Evening star., 1925-05-03
RADIO PAVES WAY
FOR POLAR FLIGHT
Most NortherIy of Worlds
Weather Bureaus to Aid
Morse Expedition.
BY JAMES Is. WHARTON.

Correspondent OF The Star and the North
American Newspaper Alliance.
KINGS Bay, Sp.tZbergen, May g.
The science Of meteoro!Ogy, for the
first time in its history. has turned its
attention to Polar forecasting.
Since the middle of April a gigantic
network of radio waves has been set
in motion solely for the benefit of
the Norwegian Aero Club North Pole
flight expedition, of which Capt. Roald
Amundsen, discoverer of the South
Pole is the head. These waves, bear
ing hundreds and hundreds of tenn
peratures. wind velOCities and baro-
metric pressures, will continue until
the two airplanes, bearing six men,
hop off for a 600-mile nonstop dash
for the pole, some time this month.
Almost one-half of the earth's sur
face is covered by this colossal spider
web. Weather reports are taken from
countless. points down as far as the
thirtieth latitude. North. All these
observations center up here upon the
tiny Norwegian naval transport, the
Farm"
The special wireless station which
was established aboard the Farm,
before its journey up here is power
full enough to receive weather re
ports from as far away as Annapolis.
Nd. Alaska, which. as the crow
its vital statistics to the United States
Weather Bureau station at Annapolis.
from where we get ii here.
Our meteorological station here Is
the most northerlv WeHther Rure" u
that has ever existed. Until now the
station nearest the Pole was the
Geophysical Institute of Tromso,
northern Norway, which lies on the
10th Latitude. North. This station.
directed by DIR. O. Krogness, is the
Polar eXposition's base meteorological
depot. It's advance post here, IS
handled by Jack Bjerknes, a Nor
wegian, and Ernst Calwagen. a
Swede. both drawn from the Nor
wesian governments station at Ber-
gen, Norway.
Peril i'm Atmosphere.
The work of these two meterolo-
gists is considered about equal in vital
Importance with the work of the
motor mechanics who will put the
airpIane engines In perfect shape for
the Polar flight. The success of the
dash for the Pole, as Well as the lives
of six men, hangs upon these two
elements, the one tangible and the
other most intangible, the airplanes
and the atmosphere.
So far as human certainty goes the
engines of the two planes Will be
certain TO function properly. The
airplane is no longer in an expert
mental stage. Its operation is virtu
ally as certain as the driving of an
automobile. the running of a locomo
tive or the sailing of a steamship
Every one who has anything to dc
with the coming flight realizes that
the motors aren't likely to cause any
trouble or danger. The greatest
peril lies in the atmosphere. If the
North Pole isn't reached and siN
brave men lose their lives, it viii
probably be by the hand of Nature.
Work Against Odds.
1t is the task of our meteorOlOgists
to combat these dangers. They are
doing all that their science enables
them to do, but they are working
against serious odds. Weather fore
casting, at best. is uncertain. and fore
casting for the Arctic is even worse
because of the lack Of available data
Below are a few figures which have
been arrived at. and which are OF
striking interest: Mean temperature
for Spitzbergen in April, . above zero
Fahrenheit: for SpitZbergen in May
81 above zero Fahrenheit; North Pole
April, IS below zero Fahrenheit; North
Pole, May, 10 above zero Fahrenheit
North Pole, July, 80 above zero
Fahrenheit.
The figure for the May temperature
is taken from observations made by
Nansen, the Norwegian explorer, dur
ing the voyage of the Franz
1t seems scarcely credible that il
should be no more than barely freez
ing al the Pole in Midsummer Yet, il
these statistics are correct, ii is so.
Spring approaches the Arctic rapidly
and suddenly, as can easily be seer
when the mean temperatures giyer
for Spitzbergen and the Pole for the
month of April are compared with
those for the month of May A.
SpitZbergen, the temperature is al
ways very variable. When the Wint
comes from off the open water to the
south, east or west it is reasonabl,
mild. When it comes from off the ic,
pack to the north it is bitterly cold
How it blows at the Pole no mar
knows.
Bjerknes and Calwagen say tha
meteorological data of the utmos
significance for the entire world ma.
be gained from the work they are do
ing up here. Despite the vivid dram;
of an aerial dash for the Pole, it il
more than a mere daring game. Ii
more ways than one it has it's valu
able scientific phases. 1t is one o
the ways civilization chooses to pro
gress.
Copyright 1925. in United States. Can
American Newspaper Alliance; in England b
Central News: in Germany by Ullstein NeI
lag: in France by Petit Parisienne; in Ital
by Corrlere della Sera: IN all Scandinavia
countries by the Norwegian Aero Club. A
rights reserved.)