MUCH KNOWLEDGE GAINED

Chronicle (Levin), 8 March 1947, Page 3

MUCH KNOWLEDGE GAINED

— Press Association

ACHIEVEMENTS OF BYRD EXPEDITION

By Telegravn ■

WELLINGTON, March 7. Tliough it is impossible as vet to cvaluate completcly the aecomplishments of the Americaii Task Expedition the following general summary of the resalts ■ aehieved show the import- ' ance of the two nionths spent iu the | kar South. Ilucii knowledge has been | gaiiied in eonnection with the training j of naval personnel and the testing of j sliips, planes, and other equipmeiit | under Antaretie conditions. | Available reports show 60 successful | pltutographic exploratOi'v 'fiiglits by the j lliree groups of the expedition. j Invaluable experience was gained in | t.lie teclinique of Ihe building and niainj taining of a polar camp. j The discovery was niade of hitherto i ti nknown and incorrectlv charted bays, j inlets, glaciers, islands and mountains. In addition, information was collected from an aerial niagnetie survey and information extended with respect to hydrographic, geographic, geological, ineteorological, and eleetro-magnetic conditions in Antaretica.- The expedition also successfully nsed an airborne magnetometer for plotting the approximate elevation of land flown over. "Highly Signlflcant" Eesults. In summarising scientilie aspects of Ihe operation, t'aptain George F. Kosco, U.S.N., oliicer in eliarge of scientiflc projects, said: "The scienti/ic programme conducted in tlie numerous scientiiic fields has been highly successful. Of course, i these results are not conclusive as they liave lieen taken over a comparatively sliort I'jeriod'of time in the Antaretie, and any oue of the investigations carried out could be made the object of a future expedition. However, this is the first time that units of a single expeditiou have ranged over the periphery of the Antaretie Continent in oue year and the results are therefore highly signihcant. "The hourly weather observations, the dailv radar wind observations and [ radio sonde observations made by stratcgically located units of the expedition made it possible to draw weather maps of Antaretie areas for the first time. The results in the lields of low frequency and high frequency magnetic observations have been very successful. Bolar observations and ice measurements studied and the data collected in the oceanographic studies of Antaretie waters will give a mueh clearer picture of the character of the waters which surround the Antaretie Continent. ' ' During the time the expedition was in Antaretica several Press eonferenees were held aboard the Mount Olvmpus. At one of them Admiral Byrd said that more was now known about the Antaretie continent than has been learned during the past few hundred vears. It would take, however, several montlis before the aehievements of the expedition were integrated and interpreted. Prohlems to "be Risked. "Manv personnel got a real insight into the tyqie of problems that have to be risked in polar regions, and that was a primarv objeetive, to flnd out what our problems are," said Admiral Cruzon. "One of the most surprising things in aviation history was the ability of seaplanes to operate in the open sea from a soaplane tender which liad been built only to service seaplanes inside sheltered liarbours." Eleven news and radio correspondents aecompaaxed the expeditioa, A_

notable achievement was the maintenanee by navy personnel of radio communications between groups separated by thousands of miles. A constant 24hour radio contaet was maintained with Washington.