Evening star., 1954-11-17
Two U. S. Expeditions
To Be Sent to Antarctic
VIII Set Up stution
For le57-l958 Operations
By Thomos R. Henry

Two small American exploring expe-
ditions. both consisting of single Navy
icebreakers. will go into the Antarctic
during the next two years.
One, the u. S. s. Atka, viii leave the
United States early next month. and,
depending somewhat on results this
winter. the second win leave in Decem-
Der. 1855.
The primary purpose Of each win be
to prepare for adequate supply and
communications services for the three
major American stations to be set UP
on the Antarctic continent during the
International Geophysical Year-1957-
So. One of these stations, by far the
most important from a scientific stand
point, at the South Pole itself affords
exceptional logistic problems to guaran-
tee the survival and safe return Of the
scientists stationed there.
Winds to Be Studied.
A sojourn of several months is
planned while a thorough study is made
of the cradle of the winds at the bottom
of the world. It is now more than 40
years since the last human being. the
ill-fated party of Capt. Robert F. Scott.
actually were at the pole. They perished
getting back to the Ross Sea.
It now is believed that supply planes
can land at the pole. a surface of fea-
tureless ice, but whether they can land
with a worthwhile load is quite diff
ferent consideration. It may be neces-
sary to set up some way station. or to
drop all the necessary supplies by
parachute
The full-scale American participation
in the International Geophysical Year
program now is considered highly proo-
able by scientists of the National Re-
search Council who have formulated
the program. Navy spokesmen empha-
size, however, that no funds yet have
been appropriated by Congress, no
equipment assigned and no command
ing officer designated.
Both National Research Council and
Navy emphasize that the purpose is
purely scientific and that, so far as
known there are no military considera-
tionS whatsoever. Both organizations
have been annoyed by newspaper con-
lectures that that the real purpose is
Union, There have been rumors that
Russians were carrying out atom bomb
and guided missile experiments in the
Anarctic. It has no knowledge of any
thing of the sort, the Navy maintains.
Many Russian whaling ships visit
Antarctic waters each winter. Whale
meat has of late become quite popular
food in Russia and there is no indica-
tion whatsoever, Navy spokesmen say,
that the Russian whalers have any
Interior motive. Many British, Nor
wegian and Japanese whalers also hunt
in Antarctic waters.
No Uranium Search.
An annoying suspicion has been that
the real purpose is a search for uranium
deposits. This is absurd, spokesman say.
There is probably lot Of uranium in
a continental mass as big as Antarctica
but it would be buried everywhere under
ice at least mile thick. Out of this
ice only the SUBMITS of high mountains
protrude.
The two preliminary Navy expedi-
tions will continue the mapping and
aerial Photographic work which was
one of the major purposes both OF the
1946-47 Navy expedition High Jump.
the biggest yet to enter the Antarctic.
and of the cruise of the icebreaker
Burton Island a year later, during
which there was preliminary explora-
ton of the so-called "oasis area" !" west
of the Ross Sea.
Despite much work by various coun-
tries during the past decade the greater
part of Antarctica still is almost COM
pletely unknown. This includes practi-
cally all the area from the almost un-
navigable Weddell Sea. almost directly
opposite the Ross Sea south Of New
Zealand, and the South Pole. This is
the desolation which Admiral Richard
E. Byrd calls ''the land beyond the
pole"