Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-08-15
BY JOHN L.. COOLEY.
Associated Press Science Editor.


NEW YORK. August l5.--A harrer
continent OF ice, crossed in places by
high mountain ranges, swept by the
SevereSt gales and frozen by the cold.
est weather on the earth-~Such is Ant
srctica. The forbidding land 10 which
COmGr Richard E. Byrd. Capt Sir HUI
bert Wilkins and Douglas George JEFF
ferry are taking their planes for three
separate "Reminiscences by air.
This South Polar waste. known SO
imperfeCtly that even its coast lines
cann>t be accurately mapped offers
striking contrasts 20 the more familiar
Arctic regions In the first place. of
course. 1t Is land, and although its
terrain IS all but completely buried UNI
Ger an ice blanket. the continentality
81 the mass is now generally accepted.
In the Arctic as every one knows.
there are many stable islands. but the
nOrtnern ocean dominates the top of
the world.
Birds and animals are fairly plenti-
ful in the Far North: Antarctica itself.
on The other hand, SuStainS almost no
life, although the waters and cliffs
along IFS coast are rich in seals. sea
elephants. penguinS and other polar
fauna
There are Towering plants in the
Arctic too-400 species Of them-but
IN only one spot on Antavctic3 has this
advanced vegetation been reported. al
though several varieties Of moss are
found.
The Arctic Summer is comparatively
mild. whereas the mean Antarctic tenn
perature for December and January
the warmeSt months in that part Of
the world, is nearly always below free2-
ing
Vegetable. animal and bird life is
rather abundant on nearby islands. but
the three exploring parties will not
concern themselves with these more
friendly neighborS Of the big white
continent Their work will be done
ir a land that is still in the grip of an
ice age OF comparatively recent origin.
land that died ages ago
There is plenty OF evidence. how
ever, that Antarctica was once a liv-
ing continent. Important fossil flora
indicate the presence of vegetable life.
a least, before the coming of the ice:
and some scientists have suggested
that numerous plants and animals be-
gan their northward migration from
West Antarctica, the section yielding
these remains, in the forgotten time
that was the heyday of South Polar
Prosperity.
For purposes of convenience. geog-
raphers sometimes divide the continent /
into tu'9 partS-Easf Antarctica, which |
IS apparently a plateau of the Indo- |
African type, and West Antarctica, +.
which is folded in ridges. The struc- |
tuTe Of me latter section suggests that |
the mountains found there may be a
continuation Of the Andes. for the |
peninsula of West Antarctica extends I
n within 300 miles OF the tip of South |
America. and the rock formations of /,
that continent may extend beneath the /
sea 10 emerge again in the ranges of /
The southern continent is an ice
ridden plateau whose average eleva-
ton has been estimated at about 1000 |
feet. It is highest near the South
Poe. where the mountains tower to a
height OF 5000 feet The /
pole itself is about 10000 feet above
sea level
Maps Of Antarctica parcel the vast
continent into lands" but the nomen-
ciature is rather indefinite, since few
o. these strips of territory have been
even, superficially explored Explora-
ton has been Chiefly along the coasts
Many Of these divisions are named
for the explorers who first sighted them /
Land. Kemp Land, Enderey
Land. Goats Land. Graham Land.
Others honor European monarchs, liv-
ing and dead-King Edward VII Land
King George Y Land, Queen Mary
Land, Kaiser Wilhelm II Land. But
none Of the senli-mythical provinces
has boundaries. Antarctica is still too
much OF a geogra phical enigma 20 war
rant such familiarlties by the map
makers.
Copyright. 1927