Evening star., 1929-12-11
SCIENTIST ASSAYS
BYRD'S RESULTS
Or. La Gorce of Geographic
Society Holds Camera
Record Is Valuable.

Commenting upon the scientific re-
suits of Comdr. Byrd's Antarctic sx-
plorations, Dr. John Oliver La Gorce.
vice president OF the National Geo
graphic Society, In. . statement just
made public, says: ~>e'. :
"Comdr. Byrd saw more OF the vast
ice.box continent on his single Aight
to the South Pole and back to Little
America than all the explorers Of all
time have seen on ali their explorations
Of Antarctica.
His radio messages state, that he and
his companions had q vision span Of
100 miles on either side Of their plane.
That means that IN the round trips-of
some 800 miles they looked down upon
territory aggregating the area Of our
states Of New York. Pennsylvania, Wiz
ginia and North Carolina.
vaIue Of Mapping Camera.
But Comdr Byrd's party not only
saw this expanSe Of Antarctica; their
huge map-making camera. photo
sraphed it.
Thus the camera multiplied annas-
ingly the cartoeraphic results which
hitherto had been limited by surface
sketches and notebook reports and these
O1by ObbAH1e0 SAAAO1BA OAAC 0OAstSSe HAAJoA
cal effort and the rare courage OF the
earth bound explorers Of other years.
"Comdr. Byrd'S utilization Of every
scientific aid and instrument In all his
exploration has greatly increased the
value of such data to science. Plus his
spirit of high adventure and resource
| full skill in meeting emergencies, he ana
! his men are contributing the painStak-
ing, careful and equally heroic drudg-
! cry Of observing and recording ~Signifi-
cant scientific data. s-..
Data en- weather and Geology.
'"The expeditions full reports on
weather conditions should be Of hign
value to naeteorology, for 1ittle-knoWn
Antarctiea is the weather breeder for
| Southern South America. Southern
Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
His expeditions work on geology
| may shed new light mn the moot ques-
ton Of whether Antarctica once was
land bridge for animal and plant MI
grafton between South. America and
Africa. ..
"His photographs and record should
add to our slight present knowledge
| Of the depth of the Ice cap that covers
the frozen continent, the height OF
| the mountains that occasionally pierce
this mightiest ice cake in ali the world.
the extent of the ice barrier that IN
closes it and the glacial action that
sends out these formidable ice tentaeles
! into its surrounding sea-. go,
I've Relar Flights CSAtRastsd.
"Byrd's famous night to the North
Pole, difdcult and dangerous as 1t was,
presented n two-dimenSion problem.
He few from Spitsbergen to the North
| Pole and hack over q 8ea-level route.
with no glaciers or mountains to" OBJ
Struct his course.
"On his f:ght to the South Pole he
encountered, after some 4s0 miles. u
mountain barrier Of more than 10,bOO
feet nearly as high as our Mount HOOD,
in Oregon. Thereafter. until hesreaehed
the South Pole. he was flying over q
plateau that did not dip much lover
than 5000 feet and rose to 10000 feet
OF. more.
His South Pole flight was = three-
dimension problem, with the alt1tude
factor presenting a new menace to the
flyers.
:The TOO miles that. Comdr. Byrd
hew over the inland plateau Of Antafc-
tica was . marvellous aviation achieve
ment. I recall no other night OF that
distance at such altitude and tenpeYa-
ture. It was q supreme test OF the
men and their machine, which dis
tinetly enhances our confidence tII' tins
mobility OF airplanes for exploration"