Evening star., 1937-05-24


OF North Pole to set up permanent
dvfdtion base.
Establishment of base erpected
to be prerequisite to Moscow-Sun
Francisco commercial airline
across top OF ,Dorld.
3y the Associated Press.
MOSCOW, May 24.-Sigismund
Levanensky, American-trained Soviet
pilot, tuned up this crack Douglas
transport plane today for 4 dash
across the North Pole to the United
States.
LevanefIsky was disclosed to have
been designated by Josef Stain him.
self to make the first use Of the
permanent North Polar base estab-
lished by Soviet explorers as a pre-
requisite to the long projected air
route over the top of the world from
Moscow to San Francisco.
Oficials of Soveit Union expressed
the hope the flight would bring the
nonstop distance record to Russia
as we'll as be the forerunner of reg
ularly scheduled commercial air travel
between Moscow and the United
States by way of the Pole.
= Plan Meteorological Observatory.
They based their hopes OF success
on the meteorological observatory
rapidly being completed at the North
Pole base, which the expedition
headed by DR.. Otto J. Schmidt
reached IN q flight from Rudolf
Island.
Three supply planes were held at
Rudolf Island. $50 miles from the
Pole, awaiting word that the polar
weather had cleared. Aboard the
planes were the supplies and scientific
equipment to enable Of the II ex-
plorers to hold the permanent settle
ment for year before handing over
their task to four others.
The party was drifting slowly about
the Polar seas on huge ice foe 1914
miles from the Pole itself.
Men Erecting Camps.
Although the flyers circled over the
Pole before landing Friday, the Pole
proper has not been touched by the
party. The men were too busy finish
ing unloading their equipment, erect
Ing camp and storing supplies to at
tempt trek to the earths hub.
The preliminary flight was disclosed
by DR.. Schmidt to have been made
May when plane carrying four
men surveyed the site and deter
mined that heavier planes could land"
Pavel Golovin the noted Soviet air
man, piloted the preliminary flight,
which took but flve hours to the Pole
from the expeditions main base at
Rudolf Island.
The three supply planes now held at
Rudolf because Of poor visibility at
sne Pole will carry eight tons Of equip
ment, including . power-generating
windmill, years food and the spe-
cially made Winter house in which the
four first inhabitants" will live for
the year.
!, Shovel Long Runway.
Under the direction Of the expe-
6ltions pilot, Mikha1l Vodopyanon,
the group shoveled 4 long runway on
the ice Zoe for the planes to use In
landing and taking of.
The work alternated with the tax
lnS of weather observations and other
data which will aid in long-range
weather forecasting as well as pro-
nide information for the flight to the
United States.
No indication was given as to when
ievaneffsky might hop OF on the
Arctic journey, although he has been
engaged In test flights for some weeks
He brought the Douglas transport,
which 1t Is generally accepted he will
use, back from the United States,
where he has tudied and worked in
aviation factories. Last week he new
from Moscow to Odessa, on the Black
Sea, in 10 hours with passengers
1evanensky attempted polar flight
from Moscow to America In 1885, but
met with failure.
Flew From California.
In 1886 he made = successful flight
from California to Moscow by way
Of Canada, Alaska and Siberia.
There has been no sign that the
6oviet Union would make any formal
attempt to claim sovereignty over the
North Pole. Two reasons were gen
orally accepted for this attitude:
l. No land is known to exist there
and it would be unprecedented to
claim sovereignty over floating ice
hundreds Of miles from the near
est shore.
2. Soviet authorities, including DR..
Schmidt, accept the claim OF Ad-
miral Perry Of the United States to
have been the first person to have
reached the Pole In his 1909 expedi-
ton.
In addition, officials have repeatedly
emphasized the new base is not sta
tionary, but on moving ice noe.
The report received from the Pole
at 1890 Am. $3.50 pm, Eastern
standard time, Sunday said weather
unfavorable for flight, visibility 500
meters (about 1,7o0 feet)."
Storms Bar Take-O6s.
The Arctic storms prevented the
take-o1s from Rudolf Island with
tho additional supplies, although the
station there reported weather and
visibility had improved.
, All radio stations In the Soviet
Onion with the exception Of that Of
Rudolf Island, through which messages
are being relayed, have been ordered
not to communicate with the North
Pole tn order to keep the air there
clear.
The weather message from the polar
base said the wind was blowing from
the direction Of Alaska. Because at
the Pole every direction is south, the
observers have to be specific In desig-
mating the course OF the wind.
Licensed at Marlboro.
UPPER MARLBORO, Nd, May a
Especially Marriage licenses have