The Omaha morning bee., 1925-04-06
Macmillan Will Use Airplanes in
Search for Undiscovered Continent
Navy Pilots in Fast Naval Aircraft Will BE Feature of
New Polar Expeditions Which Will Leave About June Is;
1t Is Not Cover nment Project.

listed men and two marine corps en-
listed men have volunteered their
services.
To Establish Base.
The planes. which the nav prob
ably will ask the army air service
TO provide because naval machines
of the type now under construction
will not be completed in time, will
be of the Looming type and will
have a cruising range of more than
900 miles. with a speed of more
than 120 miles an hour.
The expedition will pass along the
Labrador coast and Greenland
through Davis strait in an effort to
establish a flying base at the north
ern point of Axel Heiburg land,
where the planes can take off in
their attempt to explore the vast
region which has baffled the efforts
of Peary. Macmillan and others, and
determine whether a continent or
land in any form exists there.
Ii land Is found it Is believed it
can be ultimately utilized for air
craft bases in flight routes from
Europe to Asia.
Explore Morse Ruins.
Efforts also will be made to eX-
plore the ancient Morse ruins in
Labrador and Greenland, and the
aviators will try TO visit Cape Co
lumbia, Pearys jumping off place
in the dash for the pole where he
left records. Observations will be
made of weather conditions through
out the trip and experiments also
will be conducted with radio.
1t is planned to spend only the
summer at the work and begin the
trip southwark to civilization by
August 15 before dangerous ice con-
ditions develop. In that short time
the necessary observations can be
made, 1t is believed. because of the
advantages obtained through use of
air craft.
Macmillan has cha a ship
for the trip. The Bowdoin, with
which he conducted his recent eS-
ploratio Is not large enough for
his purpose.
Outside of the navy officers and
men he will have a small crew and
a few assistants. Among the latter
will be Eugene F. Mcdonald, jr..
president of the National Associa-
ton of Broadcasters of Chicago. L.
j. Herman, also Of Chicago, and
Ralph Robinson. who has been an
assistant TO Macmillan on five OF
his previous expeditions.
MacM llan returned from the Arc
tic only last September. after a Is
months stay and al that time said
he would leave again this June to
pursue his scientific Investigations.
He had the use of aircraft in mind
for his trip and some time ago APP
preached the Navy department con-
cerning the plan.
Several naval officers, OF whom
Lieutenant Commander Byrd was
one, at the same time had in mind
the possibility OF conducting an ex.
pedition of their own. apart from
any navy auspices in view of the
collapse OF the Shenandoah project
and The arrangement announced to-
day IL the result Of discussions sur
rounding both proposals.
Discovery Forecast.
Discussing the projected expedi-
ton. the Navy department in an an
nouncement today said an undis-
covered continent WAS believed TO
exist in the region to be visited.
Its existence. the statement
said, has been forecast by explor-
ers through scores OF years, their
beliefs being predicated on tidal
observations. ice phenomena and
even sight of land masses rising
above the horizon were seen and re-
ported by Peary. and which Mac
MILAN Investigated but was unable
to confirm. Macmillan penetrated
the Arctic $50 miles In the direction
OF the unexplored region. making
25 miles per day 9th dog teams.