Evening star., 1936-01-12
RANGES BELIEVED
ELLSWORTH PRISON
Mountains May Bar Path
of Lost Explorer, Byrd
Pilot Thinks.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
KANSAS CITY, Mo-, January II
(N.A.NA.).-"Anyth can happen
to an airplane in the Antarctic, ana
II something happens, the flyer gener-
ally is long way from town"
This speculation on the fate OF Lin-
coin Ellsworth and his flying compan-
ion. Herbert Hollick-Kenyon, who dis
appeared on flight over the Antarctic
continent, comes from Capt. Alton N.
Parker, the pilot who accompanied
Admiral Richard E. Byrd on his North
Pole and first South Pole expeditions.
Seven weeks have passed since the
last wireless message was received from
Ellsworth and Hollick- Kenyon, as they
were flying across the continent of ice
and snow from the Weddell Sea to the
Ross Sea. At that time they were
about halfway on the 2.140-mile
flight.
Ellsworth and his pilot were flying
over unknown country" Capt. Parker
said. But it is my belief that noun
vain ranges are On JIldt EOutc.
Spent 80 Hours in Air.
The Byrd pilot spent more than 80
hours in the air in exploration flights
east of Little America over mountain
ranges which extend toward the prob
able route of Ellsworth's flight.
mo one can tell how far the Edsel
Ford or Queen Maud Ranges extend
into the path Of the missing men"
said Capt. Parker. "If their ship con-
tinued to function properly. this isn't
important. If they made a successful
landing and pushed on with skis and
q sled. the ranges would probably be
difficult of access"
What are the possibilities OF q sue
cessful forced landing?
THE men disappeared on November
%. Spring in the Antarctic" the pilot
answered. Usually it is better flying
weather than any season in this coun-
try. Visibility Is greater There are no
dust particles and smoke to cloud the
atmosphere.
However, wind blows down from
the center of the South Pole plateau
and out to the coasts through the force
of gravity. The wind forms sastrugi,
ruts which run parallel to the wind.
Since ships are landed into the wind,
they land parallel to the sastrugi and
there is chance of upsetting if ski
catches in rut.
Weather Changes Quickly.
Gall Antarctic flying starts in good
weather. but the wind can attain an
enormous velocity in a short time and
the flying doesn't always end in good
weather."
Two ships are hurrying from op-
posite sides of Antarctica in an attempt
to aid Ellsworth and his pilot One,
the Wyatt carp carries a new North
rop plane. flown from Kansas City by
Dick Merrill The steamship Discovery
II. carrying food. medical supplies and
two airplanes, sailed last week from
Dunedin, New Zealand, for the Bay
Of Whales, Ellsworth's destination.
The Wyatt carp, which sailed from
Ellsworth's base at Dundee Island, on
the other side of Antarctica. is expect
ed to reach the Bay of Whales by jan
uary IS. Autumn in the South Pole re-
gion. Only short period of good fly
ing weather remains.
Most Of the continents surface Is
fairly smooth" said Capt. Parker, who
now is pilot for Transcontinental &
Western Air. Inc, flying out of Kansas
City. you land a ship on skis in the
Antarctic in much the same manner as
you land ship on pontoons in water -
Another condition which arises to
harass the flyer in the South Pole
region is fog lying close to the surface.
When warm air flows in from the
North, it strikes the colder air of
Antarctic, forming milky layer close
to the earth. Flyers combat this de-
ceptive fog by making stalled, or de-
layed, landings.
Blind Flying ImpracticabIe.
Blind flying may be done in the
Antarctic but it's impracticable be-
cause the flyer wants to see where he
Us going, the former Byrd pilot said
DR.. Vilhjalmur Stefansson, noted
explorer, has said that Ellsworth and
his pilot could rig a sail on a sledge
and, on some days, be able to ride
along with the wind and do little if
any walking.
If the wind is of sufficient velocity
to carry a sail along, it will stir up
SO much snow that Ellsworth won't
know where he's going" Capt. Parker
believes. However, Ellsworth is
skilled skier and might have gone on
successfully. depending on the pres
ence or absence of mountain ranges
On his path
Perhaps Ellsworth and his compan-
Ion ran into bad weather, landed and
waited for better flying conditions?
They might have run the planes
skis into prepared lanes and secured
1t with ice and snow" Capt. Parker
said. i remember in 1929, when we
didn't hear from Bernt Balchen,
Harold June and Larry Gould for II
days after they had gone on an ex-
ploration flight. They secured their
plane at the foot of the Rockefeller
Mountains with rope and ice and it
blew away. They estimated the wind
was blowing 100 miles an hour at the
time"
tCopyright. 1898. by the North American
Newspaper Alliance. Inc.)
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