Evening star., 1925-06-19

busy choosing the best articles for
the flight out of the abundant equip
ment on hand. Mr.. Ellsworth brought
from America a great quantity of
special eQuipment-sealskin parkahs,
gloves, reindeer sleeping bags, Alas
kan muckalucks, sealskin boots from
the Hudson's Bay Company, and the
common American lumberman's boot.
of thick wool with rubber galoSh
over its foot. All these things are
getting a practical test in comparison
with the native equipment procured
in Norway. For the flight, all equip
ment must be pared down to mini
mum weight, because the greater part
of the useful life of the airplanes
must be given over to gasoline. The
sig men who fly must choose the
warmest and lightest, and leave all
else behind. A single mistake might
cost life.
Tonight, as proof of Springs ar
rival, a stiff wind has blown up, bear
ing against our window panes with
the slash of a hard-driven rain. The
meteorologists give it a velocity of
80 miles an hour. While the temper
ature is only 16 degrees below freez
ing, 1t feels much colder. Outside
the wind cuts into the flesh so keenly
that there are not many people to be
seen out in the snow.
Slow But Sure.
A week Of life at Kings Bay has
gone by. Everyone'ss efforts or inter
ests are concentrated on the assembly
of the airplaneS, which proceeds
slowly but 'langsam aber
sichert," say the German mechanics.
These days are the ebb tide of
action, There was enough of it in
getting up this far North so early
in the Spring. There will be plenty
more when the two planes are ready
to take the air. Until then we
simply keep busy in a dull sort of
way. But we do keep busy, all of us.
for there is no excess personnel on the
expedition. None of the 81 of us
came along without reason.
We have our own home nova low
shanty with snow reaching up to its
caves. Here we meet for meals thrices
daily. The effect of the clear cold air
on our appetities keeps the cook,
Olsen, busy II hours a day, at least.
Our evening meal together is some
thing of an occasion. The baroness of
the shack is hidden by bunting and
flags from the Farm, drinks are
served, phonograph is set going and
we sit up until nearly O'Clock in
the morning, offering skoals TO each
other.
The mechanics keep nearly as busy
as the cook. Although there isn't
great deal of work for them to do
the planes having been transported
in a fairly complete state-yet the
cold slows down what necessary work
they must do. Both flying boats are
now lying side by side on land, lack
ing only their wings. These are still
up on the Hobbys deck and we can't
get them off until the Skaaluren, the
tramp steamer which broke the ice
lane for us through the harbor last
week, leaves the pier and lets the
Hobby take her place.
Work for Everybody.
Old Martin Rome, officially desig-
mated as Sailmaker, but quite as truly
polar valet to Capt. Amundsen, spends
his days oiling his masters boots.
packing and unpacking equipment.
and obligingly providing anything for
any one who wants anything. from a
pair of boots to a length of twine. He.
too, has set himself up in the hospital
shack, in a little room with bed and
sewing machine in 1t. Rome was
with Amundsen when he went to the
South Pole; his kindly, wrinkled face
shows the marks of the years 1t has
weathered in rigorous climates.
There is always work enough for
everybody" he says.
We have two cinema operators, be-
sides a half-dozen of us who take
still photographs. Nearly every
morning and afternoon. or night, for
the light is always favorable, there's
something going on to be photo
graphed There is a constant tempta-
ton to spend valuable films on that
which has no closer connection with
the expedition than the scenery,
which Is very beautiful.
Every hour of the day the land
scape seems to change aspect with
the variation of the sun around our
horizon. The sun, of course, at this
latitude travels almost horizontally,
instead Of vertically, around u.s. AT
night the view of the mountains is
finest, when the light is soft and
yellow. By day it has a white hard
ness that forces US to wear yellow
glasses.
Copyright. 1925. in United States, Can
ada, South America and Japan by North
American Newspaper Alliance; in England
by Central News: in Germany and Austria
by Verlag Ullstein: i'll France by Petit Pa
risien; in Italy by Corriere della Sera; in the
Netherlands by Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Cour-
ant; in Sweden by Dagens Nyheter; in Den
mark by Politiken. in Finland by Helsingin
sanomat; In Norway by Norwegian Aero