Show modern pioneers head for antarctic hoping to start new american colony byrd expedition leaves in mid october for two tivo year by CLYDE PEARSON rl idair N SOME future day the ji air voyager bound from new york to australia may spend the night at americas settlement in the antarctic proceeding across the south pole next day to complete his trip during his overnight visit he will chat with american colonists who spend six to seven months a year at the southern tip of the world bringing precious ores out of the snow covered mountains and shipping them back home by plane and boat if this idea seems farfetched to americans cans it to the other rear admiral richard evelyn byrd come october and hell head out ot of boston on his third trip to the south pole the first such expedition to be financed by the government since the intrepid captain wilkes was given a vague commission by congress in 1838 1833 to explore new lands it will be the first attempt by any nation to establish a polar land claim on the basis of permanent settlement tl and it may run into a pack of trouble conflict with argentina commander byrd hopes to claim for the united states all of marie byrd land and the adjoining james ellsworth land which together include some miles he also hopes to explore and possibly claim part of the weddell sea quadrant and it is here that he will run against argentinas Argen tinas claims As shown on the map that nation maintains her right to a sector extending toward the pole from the faulkland islands the territory is also claimed by great britain inasmuch as argentinas Argen tinas friendship is highly valued the state de apartment will make every effort to respect her wishes at the same time maintaining her new policy of refusing to recognize any polar claim that has not been permanently settled briefly the new byrd expedition has a two year job leaving in three ships two of them owned by the government and the third the veteran bear of oakland leased on a dollar a year basis the party will establish three bases one will be at little america byrds old camp in marie byrd land another will be at palmer land which is the hook extending out of antarctica toward south america just west of the weddell sea the third will be midway between the two in what is unexplored territory can stay two years in early spring when the long antarctic night has passed the three parties will set out in sleds and dog teams to explore the frozen lands of the interior unknown territory will be mapped and data will be sought concerning important mineral resources it has been established det def finitely that these wastelands contain ta 1 n coal al and probably other minerals cof e r a as of more immediate value to the united states about men will make the trip 60 of them remaining at the three camps for at least a year they will maintain sufficient food supplies tor for two years however because the shifting ice packs may delay the returning expedition every modern modem scientific weapon will be at the bartys disposal thanks thanks to a appropriation by congress and assistance of the new united states stales antarctic service contributing to its personnel are the interior state war and navy departments part ments the coast guard and several private scientific organizations build snow cruiser the most novel instrument will be a pound snow cruiser b being eing developed by dr thomas C poulter second in command of admiral byrds last antarctic expedition and a member of the new party this giant craft which will travel atop the ice is 55 feet long it is designed to cross snow covered arev asses the greatest peril of antarctic land travel it has 10 foot wheels equipped with treads on the caterpillar tractor principle and is driven by a brace of diesel engines the boat carries three or tour four men with ample supplies tor for several months on its roof will be strapped a small airplane many scientists are now considering the possibility of a permanent settlement whether or not such colonization is made depends upon the expeditions findings regarding the value as a future wjk TH AMERICA A tb MOM sout ole NE ZEALAND A M m L EAST antarctica AN V 14 AUSTI 47 AFRICA antarctica shaded areas show the section claimed by argentina and that which admiral B byrds Y r ds party will explore during the t h e next two years possibly si b ay st staking a hi ng out land claims for the united states As shown on the map U S and argentine interests clash in part of this section right admiral byrd source of minerals as a fishery source and as an observation post for meteorological predictions congress will then decide from year to year whether the colony should be maintained proposes observatory admiral byrd is convinced the settlement would be practical early in june he pointed out that antarctic weather stations should be constantly occupied with staffs changed from season to season the south polar region Is a 2 weather breeder for the whole world south of the equator and indirectly affects us in the north he said data collected there studied together with that from other parts of the world will be of much practical importance it should enable our scientists to make long range weather forecasts with an accuracy greater than anything we know now at antarctic coal mines and in the vicinity of gold silver and other deposits expected to be found there he expects permanent settlements will arll spring up within the next 50 years the men would live there six or seven months out of the year returning by plane to the united states when the cold winter sets set s in returning in the spring they would find the buildings buried in snow but they would be quickly habitable again just as the little america base has been renovated after two or three years predicts aviation bases admiral byrd thinks antarctic aviation possibilities are enormous just as russia and several other nations have considered a europe north america airline via the north pole mrs mr byrd thinks the time is not far distant when planes will cross the south pole regularly flying between south or even north america and australia permanent landing facilities could be created in the great bay of ot Whales where the byrd expedition ships docked alongside sheer ice ice walls and where amundsen landed in 1911 and so for the next two years well hear bear lots about the antarctic as the expeditions ships come and go and as the magic of wireless brings your newspapers constant reports of this unique land staking junket into the ice crusted wilderness theres only one catch to it an eagle eyed reporter recently discovered that congress appropriated funds to send an expedition to the antarctic without saying anything specifically about getting it back speaking privately several members of the party thought this would be a good idea in case war envelops the civilized world during the next two years in the land which explorers know as the international commonwealth of penguins a model of well regulated brotherhood there is no warfare but admiral byrd says no one need worry worry the expedition is coming back if it has to walk over the ice like eliza released by western newspaper union |