The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-07-13
Byrd ASSEMBLIES 12,OOO-Piece
Tr0uSSeau' for antarctic Trip
Packs Tons of MittenS,
'HeavieS,' Furs, Coats
in Ice Bags.
BY HORTENSE SAUNDERS
NEA Service Writer


NEW YORK, July 13.-Assem-
bling a wedding trousseau or col
lecting odd bits for court pres
entation is mere child's play COM
pared to the sartorial effort involved
before setting out for the Antarctic
regions.
And if Commander Byrd and his
party are not the last word in swank
when they reach the iceberg zone,
it is not because they are not CIV
ing time and expense to their raj
ment.
Anyone curious about polar styles
should drop in at the Byrd head
quarters here and see the rooms
strewn with samples of fur coats,
helmets, socks and ballbriggan I'M
derwear and hear the weighty argu-
ments that go on as to what type
will be most nifty and dashing for
life on an ice barrier.
Commander Byrd estimates each
of the sixty men on the trip will
have at least 200 pieces of wear
ing apparel, neatly marked with his
own name and packed in sea bags.
Mittens Two Feet Long
This does not include the COM
mon garden variety of apparel that
each will wear on the boat trip into
the Antarctic-all this will be stored
at the last stop, Dunedin, and will
be parked there for more than
year, until the party returns to a
temperate zone.
Large consignments of furs are
on their way to New York from
Alaska to be made into coats and
parkas for the crew. A parka is a
short cape, made of reindeer skin,
lined with fawnskin, that is worn
over regulation Arctic suit as
windbreaker. 1t is large and loose,
absolutely gale-proof, and is the
finishing touch to the Arctic en-
semble.
In millinery there is a wide
choice of helmets, fur and wool
and leather caps, and towering af-
fairs that look like very large tea
cozies, and do for the head what
the coy does for the tea pot. Then
there is the large fur-lined hood,
that fits over the helmet, like a
cowl.
Frozen Feet Are Common.
Mittens achieve unbelievable
proportions and are worn, child
fashion, suspended from a cord
about the neck. Some are nearly
two feet long, a foot wide and
couple of inches thick-regular baby
mattresses. What an explorers
glove box. if he had one, would look
like is a thought to conjure with.
And when you build shoes on the
freless cooker plan, you needs must
forget daintinesS and well-turned
ankles. Frozen feet are very COM
mon, and. they say, most unpleas-
ant, so shoes have been specially
made with felt soles packed with
SIENNA grass from Finland, which
serves as an insulator to keep in the
natural heat
Thus the waterproof "mukluks"
and the overshoes to wear over
these neat walking shoes take on
the most exaggerated and fantastic
proportions. Then there are fur
lined moccasins, fur and wool-lined
boots, hip boots and other types of
other footgear.
Socks of wool are thick and bun
ely, and there are fur ones to be
worn on the inside, so that the
moisture of the foot inside thu
stockings may go through the fur
and onto the hide. This minimizes
the dampness. and the damp foot
is the one that is in danger of
freezing.
Make Clothes on Trip
Wool shirts and "heavies" appeal
to ones sense of the comfortable
rather than of the beautiful, though
they are Of the finest materials
available.
The really. clothes-consciouS ex-
plorer covers every part of himself
but his eyes when he is finally
clothed for days jaunt. AS last
touch, he covers that last exposed
area with large goggles to prevent
blindness from the expanse of daz-
zling snow.
Besides all the ready mades" that
are being taken on this expedition,
many pelts are shipped in the piece,
Once a voyage is under way, the
sailmakers will be kept busy MAX
ing parkaS and loose coats. Since
these are simple in cut, and nil as