The Nome nugget., 1926-06-12
1T. BYRD TALKS

elyn Byrd set sail from New York April 6, the occasion marked the realization of dream which had been with him since boyhood days an expedition of his own into the Arctic regions.
 With him Was Floyd Bennett, chief petty officer in the naval air service. who flew over 5000 miles With the commander last year when the two accompanied the MacMillan party in the North. He became Byrd's right hand man and the two of them planned to share the most dangerous and important work of the expedition
 "Bennett is q man of the great est energy, endurance and skill. both as navigator and as q mech andic," Byrd wrote of him. "I would not. like to be in the Arctic without him and would take him before any other man in the world. :"
 In outlining his plana, the com mander said that after reaching Kings Bay Spitzbergen. the air plane would be ready for the flight $ while William C. IIaines. the Unit ed States Weather Bureau official studied and reported on weather con ditions.
 bD ,lytt ,.r tnt,t o. Neville. of thc Vaccum Oil Com pany came into play Working ont oil problems andproviding mix lures to lubricate at low tempera- Iurps wIrnnnt DerurnIuS umrn IrIrr ur higher temperatures useless, was his task.
 "The objective of our first flight 7" Byrd said. "will he the first landing field We can find on Peary Land. northernmost known land in the world. It is at the extreme north tip of Greenland, about 400 miles northwest of SpitZberegen. The northernmost point of Peary Land is Cape Morris Jesup. but we are not particularly interested in it. We will stop at the first spot on Pcary Land that promises good skiing for the plane"
 After depositing q thousand rounds of gasoline, food and other supplies. he planned to return to Do t,,.;p hnr load before starting the attempted flights to and around the pole.
 "From our projected base in Peary Land it is approximately 400 miles to the Pole" he stated. 1i we reach the vicinity of the Pole our instruments will enable us tt determine while in flight, our loc ation within margin of twenty miles,
 "To make sure that we have reacf ed and passed the Pole. we will make wide circle around it. This circle will be less that 100 mile. distance, but il will he complete circumnavieation Of the globe"
 If suitable landing place neal the pole was noted. Byrd said h' would land before flying back t' the base.
 "Next we probably will undertake one northwestward flight of not mor' than 425 miles in search of un known land" he said. After tha we probably will have to rcturl at once to Kings Bay. It would be highly dangerous to continu flying much after May 15 on ac count of the fog"
 His expedition was described a the best equipped ever sent to tn Polar regions. Two three-engin Fokker planes were stored away | the Chantier, the extra one for us in case of an accident to the first Other supplies and equipment wer assembled after much study an review of experiences of other Arc tic explorers. Fifty-five person were listed as members of the eA petition.
 Wanderlust laid hold upon Byr early in life. but instead of becon ing it's slave he so controlled an directed himself that his great am bition was acheived--an atrplan expedition to the North Pole. The same rare gift of persuasio which won Edsel Ford, John I Rockefeller. Jr.. and others to SUI port his polar flight, gained a moi able decision back in 1901. As . lad of twelve, Byrd wante to make a trip around the world D himself and his arguments to mother at first unwilling to gran