ADMIRAL BYRD—INTREPID EXPLORER.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 84, 10 April 1937, Page 2 (Supplement)

ADMIRAL BYRD—INTREPID EXPLORER.

Byrd and his party had to work hard to get themselves safely settled down in Little America before the long Polar night set in, and the four months of winter were spent making preparations for the trips to be taken m the spring.

On August 24 the sun reappeared for the first time —to l>e greeted with hearty cheers! From this date on the weather gradually improved, and in October the aeroplanes were dug out from the ice houses in which they had been placed for shelter from the winter blizzards, and tuned up ready for work. One of Byrd's ambitions on the trip was to make a flight over the remote South Pole itself, distant almost 800 miles from the base at Little America. The party's largest'plane, the Floyd Bennett, was loaded up with nearly four tons of petrol, supplies for an emergency landing on the ice. and cameras, so that a record could he made of the whole course of the flight.

After waiting many days for something like decent weather conditions, on November 28 Byrd was told by his weather experts that nothing was likely to be gained by waiting longer, and the great 'plane was immediately made ready for starting. This was a troublesome business in itself, since the engines had to be heated for hours by having torches burned under them before they could be mndc to work. And once started they immt not be allowed to stop till the journey was over, or they would freeze up solidly again in a few minutes.

After tearing across the snow for nearly a mile on t lie skis with which it was fitted instead of wheels, the Floyd Bennett soared aloft and headed due south—the great Polar flight was on! Three hundred and fifty miles south of Little America and the 'plane passed over a party of geologists who were travelling by sledge, and dropped them a parachute loaded with letters, cigarettes and other little comforts. As the 'plane flew steadily south, and ate into its petrol supply, the empty petrol tins were thrown overboard. It was very necessary to dump every ounce of spare weight because while the first part of the flight had been of a moderate height over fairly level ground, towards the Pole a great range of mountains rising

to 14,000 feet loomed across the route; it was the attempt to cross these that was to be the real test of the Floyd Bennett's power.

And as they approached the mighty peaks, at a height that obviously would not clear them, the engines were given full power, the 'plane struggled up a few hundred feet higher and then refused to rise another inch! Its great load was too much for it; rapidly the

peaks drew closer, still higher than the 'plane—something had to be done, and done very quickly if the range was to be crossed. Either food, petrol or scientific equipment and cameras must be heaved overboard —which was it to bet

Petrol was out of the question; they had none to spare as it wa«. The loss of the instruments meant tlio loss of the valuable scientific results, for which the flight was planned. The food they could do without, provided nothing went wrong and they did not have to make a forced landing in the ice desert. So food it war; over went 3001b of it. and almost by inches the 'plane cleared the peaks, which reared up their grim fangs from below. That was the worst part of the trip, which from then on proceeded smoothly to the Pole and home to Little America. Lightened of petrol, and with a following wind, no difficulty was experienced on the homeward journey; the complete round trip took just under 1(> hours.

Three more months were spent in exploring and scientific work in the Antarctic, and on February 18 the steamer City of New York arrived from New Zealand to take the party home. Little America was abandoned within 24 hours, the aeroplanes being left again in protecting shells of ice.

Back to Antarctica. In October. 1033. Byrd sailed again for the frozen south, this time with an pven more ambitions expedition, which had with it, besides the usual dog teams, both large and small petrol tractors, and no less than four aeroplanes. After some difficulty in getting through the pack ice which lies off the Antarctic continent, the party reoccupied Little America, which they found sadly full of ice and snow after their long absence. The delay in the pack ice had brought •winter perilously close, and all members of the party, the Admiral himself, the nailors and the scientists, had to work like demons to get the tons of supplier ashore and into a rebuilt Little America before the long Antarctic night closed down. On occasions the men worked up | to (50 hours at a stretch without stop--1 ping, even for sleep!

The work of this expedition was in general very similar to that of the first, though on a much larger scale, and with even more important results. Byrd himself, however, endured an ordeal which had no parallel on the first trip, or indeed probably in any Polar expedition.

A hundred miles south of .Little America an advance base had been established, consisting of a little hut entirely sunk beneath the level of the snow, and equipped overhead with instruments for scientific observations, and a wireless mast. This extraordinary little cubby hole in the snow was stored with food and other necessities for a four months' stay, and then occupied just at the beginning of the winter by Byrd himself. The Admiral was taken to his outpost, and left in perfect health by the last men he was to see for four months of darkness.

For the first months the main party at Little America received cheery messages regularly from the Admiral's radio, but presently these messages got more and more halting, and at last none came through at all. His men were nearly crazy with anxiety, but could do absolutely nothing till the sun reappeared and made travelling possible again. When at last in the early spring a tractor party succeeded in" getting through to Byrd's outpost, they found him almost dead from poisoning by the fumes of his petrol heater. He had been unwilling to say anything of his illness for fear a rescue party should attempt to reach him before the weather made it safe.

Fortunately, the rescuers arrived just' in time, and although it was many weeks before the Admiral's health recovered enough for him to travel, he was at last brought eafely back to Little America. Eventually he became strong enough to take charge of the party again—and finally bring it home without the loss of a single man.