Evening star., 1930-06-21
Baby, Born After Father Left
for Antarctic, Proves
Too BIaSe.
But Stuffed Penguin From
Little America May Win
for Daddy Yet.

Just why an old box and a bladeless
razor should hold more attraction for 8
year-and-a-half-old son than a real,
live daddy Is one of the more difficult
questions now confronting Lieut.. NAL
colin P. Hanson, U. S. NJ, radio expert
with the Byrd Antarctic eXpendition.
Down in the South Pole country,
where radio reception is not a simple
matter of turning switch and twisting
dial, Lieut. Hanson won quite a repu-
tation for himself as a problem solver.
but this son Of his has him stopped
cold
Home for the first time in two years,
Lieut.. Hanson, sitting a sigh of resigna-
ton, opened the door of his apartment
at 1919 Military road this morning to
admit reporter and a news photog-
rapher.
Penguin May Turn Tide.
In the room were Mrs. Hanson and
Malcolm, jr., who came into the world
while his father was sailing to the
pole below the Equator, Malcolm, it
appeared, has been getting along fine
without a father for 10 months and
now fails to see any good reason why
he should transfer his affections from
that nice old pasteboard box and gold
plated razor simply because a genial
man, with a face tanned by sun and
WIND, has put in an appearance at the
Hanson home.
THE little rascal just doesn't seem
to know his daddy" the lieutenant ex-
planned, with a suggestion of bewilder-
ment in his tone. HE seems to he
more interested in that old box"
There Is one influence, however, that
is working In Lieut.. Hanson's favor. He
brought home with him a black and
white stuffed penguin as a present for
the son he was to see for the first time.
Malcolm has not as yet forsaken his
oox and razor, but the gawky penguin
seems to be winning an ever larger
share Of his affections.
Studied Short Waves.
One Of the most interesting phases
OF Lieut.. HanSon'S work in the Antarctic
was the measuring of short wave char
acteristtcS there. 1t Is the development
OF the short wave which has made long
distance radio transmission feasible,
and Lieut.. Hanson's observations in this
respect are expected to be of great value
In future radio work
A radio wave, he explained, after
leaving It's starting point Is detected
upward by the curvature of the earth.
instead OF vanishing in space, however,
1t strikes an atmospheric canopy at
varying distances above the ground and
Is def1ected back toward the earth
Part OF Lieut.. Hanson's work consisted
OF measuring the heighth of this can
opy. knowing that radio wave trav-
els $4,000 feet second, the length of
time required for a ground wave to
travel a short. measured distance was
carefully determined. Then the speed
OF the detected wave, arriving perhaps
e-thouSandth of a second later was
measured, the difference in time Of ar
rival indicating the number of extra
feet the detected wave travelled IN
reaching and returning from the
canopy.
The most important consequence of
this work lies in the use to which
the data obtained by Lieut.. Hanson
can be put in future radio work in the
Antarctic region.
Conversation Irks Baby.
To Lieut.. Hanson, one of the most
interesting phases of his work was
the radio conversations with the sta
ton on Franz Josef Island, the north
ernmost radio post in the world. This
station was almost exactly opposite
the Byrd party on the earth's surface.
AT this point, however, the conversa-
ton became a bit irkSome to Malcolm,
1r., and he began to investigate q
camera tripod which the photographer
had set up on the floor. The photog-
rapher suggested a photograph and
Lieut.. Hanson consented.
But" Mrs. Hanson interposed. you're
not going to have a picture taken in
those pajamas. are you?"
Why, certainly" the lieutenant re-
piled. I'm at home new, and besides,
1t doesn't matter"
But Mrs. Hanson couldn't quite see
it that way, and after q brief discus
sion Lieut.. Hanson retired to the bed
room and donned shoes, trousers, shirt
and tie. Returning. he borrowed the
reporters coat and everybody was
ready-that Is, everybody but Malcolm.
He had moved across the room and
was trying to make the penguin climb
up the back Of a chair.
Come here, sonny" the lieutenant
called, these men want to take your
picture" But Malcolm continued his
efforts to manipulate the penguin's well
stuffed legs.
Malcolm" his father called in a
voice of authority, come here" But
Malcolm didn't.
HRNm ua,Smana v.Ank>nA h&,.s 49, ~~>A 80