The huge, Antarctic exploration craft of Commander Richard E. Byrd is shown above as it was being tested early this morning in the sand near Gary.
The 75,000-pound snow cruiser built for Admiral Richard E. Byrd crawled across northern Indiana this morning on the first leg of its journey to Boston and the south pole.
Thousands of persons lined U. S. 6 to watch the $150,000 mechanical monster creep along at 10 to 20 miles perhour, its ungainly sides hanging over the 18-foot pavement.
All traffic along the route was shunted aside by state police who began escorting the big buggy when it reached the Illinois- Indiana state line before sunup this morning.
The odd craft rumbled out of Chicago without mishap shortly after 3 a. m. and reached Hammond about sunrise. Several hours later it stopped southeast of Gary where extensive tests were made on sand dunes. Afterwards Dr. Thomas C. Poulter, scientific director of the Armour Institute's Research Foundation, said the tests proved the cruiser "far beyond expectations."
Leaving Gary shortly after 10, the cruiser rumbled along U. S. 6 toward Fort Wayne, its first overnight stop. At 12:30 it passed near Westville where several hundred Michigan Cityans lined the highway to watch.
It was making between 10 and 20 miles per hour, riding smoothly and without difficulty.
