IN ANTARCTICA

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIII, 3 August 1929, Page 7

IN ANTARCTICA

TRIP TO THE POLE PROBLEMS FOR COMMANDER BYRI) ■PREPARATIONS FOR SPRING JOURNEYS (United Press Association— By Electric Telegraph—Copyright) (Copyright to Sydney ‘ Sun ’ throughout the World,) BAY OK WHALES, 31st July.

“A man in a grey shirt with an eyeshade shielding his gaze from the light of a lamp overhead sits in front of a table which is littered with oddly constructed tracings, dividers, parallel roller protractor, and many pieces of paper, on which are innumerable calculations. .lie is thoughtfully chewing a pencil as lie leans back regarding the problem before him. llis face is hidden by it shadow, but Itis jaw sticks out, as lie unconsciously reflects the difficulty "of his task. He might lie an engineer, architect, or scientist engaged in plotting the curves of force. .llis costume is puzzling in relation to his occupation. He wears fur pants, and liis feet are encased in shapeless canvas boots wound with cord. “This is a picture of Commander Byrd considering matters of food and clothing, proper sleeping tents, dogs, navigation, personnel, and a dozen things, each with its manifold ramifications, which occupy his mind as they have the thoughts of tho other leaders who have made Antarctic history. DIFFICULTIES OF FLIGHT “Travelling fifteen hundred miles afoot as the Southern party plans to do to accomplish their geological work in the distant mountains involves being away from the base three months. Every possible contingency must be provided for before the teams start, but in addition to all these matters there are very different problems connected with aviation to which Commander Byrd must give his attention. Tho flight to the Pole, for instance, is not a simple flight of eight hundred miles inland and back again. ■lt is a flight of hundreds of miles over rolling barren surface. Then a rampart of mountains, 14,000 feet high, looms, over which the ’plane must climb before continuing its journey over a plateau 10,000 feet above the, sea level. The factors of low speed, horsepower, rate of climb, and the many engineering problems which enter into such a flight, make it very complicated. Added to those innumerable considerations are matters of weather, questions of route and bases, the possibilities of refuelling, if necessary, at an inland base, at spine stage of the ■journey, navigation problems, and a thousand ' things which must .he. dis-' cufcscd and solved. MAKING PLAN OF ATTACK “Last night a group of pilots stood about tho Commander for two hours, while they talked over the. various aspects of the trip. Should a certain thing he done this .way..or that? What would lie the best method consistent with accomplishing the purposes of the flight? Question after question came up, and there are many of these conferences, formal and informal, at which pilots, all of them experienced in many kinds of flying, give their opinions, but it is Byrd who must decide. Upon him rests the responsibility of selecting the plan which promises to give tj)e maximum results with greatest safely,”

(Copyrighted 1928 by “New York Times” Company and "St. Louis Post-Dis-patch.” All rights for publication reserved throughout the world.)