JAZZ IN THE ARCTIC

Evening Star, Issue 19023, 19 August 1925, Page 5

JAZZ IN THE ARCTIC

BROADCASTING ESKIMO MUSIC THE MACMILLAN EXPEDITION. Trees Association —By Telegraph—Copyright. NEW YORK, August 17. A message from Chicago states that Captain Macmillan announced through the Zenith Radio Corporation here that he would broadcast an Eskimo jazz night on August. 19 on a 40-nictre wave-length. Greenland’s oldest glee club will sing choruses akin to civilised wailing, accompanied by kiloutes -drum-like instruments which are beaten with walrus hones. Tho previous programme was so clear that it was rehroadcasted on .322 metres. Captain Macmillan states: “The Eskimos tako their music very seriously. Me cannot laugh during the performance or they are offended, but when it is ended the heartier onr laughter the better it pleases them. They seem to take our merriment as applause.”—A. and N.Z. Cable.

EXPLORING BY PLANE. WASHINGTON, August 17. Tho naval aviators aro gradually establishing a base west of Ellesmere Land, according to a message Iroin Lieutenant-commander Byrd, Two planes which left Etah encountered fog and low clouds 105 miles from the base. One stopped on account of engine trouble, hut the other Hew over Cannon Fjord at an altitude of 5.000 ft into the unexplored region of Grinncl Land. The observers found high uncharted mountains and a frozen lake. They wore stopped by cloud-covered peaks. Tho planes returned to Sawyer Bay, where they established a cache. They encountered a fifty-mile gale over the water.—A. and N.Z. Cable. WIRELESS AND OTHER EQUIPMENT Donald B. Macmillan, famous Arctic explorer, is on his ninth dash into Hie frozen north, and is keeping in touch with the world by radio (says the ‘Christian Science Monitor’). .Ho left in Juno in his staunch little cralt, the Bowdoin, accompanied by the Peary, another sturdy Arctic vessel, which carried two amphibian airplanes supplied by ■ tho United States Navy, and he expects to send hack daily reports of tho expedition’s progress in the Arctic zone on a radio wave-length ol twenty melres. Tho National (.cographic Society, under tho auspices oi which the expedition will operate, is disseminating the news to radio listeners. 'the expedition hopes to show that the human voice can he transmitted from the frozen north, despite Hie twenty-four hours ol daylight which will prevail there at tho time. In that event it is planned to transmit reports, Eskimo folk songs, ami other features I nun tho North Pole region to Chicago on tho twenty-metre wavelength, where it will he put on the air at radiocasting wave-lengths. A. special studio for talking to the Macmillan expedition and receiving its reports on the twenty-metro wavelength has been rigged up atop of Hu: thirty-two story Straus Building in Chicago, more than 450 ft above the street level —the highest accessible spot in the Middle AVost. Field engineers equipped with similar apparatus arc stationed at various strategic points throughout the U.S. and Canada, and tune in at pre-arranged periods with the expedition during its course. Amateurs of the United States are also co-operating in getting messages from tho expedition, if voice transmission fails a wireless code will he used.

The navy airplanes arc equipped with different radio sets to cover all possible contingencies that may arise. One plane carries a standard navy aircraft spark sot. The other airplane is equipped with a short-wave radio set operating on a band between twenty and sixty metres. While the navy set is hold superior for communicating between the planes and the base ship while the plane Is in the air, the short-wave set is able to communicate with the base ship and probably the outside world in ease of forced landing. The operation of the navy set depends on a wind-driven generator, which is only effective when the plan is in (light. The short-wave set, however, lias been found to be ineffective in the aii - . because of interference from the ignition system. it will bo of greatest use when the plane is on the ground or on the water and the engine is dead. The latter set depends on battery for the source of power. Each radio set installed in the planes weighs in the neighborhood of 1001 b.

The base ship of the expedition, the Peary, is equipped with two _five-kilo-watt transmitting sets. One is similar to the installation for United States destroyers, and is a spark set. The other is a five-kilowatt tube set. The capacity of the airplanes used on the expedition permits three men and 35011) of equipment being carried in each.

The piano personnel is a pilot-nicchanician-rigger, a navigator, and a photographer. One hundred pounds of radio equipment, ISOlfc of food, camping equipment, firearms and ammunition and harpoons, and 1001 b of camera material are carried by each plane.

The explorers hope to find not only new land and possibly a now continent, but also new bird and animal life. Captain Macmillan confidently predicts that the expedition will survey the only remaining “blind spot” on the map of tbo world—a. region of more than 1,000.000 square miles, lying between Alaska and the North Pole. Other features of tho expedition vie in importance and romance with ihc exploration of tho groat northern unknown area. It is planned to visit, Cape Columbia (Peary’s “jumping-off ” place) by air. and obtain copies of tbe vitally important records which Peary left there. Twenty-four carrier pigeons are carried by the navy section of the expedition for communication purposes. The pigeons were trained at Anacostia for several months for long flights over cold country. They are said to have proved themselves capable of flying over 500 miles a day with unerring ability to find Anacostia,