Science: Methodical Journey

The South Pole is not what it used to be. After 13 months of lavishly air-supplied U.S. occupancy, it has been described as "looking like a Chinese laundry after a hurricane," with assorted litter peppering the snow. But getting around the Antarctic by land is still quite a trick. Last week New Zealand's Sir Edmund Hillary, conqueror of Mt. Everest, arrived at the South Pole after a 1,200-mile journey by tractor from the British base at Scott Station on the Ross Sea (see map). He made it with only one drum of gasoline left,...