POLAR PACK-ICE

Greymouth Evening Star, 18 December 1933, Page 4

POLAR PACK-ICE

WYATT EARP HELD-UP (Special to United Press Assn.). Copyright by Radio from Mr Ellsworth WYATT EARP, December 15. We are about 200 miles inside the great Polar icepack, held up by wide heavy floes. Snow is drifting up with a south-west wind, and the whole pack is in motion. To be locked tn there without means of propulsion would be a serious affair, but we expect wind and current soon to make rifts in the ice, and to leave lanes of open water, of which we may take advantage, and proceed. Our entry into the pack was. sudden and dramatic. Our only warning was a quick drop of temperature to two below freezing point, and a light fog. Three hours later, two huge icebergs loomed in sight, one to port, and one to starboard. Fitting guardians they seemed to,that realm of the Ice King. We passed between them, and two hours later, and ISO miles to the north of where Byrd found it in 1930, we entered the Polar Pack —a world apart from the one we left, and where silence and desolation reign supreme. Lifeless and unfriendly as it may seem, yet it holds a fascination all of its own. Amidst such surroundings men are drawn closer together, so that within the four walls of our little ship, there exists a. comradeship that can make us forget the dreary outside. To work in these latitudes, we must eat often, and we look forward to our mess every four hours, which brings us together from our work. None on an exploring" ship can afford to be idle. There are sledges to make, sewing to do, films to take, and everyone takes a turn at the watch on deck. Occasional ivory gulls, fulmar, and black and white Antarctic petrels are to be seen. Yesterday morning we saw the first sea crabeater, and last night Balchen shot one, which we had to-day for dinner.

Notwithstanding the first impression, there is much colour in polar scenes, for the drifting ice is tinged with yellow, red and green. The yellow is microscopic vegetable matter, known as diatoms, and upon it tiny red and green shrimp life feeds. The shrimp, in turn, is food for seals and whales. Interesting phenomena, seen in these latitudes are iceblinks, and water sky. Iceblinks are indicated by white or pale greyish streaks upon the clouds, while water sky is represented by a heavy streak of dull tarnished lead grey colour.