OVER ROOF OF THE WORLD

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 336, 23 April 1928, Page 1

OVER ROOF OF THE WORLD

GREAT FLIGHT BY WILKINS FROM ALASKA ACROSS NORTH POLE DREAM OF AGES NEARS REALISATION (United P.A.—By Telegraph — Copyright} (Australian Press Association)_ Reed. 9.5 a m. NEW YORK, Sunday. “THE dream of ages of a North-west passage across the I world has been brought' nearer to practical achievement through the pioneering of Captain G. H. Wilkins,” said Captain Vilhjalmur Stefansson, the famous Arctic explorer, picturing North Pole crossroads, where in the future Continent-to-Continent caravans will meet, shortening the distances by hundreds of miles.

T'iISPATCHES from Detroit had stated that in a wireless message to the “Detroit News” from Svalbard, Spitzbergeii, Captain Wilkins, the Australian explorer and aviator, announced that he had reached Spitzbergen. The flight, with one stop, occupied five days, and the actual flying time was 20£ hours. Bad weather was experienced. The plane in which the Arctic flight has been made iis the smallest craft ever used in Arctic exploration. It is a Lockhead-Vega, a new type of plane just put on the market, and compared with the Dornier machine, which was used by Captain Amundsen, and with Commander Byrd’s triplaned Fokker, this monoplane appears However, it is extremely speedy. AH the comment in New York is unanimous that Captain Wilkins’s flight is epochal. Official and aviation circles in the United States have joined in congratulating the aviator and in hailing his persistence and courage as making him one of the outstanding figures in exploration and aviation to-day. The Secretary of State, Mr. F. B. Kellogg, cabled to Captain Wilkins and Lieutenant Eielsen his heartiest congratulations on their splendid flight, saying it was a wonderful accomplishment. Commander Richard Byrd, who was the first man to fly across the North Pole, says he has nothing but admiration for Captain Wilkins’s persistence in the face of discouragement. His flight was of great scientific value. His navigation was worthy of the highest praise. He congratulated him most heartily. Commander Douglas Jeffrey, who, with Captain Wilkins, accompanied the Shackleton expedition, said he felt he would pull through. He v*is

Captain Wilkins flew from Fairbanks, Alaska, to Point Barrow, and thence across the roof of the world to Spitzbergen. a resourceful sort of fellow. Captain Stefansson, the famous Arctic explorer, expressed his delight at the success of the flight. He said Captain Wilkins was the best man he had in his Canadian Arctic expeditions of 1913 to 1918. He also referred to LieutenantGeneral Sir John Monash’s statement that Captain Wilkins was the bravest and the ablest man he had had with him in the war when he commanded the Australians. MAY FLY ANTARCTIC According to information available here, Captain Wilkins intended, if the Spitsbergen flight was successful, to leave next September for an Antarctic expedition, flying a seaplane eastward from the Ross Sea to Graham’s

aooui nines soulju. uj. v^«,pc Horn, the purpose being the establishment of 12 Antarctic meteorological stations for forecasting years in advance weather conditions in inhabited regions of the globe. The observations would be taken over one sun-spot cycle of 11 years. He said the economic value of such forecasts would be immense. It would eliminate sufferings from famine, and droughts and prevent food speculation on a large scale. It is known that one of Captain Wilkins’s aspirations is a circumnavigation of the Pacific, in a series of 2,000-mile hops over a distance of 18,000 miles, with stops at Los Angeles, 1 Seattle, Unalaska, Tokyo, Australia- New Zealand, the Ross Sea, Graham’s Land and Cape Horn. It is interesting to note that the American Geographical Society received a message from Captain Wilkins saying no “ftxes” had been seen. This was a code arrangement by means of which the explorer indicated that he had seen no land in the Polar region.

“OVER WORLD’S ROOF” GREAT LONDON INTEREST CAUSE OF DELAY (Australian Press Association) Reed. 9.5 a.m. LONDON, Sunday. Captain Wilkins’s feat in flying over the roof of the world has excited the greatest interest in London. It would have been known sooner but for the sudden death of the wireless operator at King’s Bay, Spitzbergen. Reed. 9.5 a.m. OSLO, Sunday. The newspaper “Dag - Bladet” says that Captain Wilkins and Lieut. Eielson arrived at Dauholmen after flying over the North Pole in 21 hours from Point Barrow. Both airmen are well. Troipso reports that Captain Wilkins landed at Green’Harbour in the best conditions. The machine was in no way damaged. It has special wooden skids fitted to enable its landing on ice or snow. A wireless message from Green Harbour says the plane, owing to tempestuous weather and snow storms, was forced down on the small uninhabited island of Dauholmen, situated north of Spitzbergen, where the airmen were obliged to-stay for five days, waiting for favourable weather before the flight to Green Harbour, which has a wireless station and is a centre of coalmining. Captain Wilkins and his companion will be obliged to stay in a small village called Long Year City, near Green Harbour, until the first few weeks in May, when there will be a general thaw of the Polar Sea. Here 400 men from the surrounding mines spend the winter, as the terrible conditions make work impossible. Captain G. H. Wilkins, with his pilot, Lieutenant Eielson, landed at Point Barrow on March 19. After making preparatory flights there they left for Svalbard (Spitzbergen), but for some days anxiety was felt for them, as no wireless messages from them were received. Captain Welkins has made two privious attempts to conquer the Arctic region, but both were unsuccessful, in spite of the airmen’s grave risks.

Captain Wilkins was leader of the Wilkins' Australian and Islands expedition for the British Museum, 1923-25. In the war he served in the Australian Flying - Corps, and was official photographer to the Military History Department, and was mentioned in despatches. He navigated the Blackburn Kangaroo plane in the England to Australia flight in 1919, and was second in command of the British expedition to the Antarctic in 1921-22, and was naturalist with the Shackle ton-Rowett expedition in 1921-22. Prior to this he had been a correspondent in- the Balkan War, 1912-13. He was born in South Australia in 1888. WHALERS TO RESCUE AMAZED AT STORY AN IMPORTANT FEAT (Australian Press Association) Reed. 11.5 a.m. COPENHAGEN, Sun. When Captain Wilkins was compelled to land at Dauholmen, he had little food. Fortunately, whale-fishers sighted the machine and the flyers on the island, and went to their aid in a boat. They were astounded to learn that the airmen had flown from Alaska. They replenished their food when they reached Green Island. The temperature was several degrees below zero, and the airmen said they were tremendously hungry. Captain Wilkins hopes to complete the flight to the European mainland presently, provided the machine will permit that. It is understood to be in good condition, according to a radio message from Green Harbour. Everywhere the feat is regarded as of the greatest importance, as it will enable geographers to fill in maps of the Arctic Circle, the great white space between the north of Canada and the north of Siberia.