Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-14
WASHINGTON MEN
MAY co TO POLE
WITH BYRD PARTY
Six or Seven Consider Re-
turning to Little America
for Exploration.
PAYMASTER is READY
TO LEAVE AT ANY TIME
Lofgren, Haines, Davies, Hanson,
Demas and Bubier Are
Listed.

When Rear Admiral Richard z. Byrd
starts back to frozen Little America TO
resume the work of exploring the un-
known wastes of Antarctica, he is ex-
pected to take with him six or seven
residents or former residents of the Ma
tlonal Capital, veterans of his previous
expedition, which resulted in the con-
quering of the South Pole by airplane.
Five Washington members of the
previous expedition, who were with
Byrd at the Boston dinner last week,
when he announced his plans for re-
turning to Little America, have not yet
returned to Washington. but are ex-
pected to sign up for the new expe-
dition.
At least one Washingtonian, Charles
Eric Lofgren, 904 Kearney street north
east, personnel officer and paymaster on
the last expedition, has Signifled his
readiness to go back to the Antarctica
base whenever he is called. He now Is
preparing to leave Washington on lee
ture tour which will keep him busy for
a half year. until preparations are in
full swing for the new journey TO the
frozen continent.
Others May Join Cruise.
Other WashingtonianS who, It is I'M
derstood, have been asked to accom-
pany Byrd back to the Antarctic are
William c. Haines, now in charge OF
the Weather Bureau airways meteor
illogical station at Westinghouse Hoover
Airport; Frank Thomas Davies, physl-
cist at the Carnegie Institute labora-
tory here; Malcolm P. Hanson, radio
engineer, now at the Naval Research
Laboratory; Epominondas ]. Demas,
airplane mechanic, 1906 Irving street;
Sergt. Kennard Francis Bubier, U. s.
M. c., aviation mechanic, 2503 Four
tenth street, now stationed at Guam
tico. Va; L. " Berkner, radio operator,
630l Florida street, Chevy Chase, Md.
and Charles Leroy Kessler, fireman, 40
Foxhall road.
The five who were at the Boston din
ner, where they received gold medals
for their achievements in the last ex-
petition, were DemaS, Hanson, HalneS,
Davies and Bubier.
Lofgren said today that he under
stands the new expedition will base at
Little America and undertake the ex-
ploration of many thousands OF miles
of unknown region on the Antarctic
continent, probably by airplane.
Will Give Lectures
Lofgren will leave Washington early
next week for Pittsburgh to give sew
eral lectures there on the last expe-
dition. On October l he Is to start
high school lecture tour which will
last five months. During this tour he
will lecture two or three times day
on the five school days of each week.
After this tour he will report to the
University of Minnesota for three
week extension course lecture tour.
II am taking with me Tom Pratt,
the Eskimo BUDDY born in Little
America, Lofgren said. II asked Ad-
miral Byrd if he wanted Tom Pratt to
go along on the new expedition and
he said, BY all means"
Mr.. Lofgren, now 50 years old. served
for Is years in the Navy and the Naval
Reserve, attaining the rank of lieuten-
ant. He served with Byrd in the Navy
Department here in 1918 and 1922
%. He is a member Of the local de-
partment, Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Hiram Lodge, No. 10, Masons, and the
Fleet Reserve Association.
Created Key Station.
Mr.. Haines was put in charge Of the
airWays weather station here when 1t
recently was transferred from Boiling
Field to the commercial flying field,
| and has made it one Of the key airways
stations on the East Coast. He served
in the Army signal corps curing the
| war and then became a meteorologist
Of the Weather Bureau. He was Sc
! lected to accompany Byrd on the North
! Pole expedition and later on the first
Antarctic expedition.
Davies, now with the Carnegie Insti-
| tuition here, is a Welshman. After serv-
ing in the war, he went to Canada as
physicist at McGill University, Mon
! treal, and joined the Byrd expedition as
a physicist.
! Hanson, a former lieutenant in the
Navy and now an officer in the Naval
Reserve, served as radio engineer on
Byrd'S Arctic and Antarctic expeditions
and was in charge of radio on Byrd's
| transatlantic flight of 1927.
| Demas, a member of both polar ex-
petitions, also assisted in preparations
J for the transatlantic flight. Bubier
! served in the Marine Corps for nearly
six years prior to joining the Byrd Ant
arctic expedition. Berkner, now in the
Naval Aviation Reserve, was radio
engineer for the Department of Com
merce when Byrd signed him for the
trip to Little America. Kessler served
six years in the Marine Corps before
|. Joining the Antarctic force.