New Britain herald., 1926-02-05
LATEST FLIGHT ID
 NORTH ACONTRAST
1926 Explorers Go by Air,,First
 U. s. Trip in 1850

l bClIOll, FCh, T}-~pll NjN Hs, 1850, two brigantlnes. the "Rcscuo" of 9l tons and the '"Advnnce," dis placing lit tons sailed from the Brooklyn Navy yard, Bound for the north they comprised the first United states Arctic expedition
 When Capt, George II. Wilkins takes off from Point Barrow, Alaska in March, to explore the vast un- chartcd asoas of tho Arctic Basin. his expedition Witl present striking contrast to that first American effort lat Polar res urrh. Instead of two sturdy ships of the sea. constructed to withstand the buhoting of gales and the crushing power of huge ice cakes, Captain Wilkins will com mand two ships of tho air-~glgantic Fokker planes, built for speed. Another Contrast There Wil! be yet another contrast. Captain Wilkins flight will he in the interest of science and the search for land. The original American cx- petition sought neither land nor scientific data; 1t was q humantar- ian effort, dispatched unoffically 10 learn the fate Of Sir John Prank lin, the G0-year-Od British veteran .of several Arctic expeditions and his expedition of 129 men.
 Expects to Find Land
 Captain Wilkins expects to find h, zion Of the Arctic that lies 10 the nor,h of thr siberian and Alaskan coasts. From these shores toward the graphical pole lies tho only really unknown area of the Great Polar basin. This area, it is esti- mated, approXimatos 100000 squHr" miles,
 In attempting the conquest Of the Arctic hy air the Wilkins cXpo- dton win be devoid Of much or the romance -- and, in Captain Wilkins own opinion --- much Of the hardship that attended the early attempts 10 reach tn" pole by ship and dog sledgo,
 Where the carrier explorers spent long winters on their shipo locked in the ice or months push ing over the frozen surfaces on sIolgcs, battling not only the ,le- mcnts, but disease and rivation and sometimes mutiny. Captain Wilkins expects his tourney 10 b" matter Of but q few days.
 Taking off March T in pl#n. capable Of 3,200 miles Of sustained flight, Captain Wilkins dcstinn'jou will b" SNi'Zhorgrn, 2,@00 miles distant across 'l, top of th. world. Should land h: siyhbnl from tn" plane th" tourney will rn jn two jumps with a landing on the dis covered territory for geographical and meteorological research.
 Nonstop Effort
 Sighting no land the journey from Point barrow to SpitHbclgrn will br a nonstop undertaking and the cX- petition will pass into history alnos; at it's inception.
 i'' .Lh' 'il! llllNi ttlL " IN IItIl IIISl American expedition. and the one that inspired it's undertaking. Under Lieut.. Edward J. DcHavrn. and m- riuding in their personnel such fig 1Fos as Kane and Hayes, whose names are written large on the re- cords Of Arctic exploration. the "AI- vance" and the "Rrscue," spent more than year in tho Arctic and | upon their return To New York in October, 1851, brought back only ! q hint Of the fate that hcf"n Frank lin. II was the forcrmn,r. how ever, of further search, including that of Kane and Hayes who par ticipatcd with May 20, 1S45. with provisions for three years. His cy- petition was last sighted two mouths later in latitude 74.4O x. and GG.13 ! W, longitude. It Was fl years after ward that Sir Francis McClintocl . came out Of the north with the story of the disaster which overlook the ! expedition.