WILKINS’ FLIGHT

Hokitika Guardian, 22 December 1928, Page 5

WILKINS’ FLIGHT

IN IM>L.\R REGIONS. (United Press Association —By Electric Te leg r a p 1 1 —Co py r i g 1 1 1). NEW YORK. Dec. 21. Noted explorers ;i:,d sciciilisis are unanimous in Iheir praise ol Wilkins’ Antarctic llight. Doctor Constantin Dumbrava, the Rumanian explorer said: “His llight was magnificent and tliri.ling. He will claim the honour of being the first to correct the vague charts of the Antarctic Sea. Mo may even go furi.li t and be the first to fly over the South Pole.” Anthony Fiala .said: “What he did by plane in less than half a day would take months by a dog team. He showed real skill and understanding.” Professor Charles Bearkey. Columbia University, a noted ge ilogist. who accompanied Andrews into Mongolia said: “lie had boon aide to do something we all wanted to see done, ever since the Amundsen, Slnuklcton and Scott expeditions.” Officials of the National Geographical Society point out the significance of Wilkins’ discovery may be that much of what, is imagined as continuous land around the South Pole is in reality broken up into Islands or at least that a string of such islands border the continent proper.

Air David White, Secretary of the National Academy of Sciences, said : “Wilkins’ findings indicate the exposure of a bed of rock, and .stimulate hope for discovery of new and important geologic features, including fossil bearing rock formations, that may add greatly to our store of knowledge, not only of climatic conditions very different from those now prevailing, lb formerly characterised those regions, hut also migrations of land plants and land animals between Africa. South America and Australia, by an antarctic and route, during a former geologic period.” WILKINS DISCOVERIES. UNKNOWN ICEFIELDS. |Copyright.— From Sir 11. Wilkins, at Deception Island. Dec. 21st.J (Received this day at 9. a.m.) LONDON, December 21. “Our llight of-twelve hundred miles over hitherto unknown territory resulted in the discovery ol six previously unchartered islands, which is the second outstanding result of (lie flight, enabling us to look six hundred miles south across Antarctic wastes over a region human eyes have probably never previously seen. I his will be mapped when we have had an opportunity of going over the data collected in tlio hazardous nine-hour spin above Graham Land’s ice ranges.

A perfect morning came only alter a week’s waiting and a series ol setbacks. By 9.20 a.m. we were already over Graham Land, viewing the new territory, heading towards the discovery of more than three hundred miles of coast lino that members of Xordonschold’s expedition followed aloof. There is an ice-shelf lor three hundred miles south of Graham Land’s northern tip, but there vision was restricted. From nur monoplane, on a sparkling, clear day. at an altitude of 8,000 lee!., nt a speed of 120 miles hourly, we reconnoitred both sides of what has been considered a peninsula. Now wo know il In be a series of mountains separated |, v level ice harriers of unknown thick-

“ ()nr course line, west of south, levenled smaller mountainous, jagged islands. Ilolh sides of the coast of Graham Land are indented with deep fiords and hays topped to tableland level. An ice-shelf almost exactly coincidental with the Antarctic circle divides Graham Land opposite its most easterly point and lilty miles south of <-Wat her Island is a larger uncharted jsliUld. Graham Land’s whole area contains triangular shaped mountains, which have two conspicuous- peaks, north and south. Four glaciers DiglitIV.IIv criss-crossed flow into the bay opposite Sallieriets. where the mountains are high and rugged. Imt near latitude 70 the range lessens under a smother of big ice, hut the shelves and snow slopes beyond the ice dill hordeii„g Weddell Sea is unbroken, the snow slope stretching southward as iar as the eve can see. It probably continues to the pohn plateau where Scott and Amundsen planted Hags at the Pole m 19P-. 1 holds secrets that we, owing to he abnormal season and lack <* suitable snow slopes at the base, could not tin--trip with limited petrol hope to sol\e.