The Nome nugget., 1933-01-28
NORTHWESTERN ALASKA IS AGAIN RECOGNIZED. WILKINS PLACES ANOTHER ORDER
 FOR ARCTIC CLOTHING

The Lomen Commercial Company is just in receipt of an order from Sir Hubent Wilkins for fur cloth- ing for another Antarctic expedi- tion... Announcement has only re- gently been made of a 5000 mile nonstop flight scheduled for next year, and residents of Nome will De interested in some of the details of plans made by Lincoln Ellsworth, Bernt Balchen and Wilkins for a voyage of discovery into south pol ar regions.
 Ellsworth has purchased a Nor. throp all-metal, low-winger mono plane capable of speed of 230 miles an hour. This plane, which is an improvement on other Nor throp types, both as to speed and load-carrying ability, is to be ready for it's. first flying tests next Aug ust. It has the well-known cantt- lever Northrop wing section and will be steram-lined for the high est speed It will have an air-cool- ed engine either a Pratt and Whit ney Wasp or Wright Cyclone, capable of developing 500 horse power. It's length is 29 feet and one-haK inches, it span AS feet. Skis designed for the trip and made of laminated hickory will supplement the standard wheel equipment. It's top speed is placed at 230 miles an hours orr frac- ton less than 4 miles minute, landing speed AZ miles per hour, and it's most economical cruising speed is 15O miles per hour. It's total weight with 450 gallons of fuel, pilot and navigator and em- ergency equipment is placed at 7500. pounds.
 "Ours is purely voyage of dis covery", MT. Ellsworth states, "and there is a real difference between discovery and exploration. First must come discovery. No one knows if the Queen Maud Mountains are a continuation from the mountains of Graham Lana, of the Andes, or whether they belong to sep arate system Our purpose is to 14. 1Lnf ic a framework upon which investi- gators may plan expeditions for the examination of geological and mineral conditions which in turn must precede exploitation.
 The expedition staff is to be kept to a minimum. Ellsworth and Balchen will make the flight across the South Pole, Wilkins will await the return of the fiiers to the Bay of Whales and write. for the New York Times the story of what they saw on their round trip over the unknown continent, there will be a mechanic. a meteorologist, possibly a physician, and a boat crew of nine.
 A ship has been ,urchased in Norway, and the plane will be ship ped there about the first of next July to be loaded aboard; the journey to the Antarctic will be via South Africa and New Zealand. The boat will leave Norway about August first, and expects to get away from New Zealand by Dec ember first. Upon arrival at the Bay of Whales. fee conditions will affect the decision on the actual start of the flight of discovery, MT. Ellsworth said.
 From the Bay, of Whales the plane Bill proceed in an easterly direction. the course lying for 145o miles straight across the unknown wastes to the shores of Weddeii Sea. which. so far as the records show, has never been seen by man since It's discovery 80 years ago. If the weather is propitious. the aiers expect to be back at their base on the Bay of Whales in about 90 hours. MT. Ellswcrth himseM will do the navigating. op- crate the two cameras and keep the log of the night while Bal chen attends to the flying and the