Australians still don't seem to know," said Dr. Maw.son to a Sydney pressman last week, "that we are net making a dash for the Polo. Captain Scott is to uphold the honour of the British Empiro in that respect. Our work first and foremost' is geographical. Wo are going to chart 2000 miles of unknown coastline —to discover harbours and so forth, so that they can bo readily visited from Australia. Wo don't intend to go very far inland, Tho interesting belt is that within 100 or 200 miles of the coast. Our journeys will be mostly dog sledging along tho coast. There will bo 52 men altogether in tho expedition. Twcnty-uvo will be permanently attached to the Aurora, and 27 will be landed in threo parties along the coast, at intervals.of about 100 miles. Tho vessel is now on her way to Australia, and will arrivo at Hobart about tho end of October. She will land the dogs and general cargo at Hobart, and then visit Sydney." Dr. Mawson is very proud of his little vessel, tho Aurora, of which lie spoke in tho following terms:—"Tho little ' vessel iurora is one of the finest of her class. She carries about 650 tons of cargo, and is practically a sister ship of the Terra Nova, now imder commission by Captain Scott in Antarctic work. Her master is Captain J. Davies, who commanded tho Nimrod. Tho Aurora is a roomy vessel, quite, different from tho Nimrod, which carried Sir Ernest S'hackleton's expedition. His party was handicapped severely through insufficient room. With the Aurora 1 believe Shacklelon would have reached tho Pole. So cramped were the conditions that from that cause alone he lost several ponies." Another thing Dr. Mawson is proud of is his combined aeroplano and motor sledge. Speaking of it he said:."l havo obtained a combined aeroplane and motor sledge. In half an hour it can be eonverted from a flying machine to a sledge, ami vice versa. . It is the heaviest, but tho best monoplane made. Its construction is of nickel steel, and it is of the make that seems most likely to be adopted by the JJritish Army. I will give demonstrations of it during my stay in Australia,' and you may look forward to seeing it flying in Sydney. Such demonstrations should be of some value to our own military authorities. Lieutenant 11. E. Watkins, of tho Essex Regiment, who is an airman of proved capacity, will be in charge of tho aeroplane, which is capable of carrying a passenger and considerable gear. In tho ice regions wo will use it more for sledging purposes than flying. I don't suppose'wo will fly moro than 100 miles at a timo from a baso. It will come in very useful. If, for instance, wo wero on floe ice, and a brealcoff occurred, wo could fly ashore. And it will enable us to travel with safety over unsafe surfaces. At any time we will be able to fly over heavily crevassed ice, which would Ire impossible under other conditions. With case wo should be abio to travel distances of 20 or 30 miles in relays, and take several tons of stuff with us." The expedition will leave Hobart for Antarctica about December 1. Something more than half of tho .£50,000 required for tho expedition lias been obtained.