ELLSWORTH FLIGHT

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVI, Issue 43, 20 January 1936, Page 7

ELLSWORTH FLIGHT

THE LEADER’S STORY. LANDINGS ON SNOW. A HAZARDOUS TRIP. (United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) NEW YORK, Jan. 18. Messrs Lincoln Ellsworth and H. Hollick-Kenvon, who were found alive and well at Little America by the research ship Discovery 11, have now been taken aboard the ship. In a copyright message to the North American Newspaper Alliance, transmitted from the Discovery II by radio, Mr Ellsworth states: “At last the trans-Antarctic flightlias been accomplished, but not without some difficulty. We were forced to laud four times on the way, and once were held up seven days, for three days of which a blizzard raged. On previous landings we were delayed for two days owing to bad visibility and snowstorms. Finally our fuel became exhausted and we were forced to land about 25 miles from Little America. After four days of futile -efforts to communicate with the outside world we proceeded by sledge to Little America, where we found the radio shack in first-class condition and there we lived comfortably until yesterday, when the roar of an aeroplane let us know our lonely wait was over.” Continuing his account, Mr Ellsworth states:— “Shortly after 4.15 p.m. G.M.T. on tlie day ’we started we realised that the radio had failed, but there was nothing we could do but -continue our flight. After passing the mountains of Hearst Land, we flew at an altitude of 10,000 feet over a high plateau with isolated mountains at intervals. Then these gave way to an unbroken plateau. At 4.45 p.m., G.M.T., I dropped the Stars and Stripes on hitherto unclaimed territory. “For three hours we flew over mountains and at 9.5 p.m. ran into bad visibility and reduced our altitude to 6400 feet. Finally we were forced to land, our position being latitude 79.12, longitude 104.10. Later the weather cleared and late in tlie afternoon of November 24 we warmed the engine and took off, but after half an hour in the air were forced to land owing to poor visibility. “Several other attempts to proceed to Little America likewise failed until December 5, when we took off and flew toward our objective. We had almost sighted the Bay of Whales when the fuel which had served us so well finally gave out. We fixed our position at latitude 78.45 degrees and longitude 163.36 degrees. After four days of working with the radio apparatus we packed our hand-sledge and tramped the few miles to Little America. Since then we have been busy correlating the data gathered on the flight. We have been most hospitably treated by Lieutenant Hill and tlie officers of the Royal Research Society’s ship Discovery II and are enjoying the comforts of civilisation once again.”

AMERICAN GRATITUDE. INTERNATIONAL ASPECT. NEW YORK, Jan. IS. The Discovery’s sensational rescue of Messrs Ellsworth and Hollick-Kenyon after many had given::t-hem up for lost is being widely displayed in the Press. Many prominent explorers, including Rear-Admiral R. E. ; Byrd, Bernt Balclien, Vladimir Stefansson and R. C. Ajidrews, expressed pleasure and relief at the rescue. The New York Herald-Tribune, in a leader, commends tlie perseverance of Mr Elsworth for a successful flight after previous failures, and adds praise for the work of Discovery 11. “Not the least gratifying feature of this particular expedition has been the cordial international partnership and co-opera-tion which have marked it throughout, and which now find tlieir apotheosis in the successful mission of the Discovery II,” it says. “It is a pleasure to share our pride" and thanksgiving with our cousins.” Mr Cordell HulL (Secretary of State) to-day expressed the Government's gratification at the Discovery’s rescue of Mr Ellsworth, and praised the British Government and Dominions for their “fine co-operation” in locating the missing explorers. A North American Newspaper Alliance message from the Wyatt Earp says that at 2.30 G.M.T. the Wyatt Earp at last broke through the ice barrier bordering the Ross Sea and is now heading directly for the Bay of Whales, where it is expected to meet Mr Ellsworth on Sunday. FINE SEAMANSHIP. MELBOURNE, Jan. 19. Dr R. E. Priestley, a noted polar explorer, said that tlie commander of tlie Discovery II had steamed along a meridian which was free of ice and performed a remarkable feat of navigation to get a steel ship from Dunedin to the Bay of Whales in so short a time.