390 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1949 
Burton Island, maneuvered into position ahead of our ship and 
steamed into open water, and we followed in its wake. 
At 4 o’clock on the afternoon of February 20, 1948, The Port of 
Beaumont, Texas rounded the stretch of ice-enclosed Stonington 
Island, Neny Island, and Red Rock Ridge and finally sailed into the 
open sea of Marguerite Bay to the west of Adelaide Island. Our 
year’s work at this lonely outpost was now a part of history. For 
the third time I left the snow-covered mountains of the Antarctic 
continent behind me and turned my eyes northward to greener shores. 
SUMMARY OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS 
The accomplishments of the expedition were greater than I had 
hoped for. In a total flying time of 346 hours the three planes had 
covered 39,000 air miles of Antarctic terrain. No fewer than 86 
landings had been made in the field. The planes had made extensive 
reconnaissances, laid caches for aviation and dog-team parties, searched 
for the lost British fliers, transported personnel and equipment to 
advanced field bases, and carried on geographical exploration and 
trimetrogon mapping. The program had netted a conservative total 
of some 250,000 square miles of terrain explored for the first time and 
a total of some 450,000 square miles of territory covered by 14,000 
trimetrogon photographs. The photographs are now being developed, 
and they will be used to make new maps. 
Data were obtained in various branches of science. Dr. Robert L. 
Nichols, head of the geology department of Tufts College, spent a total 
of 154 days in the field, making geological studies in the Marguerite 
Bay area, with the competent assistance of Robert H. T. Dodson, 
graduate student at Harvard, who sledged with him during the entire 
geological field season. Physicist Harries-Clichy Peterson’s work in 
meteorology, cosmic rays, solar radiation, dew point, refraction, and 
surface radiation kept him busy for many hours of the day. He was 
ably assisted by Climatologist C. O. Fiske, both at the main base and 
when Fiske was operating the Cape Keeler advance base. Geo- 
physicist Andrew A. Thompson made continuous comprehensive 
seismographic recordings with his two sensitive instruments and also 
carried on tidal observations and investigations in terrestrial magnet- 
ism. He spent a little more than 2 weeks at Cape Keeler taking 
magnetic readings; and Lt. Charles J. Adams, when in the field 
guarding our plane flights, was able to obtain magnetic readings from 
the Mount Tricorn area. These men also gave any help needed for 
the maintenance of the planes or the camp. Results of the geological 
and geophysical investigations will be available in due course. 
E. A. Wood, Walter Smith, and Fiske operated the plateau weather 
station and the Cape Keeler advance base. Smith and Arthur Owen 
