1957-05-31 — Page 4

Pago Z

CHAPTER SIX - THE SUMMIT

THE CHINA MAIL, FRIDAY, MAY 31, 1957.

The Supreme Deterrent

by Don Iddon

•

H

ILLARY had decided against trying to make the summit in one go from Camp Eight. His plan was to establish Camp Nine as high as they could, sleep there and press on next morning.

HILLARY

under his other log gave way. It was that bugbear of all mountaineers-breakable crust.

For half an hour he wallowed through it, then came to steadier going.

axes,

1

S

The MAN

who rules

the ROCKETS

US. MISSILE TEST CENTRE, Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Tenzing again, went straight through snow that reached their

ECRETARY OF DEFENCE Charles Wilson was at this testing base hips Soft snow, with only

of the supreme deterrent just the other day. A few hours after he thin crust holding it together. That meant carrying a tent No belay for their ice

arrived there was a roar like thunder and a tongue of flame as a and more food up the mountain, nothing to do but to trust and Jupiter missile leaped into the sky. Well, there were five of them hope. The crust gave way and now-Hillary, Tenzing, Lowe, the snow subsided once, carry- Gregory and one other Sherpa, ing Hillary bock three paces. So they divided the loads into His solar plexus was tight with five packs of 40 to 50 lbs.

fear.

They could have travelled "I could foolt down 10,000 feet lighter-Hillary could, anyway: below my legs, and I have never his load was the heaviest of all. felt more insecure." He called

no wonder. It contained Tenzing to him, had And

a brief sleeping-bag, air mattress, spre conference, and decided to go rocks and gloves, a spare pull- on.

masks and tubes for sleeping oxygen, a pencil and And then they were on firm paper, two boxes of malcher, snow again. "It was like a rc- sucking plaster, camera and prieve to a condemned exposure meter. Added to this Strength flowed into my timbs, were some delicacies he couldn't and I could feel my museles re- bring himself to leave behind laxing."

two packets of dates, two tins

of sardines, a half used carton

of honey, lemon crystals and a

tin of apricots in gyrup. This last he had been hiding and hoarding all the way from Base. Camp.

At nine in the morning they set out on the final bid. It was now or never. Lowe, Gregory and Sherpa Ang Nylma led the way so that the assault par could conserve its energies. Up went, George Lowe's Ice glinting in the sun as he steps in the snow,

remnant

axe

The top

man

They reached the South Sum- mit at 9 a.m.

A few minutes later they were feeling their a great way gingerly under

verhanging lip of snow.

of

Later Mr Wilson, who likes to talk, said: "I saw a big one go up." Back in Washington the Defence Secretary, after being closeted with generals and talking to the President, told the Press: "Maybe I have said too much already."

The White House and the Pentagon frown on leaks or whispers, but this is a democracy and information seeps out. I have learned here for more than I expected. The missile which Wilson saw carried a dummy' warhead and reached an altitude of more than 100 miles and travelled 000 miles.

This is a long way from the performance expected of the ultimate weapon, Atlus, which is geared to travel at 16,000 miles an hour 600 miles high, and with a range of 5,000 miles.

But officials here say: "The Jupiter firing Was

谁

technical success with reser- vation."

They are particularly pleased by the altitudo What happened achieved. to Jupiter, whether it dived into the sca or was destroyed by remote con- trol, has not been told. How are the Russians doing against this Jupiter per- formance? The truth is the Russians have fired missile which reached 150-mile altitude travelled 1,500 miles.

The Russians have con- centrated on rough-and- missiles frequently ready- inaccurate in aim but func- tioning, whereas the

3.

and

ment.

MAJ GEN BA.SCHRIEVIN

Major-General Bernard Adolf Schrlever.

Schriever still has a German accent... but he talks sense. the job in which an error in inches

So, at 46, he holds

could mean utter destruction miles off the target

During the war, during which he few. 63 missions us captain ard colonel, he was always more interested in the new ways of war, røt the old.

T

Awe the

Within 4

I get a strong impression that off course last December there is a good deal of hit and has never been traced.

and general's daughter, Dorn, Brett, menis. Schriever detests yes. well as his missiles. miss (or missile)

ard from 1938 Immersed him- men and is open to conviction few months the first earth satel- during this It is believed to have crashed self in aviation research.

by someone else,

ites will be launched into outer present stage of rocket develop

in the Brazillan

space. Some offlcers here think No one claims for a jungle, but no one knows for

He says:

try to tako the Russians lessons from

have. moment that they can emulate certul.

already success of Jaunched theirs. the dropping of a bomb in a

fadlure of one department and barrel which was the old Air

apply it to another. Everything programme is a "dry run" or Actually the earth satellite Force boast

gels a good airing. If anyone dress rehearsal for Atlas and

he into trouble gels always come and see me,"

con the rest of the I.C.B.M. family at least as far as the launching This year American phase,

launch 2011. scientists will round satellites as man's ret spree messengers into specel

Ahead of them now lay their last obstacle-a huge hulk rock. They had seen this rock they before, aerial photographs,

somewhere and always thought of it as the cut menace that might crush their

hopes. To go over it was prac tically impossible, to skim round it meant toring height, and that would be fatal to twe tired men.

Then lary made a dis- covery. A great lee blockt was breaking away from the rock; between the two was a crack just wide enough to squeeze through It was worth

On a little shelf at 27,000 feel they came across the pathetic remnants of a tent left by the Swiss Inst year. Touring grinned at Hillary as he saw it, for here to and Lambert, spearhead of the Swiss attack, had spent. a night without food or drink or sleeping bags.

Further on, they passed the dump left by Hunt and Sherpa, added its contents their loads, then pressed on.

by

his

to

1

atry,

Slowly, searching for each hand and foothold, he way across the split.

Frem here the climb smooth, but both men were their ilmit.

of

Wats

at

my

It is a case of trial and error

at Patrick Base,

First there are errors due to the unpredictable nature and composition of the layers of the atmosphere.

At the speeds we are talking the about and planning for here an

has crror in speed

The trouble 13 the clement, How much time America and the Western world

to catch up?

No one knows.

FOOD and MATHS

the

After the war it was a logical step for him to concentrate all chief his energies on missiles warfare,

ESPITE these difficulties and

imponderable male-man, Major-General Bernard Adolf Schriever,

no-

He said: "It's absurd to rely mains unperturbed. He corr on aeroplanes carrying the atom

German accent in

The Schrievers ected

in

Job,"

We

into

He is not overawed by his work, and although he is cloce mouthed about Atlas, he says:

The flight through doesn't worry me a bit. It's the beginning and the end produce the problems,"

According to Professor Theo- which dore Sterne, of Harvard, man's antificis1 moon will wheel

The men here respect him and around the earth and stay aloft Schriever as long as nine years. Dr Sterne some swear by him. knows how to command, and says: "Nine years of life appears a reasonablé estimate for 8. Ilttio exact loyalty.

satellite."

"It's very important to have the staff on my side and I think

Americans have been In-

sidère his job "the most im- bomb and the H-bomb. must put the warhead portant in the US. today." his clined to stress refinements worked

mis:lica." Gravilation and the carib's and seek perfection. Here

Slx, fect two, 46 years old and rotation cannot be judged with

Some of his fellow-officers "Constantly, at the back

at Patrick Air Base the anything ilko complete accuracy very fit, Schriever is hard-eyed

sald: "Ben's off fils rocker." with greying hair. "Our policy and then there are often inziru-

Sometimes my mind was the fear that the officers say:

there is a slight trace of But the scientists, with who cornice would break off,

and will pay off in the long ment errors,

that my nerves wore laut with swe-

his speech he gets along well, saw run." pense." Finally he was through,

He was born in Germany but Schriever was their man

What does General Schriever a little rock ledge "Our pace had dropped," said lying on

came here at the age of six. His

Men such as Theodore von I have,"

toy? "Nothing is infpossible. I Hillary. "Every step became gasping for breath, Tenzing

Karman one foot per parents spoke little English.

the Western

in any He is not a visionary or an hate to admit defeat major tusk. Our eyes con- came up to Join him.

second at the outset could mean California, and after the death work's leading missile scientist, idealist and he doce not lie thing tinually searched the ridge

an error of one mile on im-

His happy family life sustairs ahead for the next foothold. We

pact. This is one of the dreadful of the father who was interned for "Beno in exactly the right awake at night worrying over

his armament at death. He im in his work. Ho us a were now stepping like premies,

What is known is that it facts In this Pandora box of during the First World War,

Schulever had almost do come ing missiles to the moon. They had a hard time.

will talk cheerfully about send photograph of his wife Dora, his and any lift of more than six "We seemed to have been go-

comes to nuclear war there will horrors.

Brett son, The mother opened

(18) and his a litle petition when he was chosen to We could hit the moon all daughters inches was too much for our ing for a

be little or no advance war- long time and

Dodic (15) and restaurant, and young Bernard, head the IC.HM. programme, right with bur know-how, and Barbara (six) on his desk here alraining.legs and lungs."

A target could be missed by a confidence was fast evaporating.

Assuming Atlas the monster mile or many miles,

yor Borny, used to deliver and "There wasn't another soul to I'm all for it as a prestige move and talks dally to his wife when Hillary started looking about during regularity. A patch of Bump followed bump with mad-

He was a bright boy, touch him," says the Pentagon, and a deterrent. rockets was ready to go to work talk of avoiding schools,

hos- wiches. for a camp site. They were all shingle barred our way, and I

The missile ho is out of town. he could, according to the pitols, or churches is just rub immediately took to willing to call it a day. And no climbed dully up it and started scientists, be over Moscow

maddes school, and

Schrlever says "I hato to He is temperamental himselt programme has established. the after and bish, wonder. Try to get a pleture of cutting steps around another

graduating plunged into engin and is not upset by tempera- retources to move into space. sco the kids all grow up. The on his target 20 minutes after

montainer. his cfficers these men, up at a height where bump. And then I realised that being fired,

"In future years

the impor- time we have together is eering. One expert here told mea to turn the sky is beginning

He became an American citi. assistants. He says: "I recog- tant battles

be space too Jittle, but a man can have this was the

out Similarly the Russians equi- "Wo aren't positive about last bump, for They are each carrying ahead of me the ridge dropped demolishing American cities 20 rainy d black.

obtain everything." and on in his 20's, and joined the nise with this project I have a battles and valent to Atlas could be mapping and surveying, half a hundredweight on their

General Schriever, the missile bear by the tail. We have more space supremacy. Man is in- Russians don't Mr Force, backs-a load that most men The last words, too, must be minutes after being

For relaxation he played golf rugged individualists than most quisitive. He's going to keep man, is a family man and it is launched intend to help us. Many of the

to pushing at the frontiers."

his solema belief that his work You've got "I was never satisfed with my organisations, from its U.S.SR. bare.

world's maps

inaccurate, are

So the General is pressing the is doing much to protect the ft. The climb above them is told by Hillary.

and the exact location cities play. I'm never satisfied with have them.”

earth satellite programme as human family, So and beses east of the Urala isn't anything."

sometimes in the top secret headquarters--a deep, concrete vault reinforced by steel where the instruments are eo sensitive, they could pick up

alarm-there are

would find it diMeull even

10

sharp and dangerous, and they are floundering in snow that comes up to their waist. Every step is an achievement, every yard a victory,

sharply away,

They turned to go

·

HIT and MISS

"To my eight a slender snow | THIS is not merely push- ridge climbed up to a snowy The way ahead was so steep dome about forty feet over our

button warfare: it is spilt second performance: that they could see no platform heads. But all the way along to put up the fent. Always they the ridge the thought had would see a ridge ahead and haunted me that the summit press on to it only to find it might be the cornice. It was too steep and unbroken, But there late take risks now. I asked was no turning unck. Just shart Tenzing to belay me strongly, of 28,000 fect they came across and I started cutting reace n possible sile and dumped their line of steps up the ridge. Peer- loads gratefully. Lowe, Gregory ind from side to side

and and Ang Nylma shook hands thrusting with my lee axe, und departed. Hillary and tried to discover possible Tenzing watched them go with cornice, but everything seemed

I

a feeling of infinite loneliness, solid and firm. I waved Tenzing then levelled off the platform and slowly put up their tent.

Cooked boats

up to me. A few more whacks

of the ico axe, a few very weary steps, and we were on dite sum- mil of Everest'

Hillary's first sensation, he Edmíls, was one of zellef, Hard upon it came astonishment that he should have succeeded where so many gallant mert had; falled; and after that, a sense of deep satisfaction that spread through iris whole body.

They spent the night brewing great mugs of lemonade of their little cooker, struggling to keep warm, and drawing on their precious supplies of oxygen for a Uttle Sep. Next morning Hillary checked the thermome He looked at Tonzing The ton-it was 27 depreco below Sherpa was grinning in sheer Zero Contigrade. His boots were delight. Sheepishly they shook frozen rolld, so that he had to hands-but this wasn't enough. cook them over the burner be- Tenzitig throw his armis fore putting them, on.

Hilary and they thumped cach other on the back, half way be- tween laughter and tears.

:

It was 6.30 am. on May 20. 1053, Time to be off....

Tenzing led the way through graphs,

round

Hillary took some photo-

Tenzing scratched

£

the now with Hilary behind, shallow bole in the snow and feeling unsteady and chummy. laid an offering of food for the But as they went on hia body gods; biscuits, chocolate and a fell into that old; rhythm, few tweets, Beside It Hillary swinging smoothly with cach, laid a crucifix that Hunt hud pace. His nerves' relaxed,

given him for that purpose. 20,000 foot-and Hilary took They looked against the world over 10 lead. He was on firm spread out beneath them; snow, or so it seemed. Suddenly they each took a handful the crust gave way and he ank bobbles from the summit up to the knees, às be started put them in their pockets.

'Hit "himmelf out the "CTURI After that, they turned to goy

- VEL OF

known,"

So

Then there is the wild and sometimes berserk nature of the

mathe-

NEW and OLD

and

missiles themselves, One rocket, HE was a competent if not as Intruder's breath and sound a Snark, fred from Florida, got brilliant pilot, married his the

them

of

and

And in forty years you can retire on half-pay if all-

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