IN ANTARCTICA

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 49, Issue 67, 29 December 1928, Page 5

IN ANTARCTICA

BYRD’S EXPEDITION. DISCOVERY INLET EXPLORED. GREATER AREA THAN CHARTED. (By) Russell Owen, Copyrighted, 1928, by the “New York Times” Company and “St. Louis Post-Dis-patch.” All rights for publication reserved throughout the world. Wireless to “New York Times.”)

(United Press Association —Copyright.) (Received This Day, 10.35 a.m.) NEW YORK, December 28. Mr Russell Owen, aboard the barque City of New York, writes under date December 27: “Our conception of the size of Discovery Inlet has been greatly extended as a result of the trip ashore on skiis by Commander Byrd. He found that at a point about 10 miles from the entrance to the Inlet, where it had been supposed it ended, it turns south and forms an inner narrow bay filled with old ice. This inlet is about 10 miles longer than is shown on the maps. It turns to the right and narrows to g width of about a mile. Just at this narrow point, on the west side, are two large ice hills resembling ice-covered nunataks about 40 or 50 feet above the Barrier, and from 150 to 200 feet above the hay ice. Between them is a narrow valley . aiming to the south. The ice around the h'.ii is fissured into small cracks a hioh are filled with snow. Beyono, this point the bay opens up and continues for several miles to a point where it narrows and ends against a large ice boulder, beyond which can be seen a line of crevasses extending many miles. “It has been believed for some time that there was land under the Barrier at Discovery Inlet, because this bay has retained its formation ever since it was first charted. The presence of hills at the point in the Barrier where it bends south is believed by Commander Byrd as a good indication that there is land at this point anchoring the Barrier. . “An aeroplane flight, during which photographic maps can he made of this region, will give accurately its outlinesi and probably do much to prove that there is land under the ice near the inlet. It is difficult to explain how otherwise it has retained its peculiar formation. “It is intensely cold on the Barrier much more so than on the bay ice beneath, and it is impossible for travellers who are clad for speed rather than warmth to stand still more than a few moments. Altogether they co\ered 35 miles on skiis, and were ready to turn-in when they reached the ship. “Before thev returned, the ice to which the ship was moored began to break under the swell from outside the bay where a stiff breeze was blowing. The ice anchors had to he shifted several times. IV hen Commander Byid arrived, the ship was being, bumped by some very large cakes, which were at least six feet thick, so the dog teams were taken aboard and we put out to sea heading for the .Bay °i Whales. To-dav we are coasting along the face of the Barrier toward the east, sailing with a light breeze to save coal. We hope to arrive at the bay late to-night.”

THE COMMANDER’S REPORT

INDICATIONS OF LAND.

(Received This Day, 1.5 p.m.) NEW YORK, December 28. Commander Byrd states: Our visit to Discovery Harbour appeared worth while from ‘ a geographical standpoint. We reached the Great Ice Barrier about 70 miles west of the entrance of 'Discovery Harbour. As we approached the Barrier we could see, on the starhoard, two places where the Barrier sloped down to the water s edge. These slopes were about 100 yards wide. This phenomenon is interestipg as the Barrier generally rises more or less perpendicular from the water s edge, to a height of 30 or 40 leet to 150 or 160 feet. Though it is midsummer here we. found Discovery Harbour filled with what we call bay ice for three quarters of its length We found that this beautiful ice-locked harbour had not been accurately charted. It may be that there has bcem some change m its contour since the last explorer reported it. Strom, Balchen, Brathen, Petersen and I proceded on skis eastward of the head of the harbour to select a landing field, as we hope later to . chart Discovery Harbour with one of our automatic mapping cameras. •We found that instead of running east and west as shown by the charts there is a general curve from the eastward toward the south, so that at the end of the harbour, where the lines of the ice barrier meet, its direction runs nearer to north and south than it does east and west. At- a point about threequarters of the distance between the ship and the end of the harbour the Barrier sloped gently do-wn to the bay ice so that we were able to climb on to the Barrier, which we ascended IoU feet and still we had not reached the top. At this point, Strom, Balchen and Brathen proceeded to investigate some snow peaks we had seen lying to the south-east near the curve ot the harbour. There proved to he several of these peaks, with valleys between, and we decided that, though they are snow-covered, land lies under them and that this is part of some land that keeps intact this extraordinary harbour fashioned in tho ice Rirner. There were several places, toward. the end of the harbour on both sides, which sloped; down to the water. At the end of tho harbour two* barrier walls do not meet, because of a small channel extending to south-east. Dr. Richood (of the Norwegian whaler) told that lie had followed this crack and that it curved around to the sea. This shows that that part of the Barrier to northward, which forms part of Discovery Harbour, is an island. A strong easterly current running along here and under the Barrier indicates that this ice island is resting somewhere on land 1 . This, I believe, is of some interest to geographers, as there has been a great deal of discussion whether the ice harrier or parts of the Barrier rest on , land. We have been taking soundings regularly, and the lowest depth of water we have so far sounded at or near the Barrier, is 245 fathoms. . • . Later, after mapping Discovery Har-

hour from the air and Inking more soundings, we hope to be able to show conclusively that a considerable part of the Barrier about the harbour rests on land. We have found other errors in the chart. A depth-finder which we took so much trouble and expense to put on the ship has proved well worth while, as we_can get accurate soundings without stopping" the ship, by getting from the bottom of the ocean the time of the return of the echo of the sound we make with electricity. We have reached the Barrier some days earlier than any other explorer, and are getting interesting data on the pack ice and bay ice that one might find at this time of the year. We passed two ice packs in Ross Sea, in addition to one that had such a difficult time getting through, hut we were fortunately able to get around them to the westward without being put much off our course—Australian Press Association.