ANTARCTIC EXPLORERS.

Grey River Argus, 17 December 1928, Page 5

ANTARCTIC EXPLORERS.

WILKINS’ PLANS.

Flight to Weddel Sea.

(Australian & N.Z. Cable Assn;. (Received December 16, at 8 pm.) LONDON, December 15.

Wilkins, reporting from Deception Island on December 15, says the weather was such as all three whale catchers had to spend the day in harbour, and not,, unwilling.y, because tho Norwegians here and th'ir fol K- . home and also ourselves respect fully paid a tribute to the memory oi Amundsen. The search fails to reveal ai suitable snow covered Held for a take-oil* on the skis, with a heavy or any load. The records and state ments of visitors here in the past ten years indicate that the season is a month earlier than usual. 2sormall\ the harbour ice would still be perfect for landing either on wheels or skis The ice has already disappeared. Ram usually does not fall until after the new year, but this year we had much rain and suit snow. WilTio Eileson and 1 were on board a whale oatchei yesterday, we vainly searched Snow Island, fifty miles 'oil the shore, and other places for a take-off field, but the snow had melted all the flat surfaces. leaving black patches of volcanic tufa. The sloping surfaces where the snow accumulates were too tdcpiligi or too scarred with deep crevices. We will take the “Los Angeles*’ as a seaplane at the earliest possible moment, with the heaviest possible load, and make a trip into the Weddel , Sea, An hour’s sunshine eucourages us to pour two hun dred gallons of gasolene intoi the “Los Angeles,’’ which is now riding on her floats. We also bestowed our personal belongings aboard th (l machine. Before the second hour passed, long stratus clouds, resembling niilkv streams ,streaked from the We>t across z thc sky. Storm cloud', wind and rain quickly followed. 1, with Crossan as pilot, will at the first indication of twelve hours Hying weather, start f'or the Weddell Sea. If the machine will lift the load, there we hope to solve th-o important geographical question —whether Giaham’s land is part of Ihe Antarctic Continent-