Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-19

rections, IS in the scientific workroom
making lines on paper which he calls
elevation and contours. They are or
the Rockefeller Mountains, and any one
seeking trouble may find It by casually
remarking, Those the mountains in
which you were lost, Larry?" Then his
head resembles Medusa's and sparks fly.
Lost, with a theodolite and stars and a
sun to shoot at--what an aspersion on
a geologist! When Larry is not making
geologic or geographic maps he Is work.
ing on lectures to be delivered before
the student body of the Antarctic Uni
versity, of which he is board Of trustees,
president, dean and professor.
A countenance surrounded and COW
cred by black hair and beard, from
which shine a pair Of exceedingly
bright eyes, now twinkling with mis-
chievous humor, again gay with an
elfish cynicism rests on a rather rotund
body leaning against bunk end. One
hand is waving in Gallo gesture in
the air You see, it Is this way" be-
gins Conan, preparing with deprecatory
voice to go into subject which has
been forced upon him and OF which the
less educated among us scarcely recog-
nize the vocabulary. There Is lot OF
wisdom knowledge Of men as well as OF
books, under the nonchalant manner of
our medical man and zoologist, who will
presently shrug his shoulders and dis
appear into his room to breed a vaccine
culture under difficulties.
The door opens and a small figure
alive with a quick energy bustleS in
with an armful of things. Here you
are, Doc" he calls. Blackie Is the
supply man. and with his flashlight he
burrows all morning long in tunnels
and houses, bringing in food for the
day, finding things for every depart
ment, laying down the law as to what
one may or may not have. A tough job
is G.. Hamilton Blacks. And at night
he may be found in his element, eyes
sparkling, talking like a Coney Island
barber as he runs blackjack game for
tobacco, our most valuable commodity
There Is movement in an upper
bunk and head appears as McKin-
ley rolls over to where he can look down
on us and sleepily light cigarette. He
has been up all night in his darkroom
developing pictures for aerial surveys.
room has been finished. This quiet,
smiling man, whose chief characteristic
Is a courteous charm of manner, never
lacks volunteers to help him, for in
some Undesirable way he makes them
feel that he is working with them
rather than that they are working I'M
der his directions. He has had a few
hours sleep and presently will be back
in his workshop to look again at his
precious negatives.
One would never guess from his
manner that he Is a pilot of free
balloons, airships and airplanes with
several thousand hours in the air to
his credit But with all his gentleness,
when Mac wants something done 1t
is somehow always done and in his
way.
Over big board in the scientific
room O'Brien is working with triangle
Under the glare Of the lamp his shaver
head and long nose and jutting chin
make him look like one of those
Roman emperors whose heads stick
out of marble togas, but ideas one
may have about him are diSpelled
when he utters some jibe at human
frailty. Then he Is Enthusiastically irish.
He applies himself diligently to his
figures and lines.
long nose and his toes also, working
a transit at 40 below. and for every
line on the map he had to thaw him
self out.
The Aviator's Employment.
Balchen sits on the edge Of his bunk
forever working slide rule and scrib-
stresses on the landing gear" he will
say. looking up with a grin, and forth
with forget you are there. The only
books which seem to interest him are
on engineering airplane design and
tales of exploration In the polar regions.
Hanson is busy fixing up some new
apparatus for radio experiments in
connection with the aurora. He bustles
about at odd hours and at midnight.
when every one is abed. we are apt
to hear him scurrying over the roof
to look at wires he has run from the
other house or coming in after work
ling late in the radio shack.
Chris Braathen. in the snug little