SOUTH TO THE POLE

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 731, 2 August 1929, Page 9

SOUTH TO THE POLE

OVER MOUNTAIN RAMPART AND HIGH PLATEAU HAZARDS OF BYRD’S DASH BY RUSSELL, OWEN Copyrighted, 1928, by the "New York Times” company and the St. Louis “PostDispatch.” All rights for publication reserved throughout the world. Wireless to the “New York Times." Reed. 9.5 a.m. BAY OF WHALES, Wed. A man in a grey shirt, with an eyeshade shielding his gaze from the light of tiie lamp overhead, sits in front of a table which is littered with oddlyconstructed tracings, dividers, parallels, a ruler, a protractor and many pieces of paper, On which are innumerable calculations. He is thoughtfully chewing his pencil, and leaning back, regarding the problem before him. His face is hidden by the shadow, but his jaw sticks out as he unconsciously reflects on the difficulty of his task. He might, be an engineer, an architect, or a scientist engaged in plotting curves of force. His costume is puzzling, in connection with his Occupation. He wears fur pants. His feet are encased in shapeless canvas boots, wound with cord. This is a picture of Commander Byrd, considering matters of food, clothing and proper sleeping tents, dogs, navigation, personnel, and a dozen other things, each with manifold ramifications, which occupy his mind as they have the thoughts of other leaders who have made Antarctic history. Travelling 1,500 afoot, as the southern party plans to do to accomplish its geological work in distant mountains, involves being away from the base for 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 Byrd must give attention. A flight to the Pole, for instance, is not a simple flight. It is 800 miles inland and hack again. It is a flight for hundreds of miles over a rolling, barren surface. Then a rampart of mountains 14,000 feet high looms over, and the plane must climb these before continuing the journey over a plateau 10,000 feet above sea level.