New Britain herald., 1927-05-31
LANDING ON ICE
 FL0ES SUCCEEDS
Shows That Aviation in Arctic
 Is Practicable

the secrets of the Frozen North, dis. covered by the Wilkins expedition sponsored by tho Detroit News, were revealed today by the explorers. Richard E. Byrd and Vilhjalmur Stefansson.
 They announced that landing by aviators on Artic ocean ice has proven feasible and that the far north is practicable for both com mercial and military aviation. The probability of unknown land exist ing in the Arctic seas has been re- duced by Captain Wilkins sound ings.
 In a joint statement the two ex- plorers said:
 We want to call attention to one of the most heroic and drama tic adventures of polar history in the Arctic north of Alaska. where Captain George H. Wilkins. Lieu tenant Ben Eielson and their asso- ciates have already made striking contribytions to science and the progress of northern aviation.
 4uo "lhlH0 OAPCAulLlOu idSS year crossed five times . range of Aruc mountains 50 little known that 1t had been given on maps as 5000 or 5000 feet high, while 1t proved to be around 10000. One flight was from Fairbanks $50 miles north to Barrow and thence 150 miles out over the ocean and then back to Barrow. a flight on which 10000 square miles of previously unknown territory were seen. Thus Wilkins proved that flying is distinctly feasible in the most northerly pos- session of the United States, setting 1t rest . controversy of importance both In civil and military aviation as to whether Alaska can be used as a flying base for commercial or military operations against Asia and as to whether Alaska could be flown across by Asiatio airplanes wishing to reach Canada or the United States by that route.
 This year. on March 2s, with fuel for 1,400 miles in calm weather. Wilkins and Eielson took off for . flight from Point Barrow of 800 miles northwest, then 200 miles south and thus back to Barrow. moro than half this distance over territory never seen by human be- ings, making . great inroad into tho largest unexplorsd area north of tho equator. They had flown $50 miles and had almost completed the out ward flight when engine trouble de- veloped and they made . forced landing.
 This was . deciding moment in Arctic aviation. for there have been two theories aS to the safety of landing on the frozen sea. One school has held that there are scarcely any safe landing places on tho moving Arctic pack, and the other, to which Wilkins himself be- longed, that landings are 90 num- erous that there seldom is . five mile stretch without . fairly good one.
 Tn les than five miles they did ind . place that looked good to Wilkins. Eielson made . perfect landing on fec which turned out to be about three and . half feet thick when Wilkins. . few minutes later, made the holes to take . sonic sounding. He found tho ocean there about three miles deep, which makes 1t very unlikely that any land can exist in this direction. for their flight If continued far enough in tho same direction. would have taken them near where Nam sen years ago in the Tram took similar soundinss.
 While Wilkins WAS doing this sounding Eielson tinkered with the engine. In two hours they were in the air again. flying back towards land. After about 10 minutes the engine gave trouble once more. There was q second forced landing, and again Eielson made . perfect landing.
 "Wilkins' deep soundinss having made 1t improbable that there is undiscovered land in the 6o0,0o0- mile section to the northwest of