Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-01-15


go easy on the oxygen since the
supply is short.
Inside the main cabin are only
three seats. The rest of the space
lis occupied by duffel bags, sleep
ing bags. survival rations and
gear.
Jet-Assist TakeOff
Takeoff. Halfway down the
runway the plane bounced on an
ice crack. then leaped forward
as the jet booster bottles went
off with O roar. AS the wheels
pulled UP. a small thought oc-
Cured to me-this is Friday the
18th.
1915 a.m.-Comdr. Hanson is
at the controls. The colonel is
polishing his boots getting ready
for liberty next week in New
Zealand. We are flying at 5000
feet with the blue-white man.
moth Ross Sea ice shelf on our
left.
On the right are the brown
and black peaks Of the Brittania
Range some $4,000 feet high.
sticking up from the snow. I
see glaciers filling valleys and
stretching between peaks like a
taut bed sheet.
The music Of Benny Goodman
and Dixieland jazz is coming
over the tape recorder piped into
the plane over the loudspeaker
system. This is modern explora-
ton in swing time.
11:20-Now climbing glaciers
of the costal mountains with the
colonel now on the cot reading
"a paper backed whodunnit. We
are flying at 1900 feet and ]
am beginning to feel the effects
Of the thin air in the non-pres-
surized plane. 1t Is an effort to
move much. I find myself feel
ing heavy. breathing hard. talk
ing slower and thinking slower.
A fiat white plateau is spread
out under us in all directions
with good visibility up to 200
miles. The only features are
shadows of tiny snow hummocks,
The colonel now is sleeping. Maj.
Helling shining shoes and the
plane is on automatic pilot. or
as the crew says. we've turned
it over to George"
700 Feet on Snow
The plateau is rising steadily
as we continue at 1900 feet but
the snow plain is now only TOO
feet below.
1::20-We Just climbed to H.
500 feet and now the plateau Is
800 feet belof, which means we
climbed 500 to gain one hundred.
I just sucked on an oxygen
mask for the first time with a
curious effect. AS ] did so I was
a colored photograph
calendar about is feet away. AS
I inhaled deeply the colors be-
came brighter and more vivid
as though light had just turned
on.
1:25-We Just hit mild white
out. I can see the plateau but
the horizon is lost. The white
out ended a few minutes later.
1:50-Another without. this
time all around us. Told we
might have to turn around If
the condition continues. These
boys are taking no chances OF
blind into an unknown
peak and by a strange
coincidence am in complete
accord. But the whiteout again
ended a short time later. Medlin
now is curled up asleep on duffel
bags. wish could do the same.
Col. Kolp Just came back and
said wryly, IAN interesting land
scape, isn't 1t?"
It isn't-the same snow pla-
teau is going on. on and on.
3:30-We now are up to 1880
feet with the plateau 1900 feet
below. / got roaring headache,
in the reduced pressure, feel like
i am 81 years old instead Of 81.
Merely moving 10 feet leaves you
breathing hard. Every now and
then l talk in what think is a
normal voice but only a whisper
emerges.
Heading Poleward
S on the nose-JuSt reached
the assigned end Of the point OF
mission at 80 degrees South Lat
itude, 20 East Longitude. Here al
our deepest penetration of the
continent we see through the
breaks in the overcast the same
plateau we have been flying ovei
/ all day-not a mountain, hill
animal or Howard JohnSon's IL
sight. We have now turned lef'
and are heading poleward vis