Evening star., 1950-08-18
Former D. c. Clergyman
Sets Up Antarctic Base
Rev. Liotord in Adele Lond
On French Expedition
By Thomos R. Henry


A former Washington clergyman who
entered the French Navy shortly after
the start of the last war has succeeded
in his second attempt to establish a
semi permanent base on the Antarctic
continent.
Paul Victor, director Of the French
Polar Research Expeditions conducting
research in both the Antarctic and Arc
tic, has Just announced that II men
under the command Of Rev. Andre F.
Liotard now are undergoing the ordeal
Of the six-month-long night in gale
proof barracks on the shore Of Adele
Land.
They have named their little settle
ment Port Martin. It Is planned to
maintain it permanently, as far as pos
sible, with annual replacements Of per-
sonnel, as q substantial basis for French
territorial claims to a narrow wedge
extending from point south Of Aus
tralia to the South Pole.
Discovered in 1S40.
Curiously enough, Comdr. Liotards
expedition, after one failure due to i'm
penetrable ice, made their landing ex-
actly 10 years to the hour after tho
discovery of this coast by the French
explorer Dumont-D'Urville in 1840. Al
most simultaneously land was sighted
several hundred miles to the east by an
American expedition headed by Capt.
Charles Wilkes later the founder Of the
Naval Observatory; and there always
has been some question as to priority.
Neither the French nor the Americans,
however, made any landing. There al
ways was the question as to whether
both may not have been victims Of
mirages. Wilkes unquestionably was,
to some extent.
The United States made no claims
based on Wilkes discoveries. France,
however. has ever since maintained a
claim to the coastline reported by
D'Urville, and named Adele Land after
his wife, and its extension to the South
Pole.
Some dog-sledge expeditions into the
interior were undertaken about 40 years
ago by the Australian explorer, Sir
Douglas Mawson. Otherwise the area is
completely unknown. 1t Is one Of the
most b1hospitable regions on earth.
Winds of hurricane force, sweeping
downward over the plateau from the
South Pole, blow almost constantly.
Protection against these winds is a
major concern of Comdr. Liotard and
his men.
At the outbreak of the war the COM
mander was an ordained clergyman
conducting French services in st. Johns
Episcopal Church, across Lafayette Park
from the White House, the chief place
of worship for the French Protestant
population of Washington.
Record Of Frustration.
Until their successful landing on the
anniversary of D'Urville's discovery the
record Of the expedition had been one
Of Illustration. Last year Comdr. Iiotard
was forced to turn back by an impene-
trable ice pack after approaching with
in 40 miles of the Adele Coast. Previ-
ously, however, he had visited and re-
established French claims to Kerguelen
Land on the edge of the Antarctic, a
large, vegetation n-covered island which
now is projected as a major airield in
flights across the South Pacific. Maps
were made of several previously un-
charted islands in the Balleny group,
east of the Adele Coast.
In the face of this discouraging expe-
rience Comdr. Liotard returned to Ho-
bart, Tasmania, where he stored most
of his equipment. He left his sledge
dogs at the Melbourne Zoo and returned
to France where his ship was re-out-
fitted. Then he started out again with
the same party of volunteers.
An extensive exploration program
will be undertaken with the return of
the Antarctic day, about December /.
At present there are only few minutes
of light each "a hours and long jour-
neys can be undertaken only during
times of bright moonlight.