ANTARCTIC HEIGHTS

Northern Advocate, 15 March 1929, Page 7

ANTARCTIC HEIGHTS

MINERAL COMPONENTS ARE THEY WORTH WHILE? WIND POWER WASTAGE. (United Service.) NEW YORK, March 13. By Russell Owen, Copyrighted 1928 by the New York Times Company and the St Louis Post Dispatch. All rights for publication reserved throughout the world. Wireless to New York Times. BAY OF WHALES, March 13. What the now 'Stretches of land and mountain range already discovered by the Byrd expedition may contain has been the subject of much speculation since they have been found, particularly as the region east of the Ross Dependency has been claimed for the United States. It ils known that there is a wide bolt of low-grade coal in the mountain range on the western side of the Barrier, but there is nothing to tempt anyone toMnine it for a while. Only most precious thilngs, such as jewels or rare elements like radium, would repay the expense and difficulty of extracting them from Antartica.

There is no doubt that such things exist here, but finding them would bo mere chance, ami i!t would be a hardy soul indeed who would go but in thi country on a prospecting trip; but if anything worth the trouble and danger were found, there is no reason why it should not be taken out. Spitsbergen, where coal ifc mined, is nearer the North Pole, than the Bay of Whales is to the South Pole, Spitzbergen. is easily accessible for several months of the year, due .to the Gulf Stream and the proximity of Norway, 500 miles away, whereas Antarctica is cut off from the world by a raging ocean and a belt of ice through which ships may pass only for about two months of the year, and then ■with difficulty. Granted, however, that a cargo sufficiently valuable could be secured, there is no reason why it should not be obtained as men could live hero and work under proper protection. They certainly could work in mines, Although the lowest average temperatures ;in the world are in Antarctica the lowest recorded temperature here is . either 74 or 76 degrees below .Fahrenheit, and except -when 'the wind blows the members of the expedition work out of doors at 15 to 20 degrees below zero without great hardship. Nevertheless, it is unlikely that for many years any one will attempt to export diamonds. or pitch-blende from Antarctica. *• , - -

There is one thing which goes to waste here, and that is wind power. There is more power blowing (somewhere about here every day. than is generated in all the central stations of the world. If we had proper equipment we could harness the wind and generate all the electricity needed for power, lights and heat. It may be taken for granted that future expeditions will do this, for it would be a comparatively simple matter. The dog teams are still going south on the Barrier, having laid one base. Larry Gould, with Balchen and June, are still at the Rockefeller Range, having been delayed by bad weather. Both parties report that they are getting along well.