EXPLORATION OF ANTARCTIC

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 97, 11 May 1937, Page 5

EXPLORATION OF ANTARCTIC

-PresB Aasn.-

British Expedition to Race Byrd VISIT T0 DOMINION

(By Telegraph-

-Copyright.)

(Received 11, 11.30 a.m.) LONDON, May 10. Mr. E. P. Walker, leader of the proposed British expedition to the Antarctic, who has provisionally selected a three-masted schooner of 470 tons at present trading in Arctic waters, hopes to-morrow to overcome a hitch in the time of delivery of the ship to permit the original tjme-table to be adhered to. Mr. Walker is planning to drop anchor at Cape Jones, 300 cniles from the Soiith Pole. The ship will remain there for six weeks then go to New Zealand, leaving a party of twelve isolated on fche ica for fifteen months. "We sball be racing against Admiral Byrd, but we shall strive to annexe a piece of land hitherto not penetrated and name it Coronation Land," said Mr. Walker. "The most dangerous job will be the aeroplane flighfc of 2000 miles, carrying 200 lbs. of emergency rations. The pity is we have not a second plane." Mr. Walker is taking wireless equipment to enable the expedition to maintain contact with the world, including the sending of messages twice a week on six different wavelengths. A message on April 4 said: The expedition will number 32, including the ship's crew and scientific stafi?. It will be away for two years, departing in June and expects to arrive at its last port of call, Lyttelton, New Zealand, in November. After spending a month there the expedition will proceed to the Polar regions, dropping one party at Wood Bay and another at Ross Bay. It will return to Lyttelton for the winter. The expedition will take an aeroplane. It hopes to make contact with the outside world by wireless. Members of the expedition will wear windproof outfits instead of the usual fut coats.