ICE CRUMBLES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 27, 1 February 1934, Page 7

ICE CRUMBLES.

NO LANDING-PLACE.

Trouble for Byrd in Bay of Whales. STRUGGLE TO SAVE SUPPLIES. (United P.A.—Electric Telegraph—Copyright) NEW YORK, January 31. A further message has been received from the Byrd expedition at Little America. It states: — In the broken pitted pressure ridge and crevasses west of Little America 44 marooned men are struggling with dog teams to save tons of winter supplies from going with the rapidly crumbling, ice into the water. The four-mile icc front around the Bay of Whales appears to be disrupting at an accelerating rate. (Since Wednesday the edge of the ice has moved a mile. 11l the past 24 hours myriads of cracks opened in the raised flooring of the bay ice. A crack t"iat was inches wide between the supplies and the permanent camp is rapidly widening. At seven o'clock in the evening the Jacob-Kuppert was stiil hovc-to in the bay. At least a dozen times she attempted to moor, but the ice always was unstable. Once the vessel was anchored in the ice at the foot of the West Barrier, south of Chamberlain Harbour, which appeared to be holding. A party landed, and 200 ft from the shore noted a minute crack in the icc. Twenty minutes later they returned and found it 3ft wide. They hurriedly re-embarked and the ship cast off. Within half an hour the ice at the landing spot was one and a half miles long and 200vds wide. It broke off and drifted into the bay, and the floor of the bay over which the Jacob Kuppert rested was raised 12ft in the air. From the bridge of the ship the tents iintlie pressure camp were visible. There the dog drivers were rushing sledges loaded with supplies through the pressure area to the barrier overlooking Little America. It was a three and a half miles' run and very exhausting for men and dogs, winding through deep ice furrows and around huge ice boulders. Tlio continually appearing crevasses were ever a menace to the drivers. Lumber intended to construct a broadcasting shack was nailed to telephone poles and formed improvised bridges over several of the larger crevasses. Through the bottle-neck of the passage the crews under June, Taylor and Dcmas have already taken many of the stores. The dogs are only getting an occasional rest, and the men continue fighting until exhaustion drops them. Three cooks, including one of the New Zealand stowaways, are supplying food. Constant radio communication is kept up between the Jacob Kuppert and Captain English, of the Bear of Oakland, who has advised Rear-Admiral Byrd that he is within three and a half days' sailing of the Bay of Whales. Apparently he is making a record run from Dunedin.