YEAR IN ANTARCTIC

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 110, 19 February 1935, Page 3

YEAR IN ANTARCTIC

BYRD'S OBJECTS ATTAINED. VALUABLE SCIENTIFIC WORK. (Per Press Association). DUNEDIN, Februtary IS. Two days earlier than expected, the Byrd Expedition ship Jacob Ruppert was sighted off the heads shortly after mid-day. An hour and a halt later the vessel arrived at Port Chalmeas, and after medical examination, which found a clean bill of health, proceeded to Dunedin, reaching her berth here at 4 p.m. An official reception was extended to the leader and his party by the Mayor (the Rey. E. T. Cox), the acting-chairman oJ the Harbour Board (Mr John Loudon) and members of the Civic Committee and Harbour Board. After a sojourn in the Antarctic extending over 12, months, members ot the expedition were obviously delighted to make contact once again with civilisation, and though bearded and bewhiskered, were fresh - complexioned, healthy and cheerful. Few, if any, appeared to have suffered from the rigours of the Polar regions, but when it is remembered that they enjoyed no company save their own for more than a year, it can well be imagined that they greeted land and the sight of new faces with feelings of heartfelt gratitude. Main Objects Achieved. Rear-Admiral Byrd, in an interview, said that the main function of the expedition,had been to ascertain whether there was any connection between Marie Byrd Land and the mam Antarctic Continent,. As a result of the work of the expedition, they were nowsatisfied that the existence of such a connecting link had been definitely established. A great deal of scientific work of value had been accomplished, but the full results of this would not be available for at least three years owing to the. necessity for correlating information gathered. . The expedition had left behind a large quantity of food and housing material, which would be available tor any future expedition. Rear-Admiral Byrd, who leaves for Auckland this morning to meet Mrs Byrd, who is due there on Friday, added that he was not prepared to discuss the question of whether he proposed to undertake any further polar exploration. "I have now completed four major expeditions without the loss of a single life," he said. "That is what I regard as the high-light of my exploring experience. At the same time," he added modestly, "it is due to a special act of Providence and not to any actual skill of my own."

Fresh Milk Daily. The expedition enjoyed fresh milk as' a regular article of diet at the Bay of Whales. However, of the three cows taken south, one succumbed to the rigours of the Antarctic, while two others, together with a bull calf born in the far south, are now on board and in good condition. It is of some interest to speculate on the commercial value of these animals, and especially the calf, by the. time they reach the United States. Also on board, travelling m luxury in a special ice chamber, are 37 penguins, 17 of the Emperor variety and 20 of the Adele variety. ,So far they have stood the voyage splendidly. Intei-viewed, geological members of the party state that no minerals of commercial value were found in the Antarctic. Traces were discovered of lead and molybdennite, .as well as exi tensive deposits of coal in the Queen Maude area, but their inaccessibility is ibe chief barrier to their value. Deputy-Leader's Romance. A touch of romance was associated with the arrival of the expedition. While the Jacob Ruppert was still some distance from the point of berthage Dr. T. C. Poulter (the second in command) had hired a special launch and was speeding toward Port Chalmers, where he met Miss Helen Gray, to 'whom he 'proposed to be married the same night. Bringing characteristic American bustle to bear on the preliminaries, Dr. Poulter was so successful that less than four hours after his arrival his marriage was celebrated in the manse of First Presbyterian Church, , Rear-Admiral Byrd giving the bride away. ~. , Dr. Poulter met Miss Gray while he was a professor at Oowa Wesleyan College, and she later assisted him in his scientific work. She has been in Dunedin for some time in charge ot Dr. Poulter's three children of a former marriage. The pair have been in touch by radio throughout the expedition and it is understood that the marriage arrangements were made oyer £bo air.

CITY ON THE ICE. NEW ZEALAND MEMBERS. (Special to the " Guardian.") DUNEDIN, February 18. Five New Zealanders reached Dunedin aboard the Byrd expedition ship Jacob Ruppert from Little America to-day. The only New Zealanders to spend a winter on the ice were Dr. Lewis H. Potaka, of Nelson who, at short notice, answered a call tor _a medical officer, and Mr Sissons, the radio operator. Among the deck hands were two Ohristchurch men, Mr Robert Round of Heathcote Va.lley, an engineer at the Addington. Railway Workshops, and Mr Cecil Melrose, of Springfield Road, both of whom were employed as deck hands on the Jacob Ruppert; and a Mr Robinson, of Auckland. • "The New Zealand men that have been connected Avith the expedTtion have universally done splendidly," said Rear-Admiral Byrd. "They have been very fine all the way through. Dr. Potaka was superb. He operated on Mr Joseph Pelter, the official aerial photographer, for .appendicitis. Some thought that Mr Pelter could not survive an operation under those conditions, but he is now in good shape. Dr. Potaka carried out the operation before he had time to be settled on the

ice, and that Mr Pelter is alvie to-day is a credit to the doctor.

"The radio man, Mr Sissons, could not have been finer. He was sometimes on duty for three or four days on end. He was loaned by the Government, and I want to express my appreciation to the Postmaster-General for giving leave to Mr Sissons to allow such a capable man to come with us." Messrs Round and Melrose- both enjoyed their comparatively brief trip on the Jacob Ruppert, but Dr. Potaka's opinions of his year's stay on the ice barrier are mixed.

"I am glad to get back, but I would not say I have not enjoyed the experience," said Dr. Potaka. From a medical viewpoint his work* was a sinecure, as there was very little to do. When one had a crowd of fit men as likely patients, one did not expect much illness, and the health of the men had been good throughout. "I do not know of any self-respect-ing germ which would live down there," laughingly replied the doctor in declining to discuss the bacteriology of Little America. He scouted the commonlyaccepted idea that no germs could live in the low temperature experienced at the Bay of Whales. Considerable prominence was given in American papers to attacks of colds; but he attached no significance whatever to that ailment. He personally had several colds, with a sore throat and a cough, but none was serious. The health of the men was excellent. Dr. iPotaka was dubbed "the original excavator," as his spare-time hobby was to go digging in the snow and ice for material left behind by the first Byrd expedition. Guarding Against Oneself.

Life, he said, could be quite interesting in the Antarctic, as there was plenty of diversion. The main thing was to guard oneself against oneself. The Antarctic was vastly different from what he had expected after Reading all the books dealing with the continent. It was impossible to get a right conception of the continent unless one lived there. "But such places are all right only for a short time, ' the doctor said. "There is only ice and snow. Little America was like a city. I visited one nut where 15. men were located only lj2 times during the year. To live there was like living in a city.