Milford chronicle., 1931-01-16
High School Girl ChrOni-
cles Impressions Of Life
And Accomplishments
Of Polar Explorer.

The easy-going freedom of the
wild west, the warmth and languor
of the sunny south-they are his
heritage, they form the surround
ings of the boy, Ashley Mckinley,
born in Texas in 1896. There he
spends his bOyhood like any other
boy, happy and carefree; but DER
the distant horizon, far away in the
dim future is a misty picture of
wars oppression and depression, of
the grief it brings, the separations
from family and home, and its hard
ships and tears; there is picture
of strange ships, flying back and
forth in a smoky sky, turning, div
ing into the midst of ceaseless fir
ing, rising, high above the clouds,
now low above trees and housetOps.
now roaring through smoke and
flame. Still further in the back
ground of the future is what? Ice
bergs, cold, gray water, a frozen
land of ice and snow, high NOUN
tains, deep gorges, bridged by fra
gile slivers of ice, danger lurking in
the slippery whiteness of the daz-
zling snow, death disguised in
sparkling brilliance. All these
things are written in the book of his
life. If the boy were to read that
book he would probably think it
capital fun. he would call it awfully
good, but he would never dream that
he would some day live through
such experiences. For whoever i'm
agincd that the Mckinley boy will
fly across the South Pole with Com
mander Richard L. Byrd, boy just
eight years older than he, whom
Mckinley does not even know.
Yet slowly, year by year, this flu
ture comes to pass. The boy is edu-
Gated and becomes interested i'll avi-
alton. Then the Great War comes,
sweeping all humanity on its tide.
At first Mckinley is stationed in the
United States. Later, when Ameri-
ca enters the war he is sent from
Omaha, Nebraska, overseas to
France. There he is in the midst of
the fighting. He is promoted to
captaincy. He takes part in the
UGilllC vi al SOlllC VI G0bs AiiC biOON
lest battle in American history. He
sees men in both armies moved
down like grain. After the battle is
won there comes honor and glory,
but the terrible impression it leaves
sinks into the mind more than en-
pity praises 1t is no wonder that
the youth who went away laughing
returns a man saddened by the for
tunes of war. But that is life, and
as yet it is not done with him.
When the man comes home, he
remains in the service of the United I
States Army as an aerial surveyor.
Then in 1925 comes the Arctic eX-
.pedition of Macmillan and both the
world and Mckinley first hear of
Richard Byrd. In 1928 this man
flies over the North Pole. Immedi- +,
ately after returning and being
made a commander, Byrd begins to
fit out an Antarctic expedition.
In selecting his crew he realizes
that in order to have proof of Am +
erican claims he had better have a
surveyor and photographer. With
this idea in mind he decides upon
Captain Ashley c. Mckinley of the
U. S. Army And so another adven-
ture is begun.
Late in August, 1928, the ship,
CITY of New York" sails away for
unknown lands. Captain Mckinley
takes leave of his wife, and watches
with the rest of the crew as the
waving handkerchiefs and smiling
faces fade into the distance. Then
the skyline of New York becomes
soft gray mirage, then disappears
altogether, not to be seen again for
almost two years, though in the
minds of the men it will remain as
1 dream to build on the ice and
snow of the Antarctic. While the
ship is in Panama all the men have
heir teeth examined by a prominent
lentist residing in Milford, Della
ware. That dentist is DR.. Clyde
Nelson. After he examines the
GRth of the men they leave for New
bland. On December the second
&e City of New York in company
With her supply ship, the Eleanor
boiling, leaves Dunedin, or as some ;
allied it Done Eden, to sail to the
bottom of the world" On Christ !
mas Day the ship reaches the Ice '
Iarrier on which ftheRpermanent &
ase is to be established Captain t
IcKinley describes it slater as, s
some Christmas present%lG |
When camp is established at Lit v
e America, Captain Mckinley finds I
nat there is little times tofs sit and i
mink. The aeroplanes must be kept v
/ condition, all their supplies must e
g carefully arranged. To add to
lese duties, Mckinley hasiihis vest n
Ocket camera, which hemust take u