Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-11-30
Sturdy Airplane
Battles Wind
in Range.
45 DAYS FOOD
DUMPED ON ICE
Magnificent Sights
Are Seen En- Route
by Explorer.
RUSSELL OWEN.

Sy haolo 10 Inc StaI ana the rev 1orh
LITTLE AMERICA, Antarctica
November 29.-Conqueror of two
poles by air, Comdr. Richard E
Byrd few into camp at 1910
o'clock this morning, having been
gone 18 hours and SO minutes. An
hour of this time was spent at the
mountain base refueling.
The first man to fly over the
North and South Poles and the
only man to fly over the South
Pole, stepped from his plane and
was swept up on the arms of the
men in camp who for more than
an hour had been anxiously watch
ing the southern horizon for q
sight of the plane.
Deaf from the roar of the motors,
tired from the continual strain
of the flight and the long period
of navlgatlons under di1dcultieS
Comdr. byrd was still smiling and
happy. He had reached the South
Pole after as hazardous and as
difficult flight as has ever been
made in an airplane, tossed by
gusts of wind, climbing desperate
ly up the slopes of glaciers a few
hundred feet above the surface.
Radiant Airmen Borne in Triumph,
His companions on the flight
tumbled out stiff and weary also,
but SO happy that they forgot
their cramped muscles. They were
also tossed aloft, pounded on the
back and carried to the entrance
of the mess hall.
Bernt Balchen, the m-eyed
pilot who first met Comdr. Byrd in
Spitzbergen and who was with him
on the transatlantic fight, came
out first. There was a little
Smudge of SCOT under the nose, but
the infectious smile which has en-
deared him to those who know
him, was radiant.
He was carried away, and then came
Harold June, who, between intervals of
helping Balchen and attending to fuel
tanks and lines and taking pictures
found time to send the radio bulletins
which told of the planes progress.
And after him Capt. Ashley Mckinley
was lifted from the doorway, beaming
like the Cheshire cat because his sur
veying camera had done its work all the
way.
Dumped Food Of FOrty-five Days.
Men crowded about them eager for
the story of what they had been
through, catching fragments of SEN
tences. It had evidently been terrific
battle to get up through the mountains
to the plateau.
we had to dump month and half
food to do it." said Comdr. Byrd. Il
am glad it wasn't gas. 1t was nip and
tuck all the way"
YES" chuckied Balchen. do you re-
member when we were sliding around
those knobs picking the wind currents
to help us and there wasn't more than
300 feet under US at times? We were
Just staggering along, with drift and
clouds and all sorts of things around
US"
When the plane approached the
mountains on the way south, Condr
Byrd picked out the Livingston Glacier
a large glacier somewhat to the west OF
the Axel Heiberg Glacier, as the best
passageway.
Swooping Upward Through Drift.
The high mountains shut them in al
around as they forced their way up
ward, Balchen, conserving his fuel tc
the utmost, coaxing his engines, picking
the up-currents of air as best he could
to help the plane ride upward.
Clouds swirled about them at times
puff-balls of mist driven down the gla-
cier; drift scurried beneath them; it was
a wicked place for an airplane to be-
hemmed in by the wall of the towering
peaks on either side.
There was one time when they haC
TO tighten ship and Byrd, looking arount
for what could best be spared, decided
TO dump some food. There was dunn
valve in the fuselage tank, but he haC
CONTINUED on Page 2, Column So