At three o’clock in the afternoon we were all gathered beside the machines. As I have already remarked--one is never ready. Director Frohlinde went round and looked carefully at everything. Green, the Rolls-Royce mechanic, listened first to the one and then to the other of the motors. At four o’clock all four motors were warming up. It was a sign for all of us that our hour was almost there. Both sun compasses, which had been set at four o’clock, started going--and the motors started humming. Whilst we put on our heavy flying clothes the two flying men and observers did likewise, wearing similar garments--thick underclothes of wool with leather on top. The point which I personally had always been afraid of during a flight was the condition of my legs. The tremendous speed, which necessarily causes a strong draught and lowers the temperature, puts our shoes naturally to a very strong test. It was not often that my experience proved of actual use to me, but this time I really did get some good out of it. On my earlier journeys it had often been necessary for me to stand hour after hour as observer. When the temperature was below -50° c. and -60° c., which often happened, one must have very special footwear. I found out then that one ought to have good warm footwear on, preferably loose leather stockings and leather shoes (such as the Eskimos wear), and in addition to this the feet should be put into enormous canvas shoes filled with senna grass, which forms a complete lining to the shoes and renders protection to the feet. That time years ago we had taken no Eskimo shoes, but used felt shoes with a pair of thin stockings and above these we wore gigantic canvas shoes filled with large quantities of senna grass. The result was brilliant. Not only did we not freeze, but one or two grumbled because they were too warm. The pilots wore thick leather gloves which gave complete protection to their hands. Personally I wore only an old pair of woolen gloves as I had to write continually. The mechanics were not so heavily clad, as they were continually on the move, passing between the petrol store and the motor, and for this reason they _had_ to be lightly clad. As soon as we were dressed the various members took their places. Ellsworth and I were in the observation seats. Riiser-Larsen and Dietrichson were in the pilots’ seats and the two mechanics, Feucht and Omdal, were beside the motors. My place was in the observation seat of N 25, which lay forward. In the seat behind me--the pilot’s seat--was Riiser-Larsen and in the petrol store behind him was Feucht. In N 24 the arrangements were the same for Ellsworth, Dietrichson, Omdal. Feucht, who had accompanied Director Schulte-Frohlinde from Pisa, was only taken on as a member of the expedition a few days before the start; he had up to that time remained in the Factory’s service. He is a German by birth and had been employed by the Factory for a long time, being considered