Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-14
PEAK AND ICE ARM
TO GUIDE BOWLER
Berlin Bound Plane Expected
to Have No Trouble Find
ing Next Base.
BY WILLIAM S. CLARKsoN.

De CLhnhSONs
Special Dispatch to The Star.
CHICAGO, July 13-When the flyers
on the 'Untin' Bowler reach the Green
land coast, taking course across Davis
Strait from Capt Walsingham on Baff1n
Island, they should have no difaculty
in locating the Mount Evans Weather
Observatory, near which a supply of
fuel and men to aid in tanking 1t are
waiting.
Two striking landmarks which can
hardly be missed unless unusual fogs
prevail will guide them. One is Mount
Pingo, 1000 feet above sea level This
peak, which is about 40 miles inland
and some 80 miles northwest of the OBJ
Servatory. can ordinarily be seen from
far out in the strait. 1t is higher by
1000 feet than the surrounding terri
tory.
The second guide is a great arm of
the inland ice cap which comes down
to the strait. 1t is located just south
of the Hondre Strom Fjord, which leads
about 100 miles inland in q northeast
erly direction to the main body Of ice.
With fair visibility conditions this ice
arm is the most prominent feature of
the topography for a long distance, and
is said to be visible for 100 miles at
sea.
Course Easy to Find.
If the Bowler's pilot, Robert Cast.
first sights the ice arm and then gets
view of Mount Pingo he has only to
drive a short distance between the two
places and then turn south to find the
ford at the northern side of the tongue
of ice.
No difficulty is expected in doing this.
It is rare that fogs heavy enough to
interfere with vision occur north of
the ice arm, as the prevailing winds
from the south precipitate their mois-
ture on the frozen eXpanse and are
consequently dry when they pass north
OF the Hondre Strom Fjord. Mount
Evans has in the course of year only
about seven inches of precipitation.
The observatory itself is on height
OF about 1900 feet. and Is about three
miles from the ford and 20 miles
from the central ice fields. The crews
supplies and the welcoming party, how
ever, are at Camp Lloyd at the edge of
the water. The floating ice which
menaced the Bowler at Cape Chidley is
a peril from which they will be free
at the conclusion of their next hop.
The temperature probably will be
aIOunQ 0U degrees.
No difficulty should be found in
choosing a suitable time for a take-ofi
to Iceland. Most of the scientific interest
in the trip is conferred on the trip across
the central ice, which has never vet
been crossed by plane. A few explor-
ers. notably Nansen and Peary. have
climbed over the ice on foot. The last
crossing was made by DR.. Knute Ras-
muSSen, Greenland's Danish explorer
in 1916
Conditions Are Uncertain.
Conditions in the interior at any
given time are matter Of Specula-
ton. Despite the mildness of the Sum-
mer climate on the coastal plane, tenn
peratures as low as 60 below zero have
been found on the heights. It is I'M
likely. however. that the flyers will have
to undergo such extreme cold for more
than short time. And, except for a
narrow area Of crevasseS and assures
near the ice-free plain, the surface of
the cap is as smooth as a ballroom floor.
The 'Untin' Bowler must climb to a
height OF more than 5000 feet to get
over the dome. The crew will be as
sisted by the winds If they can 60 a
few feet higher than this with their
1ull load OF gasoline. The winds at the
surface OF the ice move constantly out
ward. At higher levels, as Prof. VIII
liam H. Hobbs demonstrated by MANY
experiments at Mount Evans, they con-
stantly flow inward. Going high after
their take-off on the west coast. the
myers can have tail wind to the CEN
ter and then can drop a few Thousand
feet and have the same help to the
eastern coast and well out into the sea
on the crossing to Iceland.
Copyright, 1921