The Editor,

The Journal of Glaciology

Sir, Electrical crevasse detectors

Thank you for the clipping you sent me containing Mr. Ward’s review (Journal of Glaciology, Vol. 3, No. 22, 1958, p. 146) of my first article on the crevasse detector. This review is correct in all essential respects and brings the subject approximately up to date. I am enclosing for your retention a copy of the latest publication (The design of a crevasse detector for polar exploration. Journal of the Franklin Institute, Vol. 264, No. 5, 1957, p. 361–77).Footnote * It is proposed that future development will take the form of simplification. We may have a third publication containing final test results in about two years.

I was in New Zealand returning from a short sojourn in the Antarctic when the news of Dr. Fuchs’s successful return was published. Apparently he did not use crevasse detectors, yet he and Hillary were fairly successful in getting through by purely “mechanical exploration”. On the other hand, Albert Crary used a crevasse detector throughout his 1400 mile (2250 km.) traverse of the Ross Ice Shelf, and told me he considered it indispensable. It remains to be seen what the best compromise will be between the two extremes.

John C. Cook,

Manager, Geophysical Engineering Section, Department of Electrical Engineering

Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas 19 March 1958

Double crevase detector (Model 1), see letter from Mr. John C. Cook on p. 326.