When Will Snow Cruiser Start? Your Guess Seems to Be as Good as Ours!

The Byrd Antarctic "off again, on again" snow cruiser was "off" today, if you know what we mean. Bedded down in an automobile parking lot near Soldier Field in Chicago the huge craft rested today, while its builders hoped to start it on its long journey to Boston tomorrow. Just when the cruiser will pass through LaPorte county is problematical, as it is scheduled for a stop in the dunes near Gary for additional tests tomorrow. LaPorteans and residents of the county who have been waiting at various times and at various places along U. S. Road 6 for the cruiser to come along took the announcement with the proberbial grain of salt. "Seein' is believin'" was the general attitude. Another Bad One There was a report late yesterday that the cruiser would move from Chicago early this morning and would reach Westville on U. S. Road 6 between 8 and 9 this morning, but the report proved a dud. The cruiser was driven from the factory to the parking lot last night, where it remained for a last minute check-up. Reports from Chicago indicate the huge craft did not move very rapidly or very well along Chicago streets. The craft was originally scheduled to leave Chicago Monday but it did not. Then it was announced the start would be made early today, but yesterday this was changed to "an indefinite time." Then came the report late yesterday that the start would be made today. The cruiser, 55 feet long, was designed by the research foundation of the Armour Institute, for the Byrd expedition. Byrd has announced that Nov. 1 is the deadline for the departure of the expedition from Boston, due to approaching winter in the Antarctic. Many Inquiries The district office of the state highway department, the local police department and The Herald-Argus have been flooded with inquiries since Monday about the cruiser and its schedule. Many persons waited near Westville and Kingsbury early this morning for the vehicle which did not arrive. The motor driven craft is 15 feet wide and 15 feet high, and a special route had to be charted for its journey to Boston. Even so, in many places it will have clearance of only a few inches. It is designed to travel across snow and ice fields and span a 15-foot crevasse without danger. It can cruise 5,000 miles with one year's supplies for four men and will carry a five-passenger plane on top. It is equipped with machine shop, generating plant, radio, and meteorological recording equipment.