Evening star., 1939-07-29
Byrd Lays Plans
For ExhaustiveTests
OF Antarctic Weather
Confers With Scientists
On E Expedition to Win
U. 5. Sovereignty

Chatting with reporters while
yesterdays heat was at its hottest,
Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd
talked about weather-the cold
weather he will soon investigate
with scientific rigor in the pro-
jected United States Antarctic Ex-
pedition.
He revealed plans to send balloons
high up into the clear, frigid at
mosphere of the South Pole regions.
Attached to them will be delicate in
struments which he called radio
sonde," capable of sending signals
of temperature and pressure down
to scientists in the base camp at
Little America.
The explorer said he also would
place automatic weather instru-
mentS far in the interior of the
Antarctic continent He's very glad
he can do this, he admitted, be-
cause it will end the necessity of
such a solitary vigil as he endured
during his last expedition, when
for weeks he faced death alone in
a snoW-covered hut.
Affect NOrthward Weather.
These meteorological studies are
practical, it was emphasized, for
weather changes in South Africa,
South America and Australia de-
pend upon erratic winds sweeping
northWard from the frozen conti-
nent. Unique conditions are faced
there. Admiral Byrd recalled that
in the crystal air he has seen me-
teors flash by at the rate of one per
second. There are just as many
here, but you can't see them," he
said The Admiral, looking cool as
the pole itself in his snowy linen
suit, had just emerged from con-
ference with 80 of the Nations
leading scientists called by the Ma
tional Research Council at the re-
quest of Secretary Ickes to discuss
scientific plans for the expedition.
The chairman of the conference,
President Isaiah Bowman OF Johns
Hopkins University, announced that
questions of oceanography, geology,
mapping, terrestrial magnetism, seis-
mology and transportation had been
surveyed.
Admiral Byrd added with smile
that William Mann, director of the
National Geological Park, came too
and put in a bid for some penguins
for you Washington people"
Would Establish Sovereignty.
Establishment of American SOW
ereignty over a portion of Antarc-
tica is one aim of the expedition,
and Admiral Byrd observed that de-
lineating the coastline and occupy
ing as much territory as possible will
be a major duty of his journey.
Tentative plans are to strengthen
the American claim to about 900 900
square miles in the Western Hemi-
sphere, he said. The whole contl
nent spreads out over about 100000
miles, of which only 100000 have
been discovered"
Lincoln Ellsworth flew over some
of the American" Antarctica, the
Admiral recalled, but much of it has
never been seen. Most of the region
is an icy waste, but in spots noun
tain peaks thrust out their naked
rock.
About 1900 miles east of Little
America a second base will be es-
tablished-perhaps a third will be
set down between-if ships can
break through the heavy ice foes
at that spot. Twenty-Five men will
remain at each base.
Admiral Byrd said he "couldn'.
say anything for the record" about
rumors of an international scram-
BILE for possession of Antarctica, but
said that, MY opinion is this:
For instance, take Alaska-We
almost let it go, and it has proved
valuable.
Let Greenland Slip Away.
1--WE could have had Greenland
and we did let it go. 1t has since
become valuable strategically, pro-
viding bases for airplanes and ships.
That's why nations are getting
interested in this new region. There
are good landing fields for planes
all over it on the ice fields, you
know"
The United States Antarctic ex-
pedition plans to get under way by
the middle of August, but Admiral
Byrd expressed doubt yesterday
that it can leave on time, since
congressional appropriations were
held up more than month longer
than he expected. AS a beginning,
S350,000 has been appropriated, but
he insisted no clear estimate of the
actual cost can be made, since a
multitude of Government agencies
are "loaning' their men and equip
ment to the expedition without
charge.
His first expedition cost an esti-
mated 100000 in cash and $780,
600 in equipment donated, he re-
called, while his second amounted
to 81 100000 in cash and $5OO,00O in
equipment donated.
The group of scientists with which
he conferred yesterday included the
following: Lyman j. Briggs, direc-
tor of the Bureau of Standards;
Rear Admiral l.. o. Colbert, director
of the Coast and Geodetic Survey;
Charles B. Hitchcock, American
Geographical Society; w. C. Men,
denhaH, director of the United
States Geological Survey; Edward
Bailey, Bureau of Fisheries; w. B.
Bell, Biological Survey; Henry B.
Bigelow, director of the Oceano-
graphic Institute at Woods Hole,
Mass; Richard B. Black, Division
of Territories and Island Possess
sions; Samuel W. Boggs, geographer
of the State Department.; R. E.
Coker, National Research Council;
Hugh Cumming, State Department.;
John A. Fleming, director of the
department of terrestrial magnetism,
Carnegie Institution; 1t. C. V.
Graves, United States Coast Guard;
w. T. Harrison, United States Public
Health Service; Capt. N. H. Heck,
Coast and Geodetic Survey; w. L.
C. Joerg, National Archives; Serge
A. Korff, Bartol Research Founda-
ton: Thomas G. Poulter, Armour