The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1926-07-16

ton for the explorers. The house. which
rose up on the horizon Of the frigid north in :,
Crast TO the lgloo of the eskimo, was equipped with q com
piete radio outfit that those who remained at tbe bogo
"'lie Lieutenant Byrd made his thrilling dash to the
DC IN ms speeding Fokker might keep in touch with
heH chleI ana the outside ~OrId, which they kent In
Termvi as to the progress ant success Of the flight
IL was 10 this same home that he returned after his
hazardous trip and from which some of the first mes
sages were sent to the waiting public. telling them
through the lanes OF the air that Byrd had circiad The
pole three times and had returned to his Spitzbaroon
nome IN safety, adding one of the most memorable pages
10 the history OF Arctic exploration.
Sugar Cane Fight Polar North.
When Lieutenant Bvrl left lie Brooklyn Navy Yard on
the ship Chantier he declared lie had the best and most
scientifically equipped expedition that ever had started
for tide North Pole. Special plans were made for the
erection Of his Arctic home. Boards of celotex insulating
lumber made from bagasse tsugar cane fiber after all
sugar juices have been eltructed) were carried along
with the latest inventions to aid In polar exploration.
This building material is very light and is filed with
millions Of air cells, which give it great insulation value
and resistance to change in temperature, especially the
severe cold. One odd circumstance in connection with
the use of this material is that the sugar cane Of the
south was utilized to fight the cold Of the north.
Cesotex was selected instead Of lumber because tests
made by the United States Bureau Of Standards and
It's universal use in building construction all over the
world, had demonstrated that this insulating lumber
would keep the quarters of the explorers warmer and
protect their living conditions more securely than or5l-
nary building material.
1t was only after careful Investigation by the scientific
men in the expedition that celotex was selected. These
authorities pointed out that the protection afforded by
its insulation efficiency was three times as great as ordi-
nary lumber and nearly Twelve times as great as that
of brick and other masonry material. The ship Chantier
also was lined with celOtex as an added precaution to
keep the ship warm while the explorers used it IN the
preliminary stages Of the expedition.
In practically every other way this expedition was
more scientifically prepared than any Of its predeces
sOrs. These included inventions Of Commander Byrd
himself. A simple sun compass conceived by Byrd and
developed by Mr.. Bumstead Of the National Geographic
Society, superseded the complicated German device. de
veloped three years ago for Amundsen. The drift in
dicator also was Byrds invention. The bubble sextant
by which the navigator obtains his bearings while Il
flight was another one of his inventions. stu another
scientific development was a quick method Of telling whog
one is at the North Pole. This has been worked IN
by G. W.. Littlehales, the navy's photographic engineer
Device Locates the Pole.
Byrd and others contributed to a chart Of the mag
netic lines flowing toward the magnetic North Pole
which is in B0lthla Land, 1900 miles south Of the Pole
Between Bolthla Land and the Pole the campass pOinu
south instead Of north and over much Of the ArCd
It is badly disturbed by the discrepancy Of position be
tween the geographical North Pole and the magnet
North Pole.
This chart Of the magnetic lines, flowing to the mas
Bedc North Pole, although it was far from complete, wa
such as to enable the navigator to tell In what direcdO
the compass should point from any spot In the Arcd
With this knowledge, the esratic behavior OF the cor
pass becomes orderly and It is once again q useful instry
2ment.
A third type Of compass used was q device Of fnanil
sensitlveness-a revolving electrical coil, which Is 81
justed to q given relation with the magnetism Of a
earth. This, the sun compass, and the magnetic con
pass were each used to correct the other.
Lieutenant Byrd IN his flight used q quick method
telling when he was actually at the Pole. This wsn e
invention worked out by Mr.. Lit1ehales. the b.
Navy photographic engineer. It shows the suns ID.
ton from the North Pole at every hour Of the DAY 81
every day Of the year. When the nyer Il near the 20
he can, by ascertalning the exact position oP the -
prove that he Is near the Pole.
Files 1900 ag8as Over Areae
The expedition, backed BY such men as John
Rockefeller, Jrs and Theodore Roosevelt ia. Lad hr.
smain objects