Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-01
BYRD FLIGHT RECALLS ARCTIC
TRIP TO E. B. BALDWIN HERE
Explorers Achievement in
Little America Brings FeIiCi-
tationS on Success.
Man Who Conceived Mooring
Most Tells of Earlier Ven
lures Into Northern Wastes.

News of the triumphal airplane flight
of Comdr Richard Evelyn Byrd over
the South Pole on Friday brought
memories. of rigorous polar pioneer
wastes. Evelyn B. Baldwin, now on
duty in the World War historical Sec
ton of the Navy Department, was in
polar exploration work when men
lacked the comparative comforts of
modern invention and in common with
other Americans rendered his felicita-
tons to Comdr. Byrd.
One of the questions uppermost In
the mind of Mr.. Baldwin, who went
North with Peary and later led his
own expedition into the Arctic, Is
whether the Byrd aerial party saw
Amundsen's tent in their spectacular
dash and whether any records left by
Capt. Robert Scott, the noted BritiSher,
were discerned by the newest explorers.
MOOring Mast Inventor.
Mr. Baldwin is credited with being
the first man to evolve the idea of the
airship mooring mast and giving it to
the United States Navy. He has an
other claim to fame in addition to his
exploration, by being the pioneer motion
picture cameraman in the Arctic.
Personally acquainted with the out
standing Polar explorers of his time
Andree, Amundsen, Scott and Shackle-
ton-Mr Baldwin has not met Comdr.
Byrd, but is student of his work In
augurating 1.-The first airmail' by in
shutting it in his Polar activities, Mr..
Baldwin explained yesterday that he
utilized pigeons, on one occasion
"scooping" a stowaway newspaper man
with the aid of the birds. His pigeon
plans were doomed to failure when he
started to train them on the ice. he
said. for the keen-eyed gerfalcons
swooped down and made short shrift
for his treasured birds.
Further SpecuIations.
Mr.. Baldwin wonders if Comdr Byrd
encountered gerfalcons-the feathered
rivals of his swift airplane-in his
Antarctic flight. He has never heard
explorers in that region speak of them.
Mr.. Baldwin, who is one of Washing
tons trio of noted Polar explorers, said
he feels the present cold snap here
more than he did the frozen tempera-
lures of the northland. The other
members of this trio are Gen. A. w.
Greeley and Brig. Gen. David L. Brain
erd, who lives at the Army and Navy
Club.
Interest in Polar exploration was
awakened for Mr.. Baldwin when at 10
years of age he began to pursue geog-
raphy and noted the blank spots on
the globe. The uncharted coast lines
prompted the inquiry as to why they
had not been completed and a longing
to know why and eventually to assist
in completing some of them awoke the
urge to explore.
Family of Army Men.
Born in Springfield, Mo-, July %.
Mr Dol IVr,ty, -
noted for its service with the Army.
He was graduated from Northwestern
College, in Naperville, Ill, in 1885,
taught school in Illinois and Kansas
and from 1892 to 1900 was an observer
in the Weather Bureau. Later he was
inspector-at-large for the Signal Corps
In 1894, Mr.. Baldwin was the
meteorologiSt with the second Peary
North Greenland Expedition. His next
interest in polar exploration was when
he went as volunteer to the Andree
balloon station, expecting to join Andree
in his flight in 1897 over the Arctic in
the old-fashioned globe-shaped balloon,
but as Southerly wind came up a few
hours before his arrival at the station,
Andree embraced the supposedly favor
able opportunity and he was left be-
hind. It was well he was, for the dis
appearance of the Andree balloon is one
of the worlds mysteries.
Mr.. Baldwin has the theory that it
fell in the icy waters. weighted down
with snow and moisture, similarly to
the recent Italian expedition that met
defeat in like manner.
Reason for Descent.
The balloon, being 80 feet in diameter
and 100 feet longitudinally, had such
a large practically fiat area on top, he
explained. that perhaps it was driven
to the surface by the accumulation of
snow and moisture. This, together with
the weight of four-and-a-half tons in
the basket, would have forced the
balloon Immediately into the open
spaces between the ice foes and brought