PROBLEMS FOR BYRD

Greymouth Evening Star, 2 August 1929, Page 5

PROBLEMS FOR BYRD

POLAR FLIGHT PUNS — . DRAMATIC CONFERENCES , (By Russel Owen, Copyrighted, 1929, by the “New York Times” Company, and “St. Louis Despatch.” All rights for publication reserved throughout the world. Wireless to “New York Times.”) (Australian Press Association.) (By Cable—Press Assn—Copyright.) (Recd. August 2, 11 a.m.) BAY OF WHALES, July 31. A man in a grey shirt, with an eyeshade shielding his gaze from a light lamp overhead, sits at a table litteied with oddly constructed tracings, di viders, parallel roller, protractor, and many pieces of paper, on which are innumerable calculations. He is thoughtfully chewing a pencil, leaning back, regarding the problem before him. His face is hidden by 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 curves of force. His costume is puzzling. In connection with his occupation he wears fur pants, and his feet are encased in shapeless canvas boots, wound with cord. This is a picture of Byrd, considering matters of food, clothing, proper sleeping tents, dogs, navigation, personnel, and a dozen things, each with manifold ramifications which occupy the mind, as they have the thoughts of other leaders who have made Antarctic history. Travelling 1500 miles afoot, as the Southern party plans to do to accomplish their 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 Byrd must give attention.

The flight to the Pole, for instance, is not a simple flight of eight hundred miles inland and back again. It is a flight of hundreds of miles over a rolling barren surface, then a rampart of mountains 1400 feet high, over which the plane must climb before continuing the journey over the plateau 10,000 feet above sea level. The factors of low speed, horse power, rate of climb, and many engineering problems which enter into such a flight made it very complicated. Acftled to these innumerable considerations are matters of weather, the question of route, and bases, possibilities of refilling if necessary at the inland base at some stage of the journey, navigation problems, and a thousand things which must be discussed and solved.

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 the pilots all of them experienced in many kinds of flying, 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 of results with the greatest safety. DISCOVERY LEAVES DOCK. (Received August 2, 11 a.m.) LONDON, August 1. The Discovery left East India Dock •for Cardiff, in driving rain and half a ' gale. She was just clear of the dockhead when a tow rope snapped. The current drove the Discovery against the quay. There was the sound of rending timbers, but the ship was. unscathed. Further trouble was averted by dropping the anchor till a new tow rope was fixed, after which she steamed down in the wake of a big liner, to which she presented a striking contrast.