Evening star., 1925-08-18
STORMS MAY BALK
MACMILLAN ARCTIC
FLIGHTS FOR YEAR
Navy Leaders Opinion on
Abandoning Quest in
North Asked.
WEATHER CONDITIONS
ALARM EXPLORERS
Ships Would Stay in Polar Zone to
Get Data in Labrador and
Greenland

A possibility developed today that
the Macmillan Arctic expedition
might abandon for this year its eff
forts to fly over the unknown region
of the Polar area.
A message asking for an opinion
on that subject from Lieut.. Comdr.
Byrd, commanding the Navy section,
was dispatched by the Navy after a
conference between officials of the
Navy and of the National Geographic
Society, sponsor of the expedition.
1t was indicated that the confer
ence went into the question of
whether it would be better to give up
the attempt to fly over the unknown
region this year and concentrate upon
exploring regions of Greenland and
Labrador in quest of scientific in
formation.
Weather Unfavorable.
The weather for some time has been
giving the expedition increasing ap-
prehension. Repeated messages have
told of unusual conditions with
storms. ice filed bays and fjords, and
mountains covered with snow and ice.
A message from the expedition last
night said that this week would de-
succeed in its major purpose and in
dicated that if adverse weather con-
tinued there was little hope of com
plete success.
Unless the expedition can become
established at an advance base at
Cape. Thomas Hubbard on AXel Hell
berg Island by September 2, it prob
ably will be blocked by the advance
of Winter. So far it only has been
70 nj
base on Ellesmere Island, a little more
than 100 miles from Etah, Green
land, the main base and this was
done with the greatest difficulty.
Cape Thomas Hubbard is more
than 200 miles further on, over. a
difficult country where none of the
planes has yet penetrated.
Upon the receipt pI the MESA ge
dispatched today, Eommande! Byrd is
expected to confer with Commander
Macmillan, chief of the expedition,
and report their conclusions to Wash
ington.
Answer in As Hours.
Within As hours the Navy Depart
ment will be in possession of a full
report from Lieut.. Comdr. Byrd on
what the possibilities are for the Arc
tic expeditions planes to search out
the unknown area of land explorers
have believed exists in that region
Commander MACMILLAN has given a
broad hint III his messages received
here that the life of this particular
phase of the expedition is endangered
because, he said, continuance of the
present work Will depend upon the
weather conditions in the EeXt few
days.
The weather, in his opinion, is un-
precedented for this period of the
year. Summer SHOWS are very unusual
and the raging elements have COM
pletely upset reports from other
Arctic explorers of the calmness of the
Arctic when the question OF sending
the dirigible Shenandoah to the pole
was up for consideration.
If the expedition is forced to aban-
don this phase of the work, it is plan
ned to have it conduct explorations in
Greenland to determine the authen-
ticity of rumors and reports of the
existence of eleventh century civiliza-
ton there. Flights and expeditions
into the interior Of Labrador also are
planned to study the fish and animal
life in that region. There are said
to be birds and fish in Labrador and
Baffin Island that scientists have no
record of or name for.