Evening star., 1929-12-04

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All was we'll again. We looked around.
Ahead was an apparently limitleSs
plateau. gliStening white in the sun
shine. The great Polar plateau at last.
1t was good to see it after the months
we had wondered about 1t and the
hundreds of times we had asked our
selves If we would ever be lucky enough
to reach it.
To the left were great mountain
masses looming high above our level.
would hesitate to estimate their
altitude, but they are very high since
at this place the plateau itself was
about 10000 feet above sea level. Macs
photographs must tell the story. Be-
yond this mass were separated peaks of
many different shapes running to the
south-eastward But could one say
that they ran that way? For though
they might continue in the Sarae gen.
eral line, so topSy-turvy is direction
here that in $50 miles they could be
running north Of east. That is what
happens near the Pole.
Great Peak Like Porcelain Bowl.
completely snow covered and looking
like a great inverted white porcelain
bowl.
Back of us, running east and west
along the rim of the plateau were
enormous peaks lifting their heads high
into the air. looked over to the right
and got one of those kicks that pulls
a man away from civilization, which
repays him for his efforts.
There was new mountain range in
the distance, running north and south
"a new bit of land to add to the map
of the world. Mac would shoot it with
mis- camera We felt that it was worth
while bringing him for that alone. 1t
occurred to me as I looked around at
the mountains that they must fringe
the whole plateau-nature's great dam
holding the ice, and snow there until
in geological ages, would lift itself from
Antarticia until the vast amount OF
snow melts and runs through outlets
to the ocean, that which lies below Will
not be revealed.
Only Guess at What Is Below.
At present we can only guess what
is beneath that great ice cap and wnat
its depth. 1t is one OF the WORLDS
mysteries. That imaginary point-the
South Pole-iS in the center OF an up
lifted plain hundreds of miles IN ol-
ameter, a magnificent ediflce seemingly
built to make more inviolable the tiny
spot which we were seeking.
The plateau seems to range from
1000 to IL 900 feet in altitude. Beyono1
the new mountain mass we saw smal
peak. sticking up through the great eX-
panse of snow-a very lonely .S.te e
black speck. It was hard to realize tnat
it was the top probably of mountain
about 5000 feet above sea level. !.
on we went flying at the rate OF
Io0 miles through the air toward our
goal. Our drift indicator showed Wlno
from the left. We had to head the
Flovd Bennett a dozen degrees to the
left in order to fly sraight south.
impossible to Tell Altitude.
It was impossible to tell our exact
altitude above the plateau ana tneIe,
fore not easy to get our actual ground
speed as it would have neen over "a'ei
or ice near sea level.
But there was a way. With a STOP
watch we got the time it took
creyasse, sastrugi, or smoke bomb be-
meath to run the length of 12-lncn
wire in the bottm of the plane. And
turning north we took the time over tne
same object in the same manner. Tnen
with simple mathematics, the speed
could be calculated. To do this we hao
to open a two-foot trap door. Inc
strong wind coming up through IL
quickly numbed the face OF the oo-
server. It was 10 degrees below zero
and getting colder as we approacneo
the pole.
we found the wind to be against us:
Instead of flying 100 miles an hour over
the nIateau. we were making only "a OF
85 miles an hour. This was as
anpointment. It would take us longer
to reach the pole than we had caicu-
lated. but we would came back 1aster
We took a look back at the mountains
and when we saw their great height,
realized that we must be very cars1ui
to allow for the wind.
Drift Then to Settle Fate.
Unless we reached our pass or the
Axel Heiberg glacier to fly through
down to the barrier, we might be trap
ned by mountains we could not scale
There were many very important rea-
sons then why the wind-drift indicator
and the sun compass should be useo
with the greatest care and why Bern'
and Harold should steer carefully. Sup.
pose the clouds should close in arounc
the mountains before our return. Tha'
would indeed trap us. But 1t was one
of the chances we had to take.
The character of the plateau surface
varied greatly from time to time WI
saw to the left the foot OF magnihcen
opposition. Comdr. Byrd Is not just
a. onY,0n1er0r nf the Atlantic