Evening star., 1925-06-15
TEST OUT PLANES
FOR ARCTIC SEARCH
Airmen to Seek Amundsen
Give Machines Trials
at Spitzbergen.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
ADVENT BAY. Spitzbergen, June
l5.-The two seaplanes of the Nor
wegian governments expedition to
search for the Amundsen- Ellsworth
North Pole explorers have made trial
flights here. The expedition arrived
here Saturday on the steamship In
gertre.
A veteran pilot of the Arctic seas,
Ole Olson. navigated the Ingertre
mouth Of Icefjord into the clear
waters of Advent Bay, where one of
Amundsen's auxiliary ships. the
Farm, was anchored.
1t was thought the relief expedition
would continue quickly on it's way, but
changes in the arrangements inter
vened 1t was several hours before
the Ingertre moored at a little wood
en- jetty and began unloading the
planes and spare parts and cargo
Of dynamite she had brought for use
in Spitzbergen mines.
Meanwhile most of the population
of Longyear City, which is the name
of the local settlement. managed to
scramble aboard and gazed, vastly
impressed. at the seaplanes.
Norwegian coal company. 1t is a
struggling village of wooden houses,
surrounded by snow-covered noun
tains, with great black scars in their
sides where mining operations are
under way.
There is constant daylight here "a
hours around the clock at this season.
Undisturbed by the passage of time,
all residents of the camp spent hours
watching the unloading of the planes
and their testing. 1t was noon Sat
urday when the Ingertre came into the
harbor, and it was midnight before
the planes were ready for a trial
fight.
Lutzow Holm piloted one plane and
Harold Styhr took charge of the
other. They scared in the brillia MT
midnight sunshine, the Norwegian
colors, a blue and white cross on a
red field, painted on the planes,
glistening in the light. This spec
tacle gave delight to the patriotic
Norwegians, who form a majority of
the local population.
The machines behaved excellently
during about two hours of trial
flights. 1t was O'Clock in the
morning when they descended, but
the sun was shining and the fasci-
mated crowd watching them from the
shore had no thought of bedtime.
Transfer to New Ship.
The searching expedition will trans
fer to the Norwegian patrol ship
Heimdan, it has been announced.
Comdr. Hagerup, who has had
charge Of one of Amundsen's auxiliary
ships. the Farm. will command the
Heimdall relief expedition and the
Farm will be taken over by the an
nual scientific expedition, under Prof.
Adolph Hoel of Oslo, the Norwegian
capital. The Heimdall, 640-ton boat
in the fishery protection service OF
the Norwegian government, is ex'
pected to arrive at Advenr Bay at any
hour from Finmarken, northern
Norway.
Lieut.. Lutzow Holm, control officer
of the flying squad which arrived here
with two seaplanes on the Norwegian
steamer Ingertre, conferred today
with Conndr. Hagerup aboard the
Farm. The plan has been for the avl-
ators to reconnoiter along the south
ern edge of the Arctic ice pack In an
attempt to locate members OF the
Amundsen party. which started from
Kings Bay, SpitZbergen, in the fly
ing boats for the North Pole on May
81. However, Comdr. Hagerup re-
ported to Lieut.. Holm that mountains
of ice have now formed in the ice
pack, making it extremely dangerous
to fly over it. He said it would be
preferable to employ more patrol
ships rather than use airplanes in the
search Nevertheless, the present plan
is for the Heimdall to cruise to the
north and for the flyers to attempt to
reconnoiter as they originally intend.
ed. In this way the Heimdall will be
available for relief to Lieut. Holm and
his companions If necessary.