EXPLORATION BY AIR

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXII, Issue 19443, 31 October 1925, Page 17 (Supplement)

EXPLORATION BY AIR

CAPTAIN WILKINS NOT ABOARD WHALER WILL COME TO NEW ZEALAND Hopes that. Captain Wilkins’ Antarctic expedition might be aboard the whaler Sir James Clark Ross, which arrived in Lyttelton on Friday morning from Sandefjord, Norway, were dashed when pressmen climbed up the swinging Jacob’s ladder to her dack. “No, he’s not aboard,” said an officer in response to an inquiry. “Cap tain Wilkins was not ready to come with us when we left.” Further inquiries from those aboard elicited the information that though Captain Wilkins had missed this voyage his projected expedition on behalf of the British Museum had not been abandoned, and that he was busily engaged making arrangements at Home. Captain Wilkins, who bought Captain Amundsen’s Arctic aeroplane for 80,000 kroner (£3200), has been promised all the assistance that the Ross Sea Whaling Company can give him. Captain G. H. Wilkins returned to England in Mhv from an exploring expedition in North Queensland on behalf of the British Museum. The explorer proposes to take an aeroplane to the Antarctic coast directly south of New Zealand and to fly to Graham’s Land. His object will be to secure information of economic value in regard to the known vast stores of coal, mineral, and other wealth in the Antactio. This flight will be preliminary to a projected huge international scheme -which involves the use of specially-fitted ships for supplying daily meteorological records to all parts of the world. It is estimated that the cost of this international scheme will be somewhere in the vicinity of £2.000.000.

As soon as tho news of Captain Amundsen’s safe return from the North Polo was received. Captain Wilkins. who had been on the lookout for a. machine for use in the Antarctic, loft London for Norway to open negotiations with Captain Amundsen for tho purchase of his aeroplane, which had been fully filter! out for work in tho ice-bound regions of the north. He was successful in making a deal and returned to London to complete arrangements.

Officers of the ship wore unable to indicate when tho expedition would reach New Zealand, but said that Captain Wilkins intended leaving from the Dominion on his southward journey. Ho would proceed with tho ship probably to Cape Adare. South Victoria Land, whore the ’plane would be swung outboard and a start made.

Moro success is looked for in the sou f h with an aeroplane, as the character of the ice is different from that in the Arctic, affording landing and taking-off surfaces, as there are no hummocks to speak of.