OVER KING EDWARD LAND

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 105, 28 January 1929, Page 12

OVER KING EDWARD LAND

COMMANDER BYRD’S NEXT FLIGHT PLANS FOR THE FUTURE Dominion Special Service. Auckland, January 26. Commander Byrd will make.his next flight in the Antarctic. over King Edward Land, states a private cablegram received in Auckland this morn-, ing by Mr R. G. Brophy, second in command of the Byrd Expedition, who arrived from Wellington by the Limited express. Mr. Brophy has come north to complete arrangements for the shipment of the team of 15 dogs which will arrive by the Niagara to-morrow from Vancouver. These dogs, under charge of Mr. Innes Taylor, who, is aviation pilot and dog driver, will be sent south by a fast goods train on Monday evening, and will be transported from Wellington to Lyttelton on Wednesday night. Arrangements have been made to place them in quarantine at Dunedin until they are shipped on the Eleanor Bolling next month. A quantity of scientific gear which is being brought from America will also be loaded on the Eleanor Bolling at Dfinedin. An aeroplane, two tractors, 8000 gallons of aviation petrol, 4000 gallons of kerosene for heating houses at “Little America,” Commander Byrd’s home in the Antarctic, and 2000 gallons of ordinary petrol for tractors and automobiles, makes up a bulky portion of the shipment now in store at Dunedin. Also there are four portable houses specially insulated ami built to withstand a blizzard of 150 miles an hour, and foodstuffs to augment supplies suffiicently to meet requirements of 40 men for eighteen mouths.

“The City of New York,” said Mr. Brophy, “will have to be out of the Antarctic before March 15, and consideration is being given to the possibility of a cruise of the South Pacific during the winter to carry out charting investigations with the aid of the sonic depth-finder installed ou board. Personally, I don’t expect to visit the Antarctic until next year. I shall go by the City of New York on her first trip after winter.” During the interval Mr. Brophy may have to revisit America to arrange for the raising of the balance of the funds necessary for the expedition. “We have, received numerous contributions in cash and merchandise from friends and supporters of the expedition, in New Zealand, and for these we are very grateful,” Mr. Brophy remarked. He added that the expedition was steadily being built up to its full strength. Its total financial value when completed would be 1,500.000 dollars, including the two ships now in use, four aeroplanes, two large crawler tractors, two automobiles, extensive scientific equipment, 15,000 dollars worth of fur, clothing, and boots and shoes, some of which cogt 50 dollars a pair. So large are some of the boots that there will be no difficulty in accommodating four or five pairs of thick socks. Regarding the problem of transport, Mr. Brophy said the use of tractors to relieve dog teams should be a great success. The caterpillar type had been well tested In snow conditions in North America, and such tractors were in constant use in lumbering and mining districts in temperatures as mueli as 4Udeg. below zero. This was made possible by using kerosene for the cooling system. The expedition also had an automobile equipped with skis on the front mid a caterpillar tread on the rear wheels, and Mr. Brophy had arranged to take his personal ear to. the Antarctic, where he expected to find it adaptable to snow travel.