Evening star., 1925-08-19

| landed at an intermediate base on
tiiiesmeTe Island in the hope OF using
them in q future attempt. In the
absence of any official prediction, the
suppos!tion here is that another try
viii be MADE. next summer.
The expedition now haS been absent
from the United states about two
months. 1t left WiStaSSei, Me. on
June 20. and arrived at Etah on Sched'
ule. August |, but encountered imme-
date delays and veXations in pushing
forward from that point.
See Value OF Experiences.
One OF the first questions Lieut..
Comdr. Byrd will be asked on his re-
turn to this country will be the feast
bility OF making another attempt in
the Polar area. Persons concerned
| with the expedition today We're under
the impression that the lessons learn.
| ID on the first attempt can be utilized
| o great advantage on another et.
| tort.
! Further. it was explained. the vast
! unknown regions hold out a goal that
can justify many attempts 10 uncover
the mysteries of the Arctic. Faith in
the aircraft as the only method of ac.
complishing this task was still held.
| About two weeks will intervene be-
! tween the time the base is broken up
at Etah and the expedition begins its
| explorations in the interior of Lab
! rador and Baffin Island. il was esti-
mated. The scientists who were car
! ried along on the expedition for this
| purpose will then get chance at
! the mysterious plant and animal life
! reported in those regions.
! Comma nder Macmillan will take the
! lead in explorations in Labrador for
| reported Morse ruins. Unknown ES-
kimo tribes will be sought out and
| studied.
The change in plans announced to-
day came after good progress had
alreary been made.
Upon reaching Etah. Greenland,
| the main base. the expedition was
| we'll on the schedule and by quick
work in assembling its three airplanes
| found itself a week ahead of its pro-
gram. Then in flights across Files
mere Island. in search of an ade
| quate site for an intermediate base
on the route TO Cape Thomas Hub
/ bard. on ANel Heiberg Island, which
was planned for the advance flying
base, the difficulties began.
| Weather conditions described as
| unprecedented, even in the Arctic.
! during Summer We're encountered
while the little-known interior OF
! Ellesmere Island was found to con
t tain mountains of great height for
| that region and fjords and bays froZ-
! en- over, with little opportunity for
safe landing by airplanes.
F'lagler Fjord. on Ellesmere Island.
/ little more than 100 miles from Etah,
was finally selected for a sub-base
! but later trip there after supplies
/ had once been landed disclosed it to
! be inaccessible to the planes. Another
spot. on Sawyer Bay, slightly to the
| north, then was selected for the sup
| ply depot. Meanwhile, flights across
| the Island to Cannon F'jord and 10
! Eureka Sound had disclosed no ade-
/ quate spot for a base. AXel Heiberg
! Island. across Eureka Sound. was not
| even penetrated. From Etah to Cape
! Thomas Hubbard is $50 miles on an
air line.
| Took Daring Chance. 4,
! Every resource has been put forth
/ by the expedition personnel to over
come the difficulties. On one of the
recent flights a cardinal policy was
! departed from when one of the planes
| left its only companion with engine
/ trouble at Sawyer Bay and flew alone
over the mountains to Eureka Sound.
A mishap to that plane would have
| left its occupants with little hope for
rescue. The third plane was put
temporarily out of service soon after
{ a
storm.
| Weather conditions which have
caused increasing apprehension on the
part of Comdr. Macmillan have been
emphasized in his dispatches for some
time. This. he again commented
upon in n dispatch to the National
Geographic Society received last
night.
| Good weather now is the major
l 70 i,, of
ton" he said. with the Navy
/ planes making flights daily TO the
! first bases, on the east coast of Files
mere Island, and all the personnel of
the expedition in good health and
/ spirits, it remains only for the clouds
which have shrouded the heights Of
E,llesmere Island almost constantly
since orr arrival to lift.
/ Provisions and gasoline have been
[ landed at the head of F'lagler F'iOrd,
| approximately 100 miles northwest of
! Etah This is the Bay Fjord and
| Eureka Sound route to Cape Hubbard,
which l covered by dog sled in 1913,
| with the Crockerland expedition. An
other cache has been established on
| Sawyer Bay. small arm of Priu.
cess Marie Bay, and on the more d-
rect air line to Cape Hubbard via Can
! non Fjord.
AIT
| Both of these routes, however. in
| volve the crossing of wild and rugged
| country On the direct route noun.
| tains more than 1000 feet high must
! be cleared. and, as their peaks are
| hidden in clouds most of the time and
| the openings between them have
| never been charted. the difficulties of
air navigation in this region can be
imagined.
Despite the intense cold at the alti
tudes the planes must be flown. the
Navy flyers have searched every mile
of the coast opposite Etah for suit
able sub-bases and possible gaps in
the mountains in the direction OF
Cape Hubbard. The men are uncom-
planning, although at times the TEN.
pera ture has been so low that the cir
culating fluid has refused to function.
Hardly have they returned from one
flight before they are off on another.
for with the appearance of new ice
on the lakes around Etah, and other
signs. of the coming of the sudden
Arctic Winter, every one is making
,,,fn mt