Evening Star Newspaper, November 30, 1929, Page 2

CAPITAL EXTOLS BYRD'S COURAGE Hoover Congratulates Aerial Explorer in Radio Message to Little America. | By the Associated Press. ‘Washington today marveled at Comdr. Richard E. Byrd's hazardous and suc- cessful flight over the icy wastelands of the South Pole and extolled the courage and adventurous enthusiasm of the still-youthful explorer. From all sides came expressions of amazement at the extraordinary suc- cess of the exploit, praise for the valor of Comdr. Byrd and his associates and optimistic predictions of the scientific value of the flight. President Hoover lost no time in transmitting his congratulations to Byrd, far away at his base in Little America. Through the New York Times the Chief Executive sent a radio mes- sage telling the leader of the expedi- tion of the “universal pleasure” of the American people that his goal had been | reached. Hoover Praises Courage. “We are proud of your courage and your leadership,” Mr. Hoover said. “We are glad of proof that the spirit of great adventure still lives. Our thoughts of appreciation include also your com panions in the flight and your col-| leagues, whose careful and devoted | preparation have contributed to your | great success.” i Meanwhile, some thought was given to possible international complications that may arise over the question of na- tional title to the lands over which Comdr. Byrd flew. Great Britain claims much territory in the Antarctie region, on the ground of previous discovery and exploration. When the present expedition was still in the making, 'the London govern- ment dispatched a note to the United States telling of its interest in the proj- | ect because of the land to which it claims title. An inclosure outlined the territory involved. In replying a few | weeks ago the tate Department | acknowledged receipt of the note, but| avoided any discussion of the quu(loni of ownership of land. i Grosvenor Congratulates Byrd. | The congratulations of the National Geographic Soclety were sent to Comdr. Byrd by its president, Dr. Gilbert Gi venor. The flight, he said, adds “ i The society, he added, is “right- fully proud” of having had a part in Illglrflnl the expedition. H . Grosvenor also described some of | the difficulties that confronted Comdr. Byrd and contrasted them with those !‘Pl(l:‘munured on his flight to the North e. The North Pole, he said, is an ocetn,' the South Pole a continent. In reach- ing the former, he continued, Byrd flew over floating ice fields rising but a few feet from the level of the sea, while in { plishing in hours what it would nor-| Graphic Picture of Trip to Pol Star and the New York Times by ‘mander’s flight from Little America t AIRPLANE FLOYD BEN p.m. 5 pm. 5:30 p. ‘e have made a 100 miles —Flying well. Motors fine. 7 p.m. party on trail 8:20 p.m.—Reached Gould party 8: 12 midnight—Flying well. South Pole. 1 am.—Flying well, Motors fine. le. Leaving the Pole at 1:25 a.m. 3:30 a.m.—Flying well. Motors fine. 6:06 a motors fine. 9:49 a.m.—Are about 10 miles out. LITTLE AMERICA, November 29. (Copyrignt. 1929, by the New York Times Co. for publication reserved ying well. Motors fine. About 100 miles from Goul Motors fine. —We are going to land at the mountains now. .—Left mouritains at 6 o'clock for Little America. H}(l]n 7 a.m.—About 100 miles north of mountains. Flying well, motors fine. am., Antarctic time, 5:10 p.m., New York time. 21 'THE EVEL’YING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 1929, MESSAGES TELL OF FLIGHT le and Return Is Painted in Brief Radiograms Sent From Plane by Byrd and June to Base Camp. By Radio to The Star and the New York Times, ‘The following messages, transmitted through Little America to The Comdr. Byrd and Harold I. June, radio operator of the Byrd plane Floyd Bennett, constitute a log of the com= 0 the South Pole and return: , in flight toward the South Pole. 4 p.m. (11 New York time), November 28.—Flying well over the Geolo Just passed Forty-five Mile Depot. Motors fine. 4:30 p.m—We passed the snowmobile at 4:25 o'clock. gical party’s trail. JUNE. JUNE. at 4:50 p.m JUNE. Now at the Crevasses, JUNE. d's E’eolflllml JUNE. JUNE. At midnight about 90 miles from BYRD. Headed south in vicinity of_the South BYRD. .—My calculations indicate that we have reached the vicinity of Flying high for a survey. Will soon turn north. We can see an almost limitless polar The airplane is in good shape, crew ggu-u. BY] . Are over mountains, starting down. JUNE. JUNE. g well, 7:58 a.m.—About 20 miles south of the Crevasses. Flying well, mt}tla’rl:x fine. —About 60 miles south of Little America. yrd landed at Little America at 10:10 OWEI and the St Louis Post-Dispatch. All rights throughout the world.) airplane.” The presentation was made for the society by President Coolidge. ‘The trip across the Atlantic, Gros- venor said, afforded valuable observa- tions of air currents and meteorological conditions that have been utilized in subsequent transoceanic flying. Aviation chiefs of the War, Navy and | Commerce Departments hailed the news as & new triumph of the air which demonstrated the reliability and effi- clency of aircraft and the “unlimited purposes” it could serve. ‘The congratulations of the War De- partment and the Army Air Corps were voiced by F. Trubee Davison, Assistant Secretary of War in charge of aviation. “The successful flight of Comdr. Byrd and his brave companions to the South Pole,” Secretary Davison said, “marks another epoch in the achievements of heavier-than-air aircraft and again proves the value of the airplane in the exploration of unknown areas, accom- mally take weeks and months to do by | other means of transportation, and on | behalf of the War Department and the | Army Air Corps I wish to extend my | heartiest congratulations to the Byrd | Antcretic Expedition. It is a magnifi- | cent achievement and one which will | thrill Amcricans the world over.” Ingalls Adds to Praise. High praise for Comdr. Richard E.| Byrd in winging his way over the South | Pole was contained in a statement is- | sued today by Assistant Secretary of the | Navy for Aviation David S. Ingalls. Mr. Ingalls, who is at present in Long Island, N. Y., au by telephone this morning the issuance of this state- ment by his office: H “The Assistant Secretary of the Navy | for Aviation, Davis S. Ingalls, hearing | of the great accomplishment of Comdr. | Byrd and his companions, e: his enthusiastic praise and commended Comdr. Byrd on this splendid achieve- his achievement of this week he wi to_soar over gigantic moun- 2 lein( to a height of 10,000 'an ddition, whereas the Northern Polar region supports an abundance of life, both vegetable and animal, the Antarctic territory is barren and com- Pprises some of the greatest ice fields in the world. Gén. Greeley Lauds Trip. Among the first to proclaim Comdr. Byrd's achievement was a veteran of the days when polar exploration was conducted with skis and dog-sled. He | was Gen. A. W. Greeley, now %6, who nearly 50 years ago was a member of the expedition which then established & “farthest north” record of 83 degrees 24 minutes. Priyation and hardship haunted the expedition and but seven returned of the 25 men that originally made up the company. Dr. Grosvenor, in his congratulatory radio message to Comdr. Byrd,’ de- clared: “Heartiest congratulations upon your successful flight to the South Pole, which adds another lustrous achieve- ment to your unparalleled record in aerial exploration,” the message said. “Seldom has it been given to one man w‘wln lucnt & series of conquests over | nature as Tepresented in ‘your historic flights acroes the Atlantic and to both Poles. “Your name will go down in Ant- arctic ann: along with those other Allustrious American pioneers of the icy | %zk!;egn, Capt. Palmer and Lkut.i Four Expeditions to Credit. 1 Dr. Grosvenor said that Byrd now ! had taken part in four expeditions, any | one of which would make his name live in the annals of exploration. He enumerated the 1925 expedition wheg Byrd commanded the Geographic So- ciety’s expedition operating from Etah, Greenland, and made the first flights | over much territory that had never be- fore been viewed by humans; his flight over the North Pole the next year; the trip across the Atlantic, and his flight over the South Pole. Dr. Grosvenor said that the Antarctic undertaking was faced with difficulties far different from those encountered by Byrd in his flight to the North Pole. | “In his North Pole flight, Byrd flew | from Spitzbergen over floating ice fields | rising only a few feet above sea level, | with here and there open leads of | water; from the edge of the Southern ice barrier he flew over one of the greatest ice flelds in the world. an| accumulation of ice rising 150 feet or more above the sea and as solid as Iand. % Tortuous Travel of Amundsen. “There is nearly 400 miles of this ice | barrier between Little America and the mountains which mark the first exposed land. It took Amundsen 27 days to cover this portion of his journey, the men traveling on skis and the sleds of provisions drawn by dogs.” r. Grosvenor said that the first ex- perience of Byrd in aerial exploration was in 1919 when he helped to chart the course and plan the navigation of the NC-4, which made the flight across the Atlantic by way of the Azores. On the 1925 trip into the Arctic Byrd commanded the aviation detail | of the Navy to the National Geographic Society's expedition. Grosvenor _said { and | in lant, | the ment. He stated that, in his opinion, Byrd's flight again proves the great value of aviation to the scientific world ml’,‘:uw'n ex'é:d dm-!’fli id his congratulations to Comdr. an fellow voyagers on their flight to the South Pole.” Moffett Praises Feat. Rear Admira] Moffett, chief of the Aeronautics Bureau of the Navy, said: “Comdr. Byrd and his aides deserve the highest praise and commendation. ‘They have accomplished another feat of the air In the interests of sclence and progress. Their leadership, 8l ability, their thoroughness and their self-sacrificing courage have again sur- mounted all difficulties. The chief of the Bureau of Aeronautics and its per- sohnel are proud of their close contact with lthem and their new triumph of the air.” Comdr. J. T. Powers, assistant chief of the Navy Department’s Aeronautics Bureau, said: “Comdr. Byrd has added one more marvelous accomplishment to his al- ready unparalleled record. His flight over the South Pole was a splendid feat, made possible through his thorough preparation, the aid of his able and’| loyal associates, and his own superb qualities of rare courige and able lead- ership.” Young Pays Tribute. Maj. Clarence M. Young, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Aeronautics, said the flight was “surely a major ac- complishment and an added tribute to the courage. resourcefulness and ability of Comdr. Byrd and his men.” “Also,” he said, “it is a further dem- onstration of the reliability and ef- clency of aircraft, as well as the unlim- ited purposes which it can serve.” At the same time, Acting Secretary of State Carr, whose department will handle any international complications that may arise from the claims that might be advanced to lands discovered in the region by the expedition, hailed the accomplishment as “an epoch- making achievement in the history of American aviation and highly gratify- g as another example of the American pioneering spirit.” SET EXAMINATION DATES. ‘War Department Announces Test for Medical Commissions. Announcement is made by the War Department that the next examination of candidates for appointment as first lieutenants in the Medical Corps of the Regular Army will be held January 20- 24 at all military posts and stations in the United States. Detailed information regarding the examinations will be sup- plied on application tg the surgeon gen- eral of the Army, War Department. = AWARDED CITATION. Milwaukee Veteran Rewarded for Gallantry in World War. Ztanley Tarzynski of Milwaukee, Wis., has just been awarded by the War De- partment, a citation for special gal- in action during the advance on rny road, France, September 1, that he collected data about flying ronditions, meteorology, air currents and temperatures that had been of gréat value in subsequent aerial explo- ration. He subjected the three Navy planes to flying tests in the peculiar ronditions of high latitude. His flight over the Pole the nexi year brought into use the sun compas: designed by Albert H. Bumstead, chief cartographer of the society. The same type of compass has been used in his present expedition. Wins Hubbard Gold Medal. “Without that instrument,” Grosve- nor said, “Comdr. Byrd sald it was donbtful if he could have attained the North Pole and still more doubtful that he could have made his way back to Spitzbergen.” ‘When he returned to the United " States Byrd was awarded the Hubbard Gold Medal of the National Geographic ASoefety “for his epochal achievement in first reaghing the North Pole by 1918, while serving as sergeant, Company K. 127th Infantry, 32d Division, A. E. | P. He is credited with “having display- | ed gallant leadership, energy and cour- :age and with having rendered valuable 'aid to his company commander.’ W. A. Brackenridge, 46 Years Con- nected With Water Projects. SANTA BARBARA, Calif,, November 30 (#)—Willlam Algernon Bracken- ridge, 65-year-old retired senlor vice president of the Southern California Edison Co., died here last night after an | llness of three months. g During the last 46 years Bracken- ridge had been connected with many [mljor water deyelopments in the United | States and | Mexican and Cana- dian projects. retired 18 months 880, | Elelson, HOPE FOR MISSING FLYERS ABANDONED Engineer of Ship Nanuk Re- ports Failure to Find Trace of Eielson and Borland. By the Associated Press. NOME, Alaska, November 30.—Hope for the safety of two Alaskan aviators lost since November 9 on the mna‘ coast of Siberia was dashed today by report of Engineer Deersdoff of the ice- bound ship Nanuk that he had scouted 90 miles of the coast without finding a trace of the missing men, | Deersdoff, searching for Carl Ben | pilot, and Earl Borland, | mechanic, of a plane which was lost | while seeking to rescue passengers of | the Nanuk, explored the coast and inland foothills with a dog team. He talked with the Russian trapper who heard the motor of Eielson's plane | November 9. The trapper said the | pilot was flying .lightly offshore, in- | stead of inland as previously reported. | He could not see the plane because of heavy fog. The region of North Cape, Siberia, where the Nanuk and a Soviet ship, Stavropol, are locked in the ice, crackled today under a ground temperature of 30 degrees below zero. Alaskan planes ready ‘to join the search for Eielson and Borland are uneable to leave the ground for at a height of 2,000 feet the mercury drops to nearly 40 degrees below zero, and a bitter wind has pre- vailed for days. The two missing flyers carried a gasoline stove in their emergency equip- ment and plenty of food, but it now is feared their plane may have been lost in Bering Sea. It did not have | pontoons. Deersdof's report was received here through the radio of the Nanuk. Aboard the ship is Olaf Swenson, president of the Swenson Pur Trading Co. which owns the vessel, and his 20-year-old daughter, Marion. — STUDENT FREEZES TO DEATH ON STEPS Baltimore Freshman at Carnegie Institute Was Clad in Pajamas When Discovered. By the Associated Press. PITTSBURGH, November 30.—Clad only in pajamas, Paul Ott, 19, Balti- more, a freshman at Carnegie Institute of Technology, was found dead early today on the steps of Welsh Hall, where he roomed. Police said they belleved he was frozen to death. With the mercury registering one above zero in the Pittsburgh district this morning, two other deaths were attributed to the cold. An unidentified man was found in the doorway of a rooming house in the “Hill” district, and Peter Istanvan, 45, Munhall, be- lieved blinded by the cold wind, stepped in front of a train and was killed. A physiclan and fellow students worked nearly two hours in an effort to revive Ott. The youth apparently had fallen from the doorway upon cement steps leading to Welsh Hall. John C. French, student, said the youth was in his room for a few min- utes and left about midnight, saying he was going to make coffee for himself before retiring. >4 The young man was found by Mat- hew C. Fairchild of Monterey, Mexico, who was visiting a friend at the hall. When Fairchild’s attempt to arouse Ott failed, he called other students, who summoned a physician, BRITISH SHIP SENDS SOSS. SAN FRANCISCO, November 30 (/). —The Radio Marine Corporation here heard an SOS call at 5:25 a.m. today from the British steamer Norwich City The vessel gave its position as 800 miles north northwest of Honolulu. BRITAIN WATCHES BYRD'S ADVENTURE Public Little Interested Claims Nations May Make for Lands Discovered. in By Cable to The Star and New York Times. LONDON, November 30.—Great Brit- ain watched Comdr. Byrd's progress over the Antarctic wastes to the South Pole and his return as a magnificent adventure, and what claims he may make to any rich coal or mineral de- posits over which he has flown or staked with the American flag is an issue that is exciting no comment here. Even the publication by New York newspapers of a summary of the State Department’s answer to the British government's year-old note concerning sovereignty over the Antarctic lands, 'which was read here as clearly indi- cating that the United States does not intend to abandon its claims basea on earlier discoveries by American ex- plorers, was not allowed to distract at- tention from Comdr. Byrd's perform- ance or to cause a controversy almost on the eve of the five-power naval parley in London. Comdr. Byrd had been flying over 12 hours before the British public heard, through a brief message read over the radio in the evening news bulletin, that he had actually started on his great ad- venture. As a consequence, few radio listeners had instruments tuned in to hear his reports as he flew over the ice. Amateurs Missed Signals. Reports to headquarters from the British Broadcasting Corporation’s offi- cial iistening-in posts at Heston and elsewhere contained no reference to Byrd and none of London's prominent amateurs appears to have heard his signals. For the time being, Great Britain's claim that, by virtue of discovery, title exists to part of Coats Land, Enderby Land, Kemp Land, Queen Mary Land, Wilkes Land, King George V Land and Mates Land still holds as set out in the report of the Imperial Conference in 1926, but the door is still wide open for discussion of the claim. In these matters Great Britain has not proved an adament negotiator, as shown in the controversy between the British and Norwegian governments over the possession of Bouvet Island in the South Pacific. Talks extending over two yearsres ulted in the British gov- to this Antarctic Island. Attitude of Nerway. An outstanding utterances on the rights of nations in polar regions was made as recently as a fortnight ago by the Norwegian prime minister, who said that Norway had constantly main- tained that territory which had not been occupled de facto by any nation should be considered no rpan's land. The Nor- wegian governmeyt, he said, therefore had disassociated itself from the theory | of so-called sectors in the Arctic and Antarctic waters, As illustrating Norway's policy, Pre- mier Mowinckel mentioned the recent occupation by Norway of Jan Mayen Island in polar waters, an island which might became important. The Nor- to Franz Joseph’s Land (which Soviet Russia claims), where Norway consid- ered that her citizens were entitled to pursue their work of hunting and fish- ing, as hitherto, unhampered by an: foreign pation. If it were left to Premier Mowinckel to decide between the United States and Great Britain as to who owned the disputed territory in Antarctica, it is assumed he would say that the coun- try which was first to colonize it and not the country which actually was first to place its flag there. - No reply to the United States' note is to be expected yet a while, (Copysisht, 1929.) GERMANS SHOW INTEREST. News of Flight to South Pole Printed on First Pages of Newspapers. By Cable to The %l‘.:nr"lnd the New York BERLIN, November 30. — Comdr. Byrd's flight was followed with the keenest interest by the German press and scientific circles and the news of his start early yesterday morning occu- pied a place on the front pages of all Berlin newspapers. Capt. Bruhns, secretary of the Aero Arctic Soclety, said the meteorological conditions in the region of the South Pole favored the flight and he consid- ered that Comdr. Byrd was able to gather 1. luable photographic material. MOFFATT IS NAMED DEFENDANT IN SUIT Plaintif = Charges Investment Broker Connived to Defraud Him of $16,123. From the 5:30 Edition of Yesterday's Star. William L. Moffatt, local investment broker, was named defendant today in a suit to recover $16,123, filed in the District Supreme Court by Jonas A. Rudolph, 666 E street northeast. Alice MofTatt, wife of broker, is named as co-defendant. Moffatt himself is now under indict- ment in connection with stock transac- tions. It was his arrest which brought about the recent Doyle-Allen imbroglio in_the Police Department. Rudolph alleges that Moffatt and his wife connived to defraud him of 408 shares of City Service stock, which he had purchased for $16,123. The plaintiff said that on July 5 the Mof- fatts induced him to turn over his stock as security for the purchase of 100 shares of the stock of the Chase Na- tional Bank. He alleges that the de- fendant broker sold the Cities Service stock and converted the proceeds to his own use without buying the bank securities. Rudolph is represented by Attorneys C. H. Merillat and G. H. Zeutzius. Sl i The highest hotel in Europe is built near thes ummit of the Jungfrau, in the ‘The message stated only that the ship was in distress. RETIRED OFFICIAL DIES. | Swiss Alps, at an altitude of 11,800 feet. ernment acknowledging Norway's claim | wegian standpoint, he said, also applied | ce; EAPLORER BESTS PERLOLS PEAKS | “Magnificent Sights” Are Bared in Hazardous Flight Over High Range. (Continued From First Page.) determined to go through and did not know what winds he might face at the top of the glacier. So food was thrown overboard, scattered over the ridged and broken surface of the Livingston Gla- cier. “It is an awful looking place,” Comdr. Byrd said. Vast Panorama Unfolds. ‘They finally reached the hump at an elevation of 11,500 feet, as indicated by the barometer, although it might have been a little more, because of the differ- ence in pressure inland. But there was little space under the staggering plane, buffeted by the winds that eddied through the gigantic gorge. Once at the top, Balchen could level off for a time and then gain altitude. Then there came into view slowly the long range of mountains of the Queen Maud Range, stretching to the south- east, and the magnificent panorama of “he entire bulwark of mountains along the edge of the Polar Plateau. Beheld Slopes of Myriad Mountains. “It was the most magnificent sight I have ever seen,” Comdr. Byrd said. “I never dreamed there were so many mountains in the world. They shone under the sun, wonderfully tinted with color, and in the southeast a bank of clouds hung over the mountains, mak=- ing a scene“that I shall never forget.” Over the plateau the commander set his course for the Pole. They had had a beam wind all the way in to the mountains which held them up, but the fight to get over the edge of the pla- teau had used up a lot of gasoline and there was some doubt as to whether there was enough to get back. But Comdr. Byrd determined to go on. If they had favorable winds com- ing back they would be all right, but if as much time was consumed coming in fin going out they would run out of gaso- e, New Range Is Sighted. He took the chance and won. Flying over the plateau with long, sweeping slopes leading up to the mountains, with wind drifting snow down from them along the surface, it was very difficult to estimate the drift of the plane. But by constant attention to the drift meter Comdr. Byrd was able to get enough sights on the surface below to keep the plane on its course and cor- rect the inevitable tendency in all long- | distance fiights to swing to one side or the other. Between the mountains and the Pole at one point he saw a new range of mountains, apparently between the trails followed by Capi. Roald Amund- | sen and Capt. Robert F. Scott. But the | mountains far to the west, the continua- tion of the range running up the west- ern side of the barrier, were, as Comdr. Byréi described them, “simply magnifi- Every one rather hoped that moun- | tains would be seen at the other side of the Pole from Little America, but there, was nothing in sight there. g Battling the Way Back. ‘When Comdr. Byrd’s calculations showed that he had reached the vicinity of the Pole he ran along a line af an angle to his course and then swung In a wide circle, as he did at the North Pole, to make sure of coming within striking* distance of that infinitesimal spot on the earth's surface. Some time was spent in that ma- neuver, and then the plane again was set on a course for Little America. The accuracy of the navigation was strikingly shown on this part of the flight, as it was necessary to navigate the entire distance home. By means of the sun compass the commander hit the Axel Helberg Glacler exactly and slid down that to the barrier. To understand what that means, try to realize being over a vast plain, nearly 400 miles from the place where the mountains were entered, with an en- circling rim of majestic peaks all look- ing different from the south from what they had on the way in. Capt. Amund- sen remarked on this vastly different aspect on his return journey. “Tossed Like a Cork” in Gorge. But the course, as lald, brought the plane flying high over the Polar Plateau to the mouth of Axel Heiberg Glacier, and Bernt Balchen kept a good eleva- tion on the way down. Even so, it was a rough ride, for in the narrow gorge of this glacier, which Capt. Amundsen ascended on his way to the Pole, the wind eddies tossed the plane around “like a cork in a wash- as Balchen sald, the high peaks sticking up all around them. It was the hardest part of the trip from the flying point of view. When the barrier was reached the plane headed for the base laid down on the previous flight and a landing there was made at 5 o'clock this morn- ing (r>on, Eastern standard time). Other Mountains Found. June landed the plane here because he had been in here on the previous flight, and also took off and made a splendid ‘job of it. More gasoline was put into the tanks and, when the plane was in the air again, Comdr. Byrd headed to the east toward Carmen Land. What he had seen there on the pre- vious flight interested him and his in- terest was repaid. He not only traced out more definitely, the course of the Charles Bob Mountains, but he also saw another range far to the east. The camp had been out of touch with the plane for some time after the Pole was reached, although the signals from the locked radio key came in and showed that it was in the air, Camp Follows Plane. Men had waited up all night in the mess hall, clustering about the radio room to get the news of the progress of the flight. As the reports indicated the slow time the plane was make on the way in, there was some anxiety, and mechanics checked and rechecked figures to esti- \ | reached Calculations Tell Explorers When They Have Reached Goals of Treks. “Nautical Almanac” Worked Qut by Him Gives Figures for Instant Use.’ By the Associated Press. George Washington Littlehales, a white-haired Navy scientist to whom Comdr. Richard E. Byrd has come with years, sits in his cozy office at depart- ment hnmiunflers making ecalculations to tell Arctic explorers when they have eir goals in the frozen white wastes at the earth's ends. idr. Byrd took a set of Little- hales’ computations with him on his successful dash for the South Pole. By comparing readings on an every-day mariner's tool—a sextant of reflection— with figures supplied by the scientist Cemdr. Byrd could tell in a moment where he was at any time. Once, Littlehales said today, it was impossible for a navigator in the cock- pit to compute mathematical formulas as quickly as the airplane flew—and the result was that the goal was reached before the explorer knew it—if it were ever attained. Reason McMillan Failed. That was the reason Donald B. Mc- Millan returned from the Arctic in 1926 and announced that the plane had not been shown to be practical for Arctic exploration. and he saw that there was his oppor- tunity,” the aging scientist continued. “He undérstood why Amundsen, fight- ing those icy wastes a year earlier, had been compelled to land to make his computations. And Byrd knew the hardship and peril and failure that tanks when it left and what ground speed it was making. There was some gloom as the slow progress inland was recorded and then, as a long interval came between mes- sages before the Pole was reached, every one wondered what was keeping June s0 busy. Finally came the message that the plane was in the vicinity of the Pole, and there was a sigh of relief and men lay down on their bunks and tried to get a little sleep, Reassured by Whine of Radio. ‘The whine of the plane's transmitter from the loud speakers in each house Was a reassurance rather than an an- noyance, and if the sound probably evey one would have started up instantly. As it was, the fluctua- tions in the signals made sleep almost impossible. The other two expedition pilots -in camp, Capt. Alton U, Parker and Dean Smith, were flying the plane all the way, showing by their tense e: lons how they were linked with the men in the cockpit of the Floyd Bennett, fight- ing their way through the mountains, One man lay down on a wooden bench under the loud speaker and went to sleep, and when the signal strength died down at one time he jumped up as if pricked with & pin.’ It was an anxious night in camp, for every one here realized what those men in the plane were facing in their climb through the rifts in the mountains. Weather Improves as Plane Speeds. There was a pleasant omen in the weather, however. It had been some- what overcast to the north when the plane took off and there was a strong wind, but Willlam C. (Cyclone) Haines and Henry Ha , the meteorolog- ists, after taking balloon runs and re- celving: word from the geological party inland as to the conditions near the mountains, decided that the flight could be made. After the plane started the conditions steadily grew better and there was a dead calm at Little America and a clear sky with only a thin line of sea smoke the north over the sea. Better land- ing conditions could not have been asked for. Byrd Sets Daring Course. In the meantime the plane had taken off at the mountains and Comdr. Byrd flew east for & time s0 as to see over into Carmen Land. Then he set a course for Little America and, in addi- tion to navigating all the way, flew the plane himself for a time. By starting so far east of the course for the camp he placed himself out of reach of any ald from the flags laid down by the geological and supporting parties on the dog-team trail. There was a constant tendency to fly to the east, but Comdr Byrd was sure that his course lay farther west and held the plane in that direction. He hit the trail about 40 miles north of Little America, on a direct course for the camp, and word was sent in from the plane that they would arrive in a short time. Everybody here tumbled out of the houses and clustered on the snow near the Fairchild plane, where two deep trenches marked the resting places of the Floyd Bennett's skis. Great Dream Is Fulfilled. ‘They watched the horizon. After what seemed to be hours a thin line appeared in the Southern sky and xrew rapidly to the size where it could be identified as the plane. With a tail wind it came booming in, flying high and then sliding down rapidly to a few hundred feet over the camp. The men b:low waved their hats and cheered, jumping up and down and camp at 8 yelling with joy. the and two utes The plane crossed minutes past 10 o'clock later had made & wide circle ovér the M{ and landed. It taxied up to its resting place, mechanics beckoning to Balchen and June in the cockpit to steer them, and slid into its hole. One of the most difficult flights in the history of aviation had ended and the conquest of both Poles by air had been accomplished. ‘The adventurous thought born in the mind of a young Virginian several years ago had been fulfilled—the North At- lantic had been spanned and the North and South Poles encircled by airplanes. mate the amount of flying time the plane had with the gasoline in the Copyright, 1929, by the New Yo and the St. TLouls Post-Di rights for publication resers out the world. his navigation problems for the past 10 || 1 “Byrd had been along with McMillan WHITE-HAIRED NAVY SCIENTIST AIDS BYRD IN SOLVING PROBLEMS George Washington Littlehales. __—Underwood Photo. landing cost the Amundsen expedition.” Not long after Byrd explained the difficulty Littlehales “saw it all at once,” he said. It occurred to him that the computations Amundsen and others had ltt!mxud to make as they went along could be prepared in advance. This he worked out in columns of figures, 4 to the page and 80 lon; He called these computations a “nautical almanac.” “Ever since our Navy planes first crossed the Atlantic, in 1919, when three seaplanes flew from Newfound- land to Spain,” the sclentist added, “Byrd Nas been a frequent visitor with me. I got the almanac ready for him H%‘;l; after he came back that Spring of “He knew navigation,” continued Lit- tlehales, “and he could talk convinc- ingly with Rockefeller and Ford and others who financed his undertaking. He went back into the Arctic that Sum- mer and, of course, locate 1 the pole.” He used Littlehales’ almanac in lo- cating the North Pole. One other invaluable tool—that which told Byrd how to keep his plane fly- ing in the direction of the pole—was worked out by a Bureau of Standards sclentist, with material assistance from Littlehales. It is the “sun compass,” a little instrument that tells directions in the desolate places where magnetic compasses have no value. A simple dial with an upright pin in it to cast & shadow, it tells directions on a grln- ciple directly opposite from that of the sun dials that were in every one's gar- den a generation ago. Mathematics for Seamen. Since 1885 Littlehales has been por- ing over his computations in his office in the Navy Department. He has work- ed out many other intricate processes, always adapting principles of mathe- mumc:“nnd astronomy to the use of na on, Among his scores of scientific pa) and thousands of pamphlets—a life work that has brought his acclaim among fellow scientists—is a transla- tion of mathematical principles into words understandable to the seaman, thus giving him a valuable as- sistance in setting & course and keep- ing his vessel upon it. BYRD'S FAMILY HEARS OF SUCCESS | Virginia Governor News to Mother, Awaiting Word at Winchester. Speclal Dispatch to The Star. RICHMOND, Va., November 30.—Al- though he knew that his brother, Comdr. Richard Evelyn Byrd, intended to hop to the South Pole “about this time of the year,” Gov. Harry F. Byrd said in his office last night that no one in the family or any one eise had known exactly what day the plane Floyd Ben- net would leave the base. Comdr. Byrd's mother, Mrs. Richard E. Byrd, sr, and Thomas Byrd, his brother, received news of the successfi fiight at their home in Winchester. Gov. Byrd flew to Richmond late yes- terday from Norfolk to get news of his brother. He had been at Chapel Hill for the Virginia-Carolina foot ball game on Thanksgiving day and stopped in the capital to be the guest of Gov. O. Max Gardiner of North Carolina. Ac- companying Gov. Byrd in another plane was Col. Wi D. Newblll of his staff. From the Executive Mansion , the gnvnrw relayed news of the flight to is mother at Winchester. Commander's Wife Rejoices. Speclal Dispatch to The Star. BOSTON, November 30.—Mrs. Rich- ard E. Byrd, when informed last night of her husband's successful flight over the South Pole, would only say that she rejoiced in her husband’s safe return. ‘While the commander was flying yes- terday over the Antarctic plateau his wife and four children in con- fidently awaited the news of his success. The commander's long absence and his perilous undertaking have not caused any ghange in the daily lives of the family he left at the Brimmer street house under Beacon Hill here. Carrying on as usual, they were all happy and well and daily received all the wireless messages broadcast to civilization from Comdr. Byrd's base in _the Bay of Whales Yesterday morning, Mrs. Byrd, ac- companied by her mother, Mrs. Joseph H. Ames, took the children for their usual playtime in the public gardens and expressed confidence during sev- eral chance meetings with friends that her husband would achieve his object Ten-year-old Dick Byrd, jr., ho ever, was authority for the ‘emphatic statement that “my dad will win all right.” He is the oldest of the four children and has followed every move of his father in Little America with gnboundod pride and youthful confi- ence, BYRD SENDS LOVE TO MOTHER AT HOME Radio Message From Little Amer- ica Is Received at Winches- ter About Midnight. By the Associated Preis. WINC] Nt .- PRt ovember _30.—Safe after ht over the South Pole, Comdr. Nchbnr’ Evelyn Byrd hastened to relieve an: of relatives with a message of his safety and love to his mother, Mrs. Richard E. ?m. sr, through the New York Times. “Back after a fine flight,” his messa; read. 'I: was full of thrills, A world u Mrs. B; el i ved the message at her home here about 42 t midnight. J Relays| HOP T0 NORTH POLE 'REQUIRED 15 HOURS | Flight of Comdr. Byrd and Floyd Bennett Made From Kings Bay in 1926. Comdr. Byrd, accompanied by Floyd Bennett, flew to the North Pole and back from Kings Bay, Spitzbergen, on May 9, 1926, covering the 1,600 miles in 15 hours and 51 minutes. Flying at an elevation of 2,000 feet he could see the surface of the Arctic Ocean for 55 miles in every direction. Consequently he had under observation an area of 9.500 square miles of the polar area, while on his entire trip he explored approximately 160,000 square miles. Part of that area had been seen by Amundsen and part of it had been explored by Peary. As against the brief interval of less than 16 hours in which Byrd was out of touch with civilization, Peary, in planting the Stars and Stripes at the North Pole on April 6, 1909, was out of touch with the world for 420 days. However, on his dash to the North Pole from Cape Columbia, a distance of 423 miles, Peary made the trip in 37 days. Favored by continuous sunlight with- out the slightest trace of fog, without a bump in the air, with no currents up or down, and with the temperature at times at 8 above zero, Byrd and Ben- nett flew on a bee-line for the North Pole, alternating at the controls of the tri-motored Fokker Josephine Ford. Oll Tank Started Leaking. Within 60 miles of the pole the oil system of the right motor began leak- ing badly, and for a while Byrd and Bennett considered whether they should rrocnd on two motors or attempt a landing to make repairs. They decided to continue, even on two motors if necessary, but to their surprise the right motor continued to function smoothly, despite the ‘ruegluud hou tank. ey arrived at the pole, accord! to Byrd's calculations, np?un about & ho‘ur they had expected to fi' there, “Bennett and I shook hands sim- ply,” said Byrd in his wirelessed story to the es from Kings Bay, “and I went back into the cabin, stood at _l‘}h':u:m l;llddlllulfl'lI 'Mt:dm“l“ Peary. avy had reached the pole in, the blessed old Navy.” o ‘I did not drop an American flag, Peary had done that. * * *+ We flew several miles further, circled and then took some still and motion pictures.” Byrd flew at an average altitude of 2,000 feet on the trip to the Pole and 3,000 feet on the return trip. He re- ported that the atmosphere was re- markably clear, and that several times he had seen mountains 150 miles away. He found the ice and snow at the Pole as described by . Received Joyous Welcome. On_their return to Kings Bay, Byrd nd Bennett were welcomed joyously by the members of not only their own expedition but the Amundsen-Ellsworth expedition, which crossed the North Pole from Spitzbergen to Aldska in the dirigible Norge. “Rivalries are forgotten in the gen- eral rejoicing in the safe ending of the dangerous flight of Comdr. Byrd,” ran the story of the flight wirel by Russell Owen from Kings Bay; “Among the first to congratulate him was Capt. Amundsen, who, nuhin‘fi from his dinner, ran up the long hi and pantingly threw his arms about the tired commander. “‘That is m holding him to him. Mr. was less demonstrative, but forgot his shyness as he pushed forward and x)wld out thlll"l‘;md. “‘I congratul 3 Splendidly done!’” e ‘Was Boyhood Ambition. In flying over the North Pole Byrd realized an ambition he had cheri from boyhood. when he had read the lives of Arctic explorers. He was alded by the ce he and Bennett had gained in more than 3,000 hours of Arctic flying. His navigation instru- tnl‘om" were largely of his own inven- n. In 1925 Byrd went to Greenland with the MacMiilan expedition. commander he supervised Arctic flight and himself flew about 3,000 miles. Bennett, his companion on the North Pole flight, died in a hospital in Quebec on April 25, 1928, from pneumonia de- veloped when he started to fly to Greenely Island to the ald of the Ger- man-Irish transatlantic fiyers, Baron von Huenefeld, Capt. Koehl and Col. Fitsmaurice, who landed on the island. FAMILY FOUND DEAD. Parents and Three Children Acci- dentally Asphyxiated in Home. TAUNTON, Mass, November 30 (). —A family of five, including three small children, were found asphyxiated in & room on the second floor of their home, at 219 Cohannet street, here late yes- terday afternoon. Medical Examiner Dr. Charles A. Atwood said death was caused by accidental gas sohonln‘z. ‘The dead are: Michael O'Nell, 40; his William, 5; Michael, jr, 4 months old. BAND CONCERT. By the U. S. Soldlers’ Home Band Orchestra, Stanley Hall, this evening at 5:30 o'clock; John S. M. Zimmerman, bandmaster; Anton Pointner, assistant leader. March, “Heaven's Artillery’ .Lincoln Overture, “Bohemian Girl ... Balfe Entreacte— () “Dance of the Flower Girls" (b) “March of the Brahman Priests” (Two_numbers from suite “A Night in India”)..ciieeonnn. .Cobb Excerpts from musical comedy, “This Year of Grace” Fox trot, & Vagabond Lover” . .. - . Zimmermann Popular waitz sond, “I'll Close My Eyes to the Rest of the World,” Priend I Can't Have You". Star Spangled Banner.” commander. Finale, “If “The Christmas Seals