ARCTIC FLYING ROUTE SOUGHT BY EXPLORERS

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1064, 30 August 1930, Page 9

ARCTIC FLYING ROUTE SOUGHT BY EXPLORERS

FEEDING ON SEALS MET BY ESKIMOS United P..4.—-By Tclegra[in—Copyright Reed. 9.5 a.m. LONDON, Friday. The British expedition, which is seeking to establish a route for an all-British flying service across the Arctic to Canada, reports from the base camp on August 8 :—“We reached the edge of the drift ice 40 miles off the east coast of Greenland 011 July 21 and had difficulty in forcing our way.

“We shot seals to feed ourselves and the 49 dogs. A man with a rifle stood at the bows of the ‘Quest.’ Eskimos in kayaks, men’s boats, which can turn completely over and still retain the occupant, and umiaks, women’s boats, which are larger, flocked out from Angmagsalik to meet us. “We found the site of the base camp 35 miles west of Angmagsalik and rowed our stores and 15 tons of coal ashore, covering ourselves in coal dust, and later completed a fourroomed hut.

“Scott and Chapman, with dog teams, explored the ice-iflateau for a sledge route, but the ice is heavily crevassed, necessitating care.

“The first two journeys will start on August 18. One will be to the ice-plateau to establish a meteorological station 140 miles inland to study flying conditions, the staff being Scott, Rymill, Bingham, Riley and Lindsay. The other party will take the ‘Quest’ north-eastward and map the coastal mountain-belt, because the proposed air route will possibly cross here.

“The weather is most suitable for air photography.”