TRAVEL IN ANTARCTICA

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 264, 3 August 1929, Page 11

TRAVEL IN ANTARCTICA

BYRD PARTY’S PROBLEMS PREPARATIONS FOR COMING SEASON PLANS FOR LAND PARTY AND FLYERS Mr. Russell Owen draws a graphic picture of Commander Byrd preparing plans for exploration work during the forthcoming season. (United Press Association. —By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) (United Service.) (By Russell Owen —Special to “New York Times.”) Bay of Whales, July 31. A man in a grey shirt with an eyeshade shielding his gaze from the light of a lamp overhead, sits in front of a table which is littered with oddly-con-structed tracings, dividers, parallel, roller protractor, and many pieces of paper, on which are innumerable calculations. He is thoughtfully chewing a pencil as he leans back regarding the problem before him. His face is hidden by a shadow, but his jaw sticks out, as he unconsciously reflects the difficulty of his task. He might be an engineer, architect, or scientist engaged in plotting the curves of force. His costume is puzzling in relation to his occupation. He wears fur pants, and his feet are encased in shapeless convas boots wound with cord. This is a picture of Commander Byrd considering matters of food and clothing. proper sleeping tents, dogs, navigation, personnel, and a dozen things, each with its manifold ramifications, which occupy his mind as they hV‘‘ the thoughts of the other leaders who have made Antarctic history. 1500 Miles Afoot. Travelling 1500 miles afoot, as the southern party plans to do to accomplish its geological work in the distant mountains, involves being away from the base three months. Every possible contingency must be provided for before the teams start, but in addition to all these matters there are very different problems connected with aviation to which Commander Byrd must give his attention. The flight to the Pole, for instance, is not a simple flight of 800 miles inland and back again. It is a flight of hundreds of miles over rolling barren surface. Then a rampart of mountains, 14,000 feet high, looms, over which the ’plane must climb before continuing its journey over a plateau 10,000 feet above the sea level. The factors of low speed, horse-power, rate of climb, and the many engineering problems which enter into such a flight, make it very complicated. Added to these innumerable considerations are matters of weather, questions of route and bases, the possibilities of refuelling, if necessary, at an inland base at some stage of the journey, navigation problems, and a thousand things which must be discussed and solved. , . • X Conference of Air Pilots. Last night a group of pilots stood about the Commander for two hours, while they talked over the various aspects of the trip. Should a certain thing be done this way or that? What would be the best method consistent with accomplishing the purposes of the flight? Question after question came up, and there are many of these conferences, formal and informal, at which pilots, all of them experienced in many kinds of flving, give their opinions, but it is Byrd who must decide. Upon him rests the responsibility of selecting the plan which promises to give the maximum results with greatest safety. (Copyrighted 1928 by “New York Times” Company and “St. Lonis Post-Dispatch. All rights tor publication reserved throughout the world.] DISCOVERY LEAVES LONDON MISHAP AT THE DOCK Australian Press Association. London, August 1. The Mawson Antarctic Expedition’s ship Discovery left East India Dock for Cardiff in a driving rain and half a gale. When she was just clear of the dock head the tow rope snapped and the current drove the Discovery against the quay with a sound of rending timbers, but the ship was unscathed. Further trouble was averted by dropping an anchor till a new tow rope was fixed. After that the Discovery steamed down in the wake of a big liner, to which she presented a striking contrast.