Evening star., 1928-03-25

"The Arctic region holds vast op-
portunities In this respect. Few people
realize, for instance" he added, that
a half million tons OF coal are shipped
out of Spitzenberg every year." Other
industries are thriving In those regions
and being put to commercial usage.
Landing Places.
II Comdr Byrd Is successful in find-
ing suitable landing places for ms
heavily laden planes In the south. where
advance bases Of supplies can be es-
tablished. ii is possible that more
knowledge can be learned OF the re-
sources OF the Antarctic continent by
means of sled expeditions In parts here
tofore untraveled by man. Antarctlca
is covered almost entirely by great
dome or plateau of ice rising from the
coasts to interior elevations OF some
10000 feet. which presents almost
baff,ing problems In a plane taking-on.
This ice cap completely masks the un-
deriving surface features except Tor Ger
tain mountain ranges that tower ABOVE
the ice. few isolated peaks or nuna-
taks near the edge. and in places pare
rocks near the coast.
with a temperature much coidet
| than in the Arctic and with ragln!
4
| nut the lives of the valiant Scott ana
/ his marty on their return from their
| successful march to the Pole, this vast
(, Antarctic plateau proves Formidable
! barrier which possibly can be surveyed
/ extensively only from the air.
| Cen. Greely will be among those VINO
/ hunvrilv await news of what success
/ the expedition attains. for, despite his
/ advancing years few persons hvins TO-
/ day keep In closer or more intimate
I touch with all matters relating TO polaf
/ exploration. -, ~.
He has known personally all the
great explorers and scientists of the
Dast two decades as he knows those OF
| the present time I'm many parts o. the
| globe His own volumes so well known.
are among the best known and widely
quoted relating to the polar regions.
From the day that he set forth on
| that fatal expedition from which only
7 of the IS members returned alive, ne
has kept his finger constantly on the
pulse OF scientific progress In the con-
quest of the two poles. He takes mod
| est pride In the fact that his own eX"
pedition in i88l-i8S4 was no adven-
| turous poie-seeking voyage. as Is gen.
enerally believed, but a single unit
| IN an elaborate system of international
1
and so scientific observatories worked
| in concert" II marked the first Amer
| ican participation In polar research In
| cooperation with foreign nations.
Compared with the S50O,0O0 Byrd
| Antarctic expedition, the Government
appropriated s25 900 for him TO furnish
/ TRANSFORMATION and the Army furnished
| the stores. '"rhe whole three years
| work didn't cost more than $4,000.
| Gen. Greely said.
| Hale and hearty In his S4th year,
| there seems 10 be little change in Gen,
Greely with the passing OF years. Tow
| ering over six feet, he keeps vigorous
still In mind and body by the applica.-. :
| ton OF that rule of moderation In all
| things" which he says has been iife.
long habit. He believes his nj pnysical
! condition Ia due more to heredity than
Ito the rigors of his early outdoor lie.
| For Gen. Greely comes OF a race oil
| hardy. long Lived New England ances-
| tors who trace back 10 the Mayflower.
Has Long Record.
In manner courteous always and
kindly, he Is indeed gentleman oil
| the old school" 1t In hard to visualize
| In this studious man OF science, sur
rounded by his beloved library In the
quiet retirement of home surroundings
| one who has known the hardships oi
frontier campaigns, months OF ioii ~
an Army engineer In distant Alaska
and who stood watch with oeatn ~
that tragic expedition whose purpose
held 10 sail beyond the sunset"
Gen. 0reely has been In the puoiie
service from that day at the age oi
II years he chalked the figure i8 on the
soies of his shoes and stood up before
stern recruiting officer OF Massa-
chusetis volunteer regiment At the out
break of the Civil War to declare truth
fully he was "over eighteen.
Not given to lying even indirectly
colored TO the tips oil my ears, ne re-
lated of this incident When the oiiicer
said, You don't look IT," the youth re-
piled bravely. But ! am really over ls.
That was how dreely got into MS mrs.
! public service. Wounded three times
during the war he was later To become
the first volunteer private soldier III
the Army to reach the grade Of
| brigadler general.
Since the beginning OF his intensely
interesting public career. Gen, uteeiS
has tchalked up" more records OF per"
sonai participation In outstanding I'M.
pOrlant events than falls tn the lot oil
The average public man As an organ"
izer of the Signal Corps Service ana ~
Government seientiEt he was aAso"
ciated with all the great Americans
from that time ON In the Government
What he regards as the most in.pof :
tant. perhaps OF his peaoe+time duties
performed was the expenditure oi shu'~
900 for the construction OF fiyinR ma =
chine for war purposes The famous
1 craft OF Prof, 4. r, Langley,
During The past year. Gen dfeeiy mas
Deen tar from inactive, for he has 1nas
/ published his "Reminiscences ot AdH
venture and Service" an extraordinary
record of 6a years uf public service
From a soldiers camp located on
Meridian Hlll overlooking the City oi
Washington during The early days 0f the
Civil War he fofmed his tifat contact
with the National Capital For the last
40 years nf more. Gen dreely has been
"Washingloniana during the times
when moi on duty on the ffantiera of
utilization or elsewhere an Army duty,
Few people have had wider nppoF :
unity for experience and few indeed
lake ksfner deiightt In locking back nv
forWafd On the rnafeh ef progress Than
lilla pidef Aeke laan III two score years
II 3xA3fN