"FORCED TO FLEE"

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 21, 25 January 1934, Page 7

"FORCED TO FLEE"

DRIVEN FROM BERTH.

Strong Winds Interrupt Byrd's

Unloading.

NEW BO AD TO LITTLE AMERICA,

(United P.A.—Electric Telegraph—Copyright*

NEW YORK, January 24,

The following wireless message was received yesterday from RearAdmiral Byrd's Antarctic Expedition on the Jacob Ruppert: —

Driven from her berth along the low shelf of bay ice by a strong southeasterly wind, our ship at noon yesterday cruised slowly in the vicinity awaiting an abatement in the weather. Meanwhile 20 men were marooned on shore, three in Little America and the remainder between the empty supplies caches and the unloading station at the edge of the bay ice, four and a half miles away.

Unloading was in progress until past midnight, when the wind forced the Jacob Ruppert to flee to prevent the smashing of her plates. Nevertheless, the shore gang continued to work, piling up the unloaded supplies on dog sledges and tractors for transfer to the emergency caches.

The most encouraging thing has been the diacovery of a short passage to Little America. As the result of a first survey flight we thought it would be necessary to haul 450 tons of supplies a distance of 20 miles. Now, however, as the result 6f another survey by Roone, the new passage, which is only about Six miles long, has been discovered.

Roone spent a sleepless 47 hours ing his reconnoitring. He risked his neck twice through breaking through thinly-roofed crevasses.' He saved himself by bridging the openings with his arms.

As soon as Roone reported the passage Rear-Admiral Byrd ordered the unloaded stores to be transported to an emergency cache. In as much as the immediate concern is to get the ship unloaded and started northward, the leader proposes to cache the supplies and move them to Little America later.

Toward the evening the wind began to moderate, and it is expected that the .Jacob Ruppert will be moored, again shortly. Meanwhile she is in constant wireless communication with the cache unit.

BYRD'S THANKS.

GRATITUDE TO NEW ZEALAND.

(By Telegraph.—Press Association.)

WELLINGTON, this day.

Appreciation of the New Zealand Government's action in arranging the quick transport by air of supplies for the Byrd Expedition from Auckland to Dunedin was expressed in a radiogram received by the Minister of Internal Affairs, Mr. J. A. Young, from RearAdmiral Byrd as follows: —"Please accept for the people and Government of New Zealand my deep and abiding gratitude for the generous donation of an aeroplane service at a moment most critically affecting the _ successful accomplishment of my expedition's mission, in which, through the New Zealand men attached to the expedition, the New Zealand people are playing a most Vital part. For yourself, Major Wilkes, Commander Isitt, Lieutenant Wallingford and all the others who were active, please accept my perspnal thanks."