STORM AT BAY OF WHALES BLOWS OUT

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 6811, 15 January 1929, Page 7

STORM AT BAY OF WHALES BLOWS OUT

Ship Menaced By Ice HUTS WILL WEATHER 150 MILES GALE GREAT BERGS DRIFTING BY. Australian Press Association. Received Monday, 7.5 p.m. (By Mr. Russell Owen.) BAY OF WHALES, Jan. 12. The storm reported in my last despatch kept up for two days. All hands at the ship and at Little America were pleased they were able to weather it in good shape. The ship had five ice anchors out in the ice fields to "which w T e are secured and the wind blew strong enough to put a terrific stiain on the anchor line.-. We had to keep constant watch on them and it looked many times as if we would be blown away from our berth. The gale spent its force when the wind got. round to the south-east and bad it° been from the north, we could not have stayed where we are, as the waves would havo thrown tho City of New York against -the icc and injured her. Also, there would have been danger of an iceberg drifting down with the -wind and catching the ship between it and the ice fields. Groat ice fields and bergs from the east are constantly drifting by us and wc have to be vigilant all the time.

The walls of our house at Little America withstood tho storm and today the roof will be put in place. We feel sure now that if we have any wind during the six months’ night, up to 150 miles an hour, or gusts up to 200 miles an hour, as recorded by Sir Douglas Mawson, that the houses will be able to withstand them. There are three more houses to erect but this ono i= a good-sized residence and will berth ami mess at least 30 men.

The ice is going out of the Bay rapidly, as it did for Amundsen, the only other explorer who made Es base here but we have a much longer distance to carry cur supplies than he did. Our difficulties are greatly increased by the large amount of scientific paraphernalia we are taking ashore, and since the primary object of the expedition is scientific, we are gelting this material to Little America at all costs. It is slow work, as we cannot rush the elements. Wo must be patient but the spirit of the men is so loyal and enthusiastic that wo feel confident that wo can beat the unloading and transportation difficulties ahead of us. At any rate, wo are not behind schedule ,as we allowed for the caprices of the Antarctic. Radio Invaluable. The departure of the Bolling supply ship from New Zealand has been delayed a day or two on account of a broken ■hoisting boom but sho will probably leave within 48 hours. Sho is loaded with additional equipment and the planes Floyd Bennett and Virginia. Mr Richard Brophy, the expedition’s business manager with the Bolling at Dunedin, has been on the job there day and night for a week at the radio key, talking to us about supplies. We all have reason to be glad of his caphcity for detail. Although we are 2700 miles from Now Zealand our radio communication is almost like a telephone conversation. Malcolm Ranson, of the Navy, is radio engineer, and Lloyd Berkner, of the Department of Commerce, Edward Manson, Oarl Peterson and Lloyd Grenlief, from civil life, are all Tadio operators and have done good work. We have found so much use for radio between the ships, New Zealand axd the United States, that the operators have had little sleep. It has rc-ached a point where we must let up somewhat on radio and give them a rest. I am very proud of the work these fellows havo done in addition to their daily usefulness to the expedition. They have gathered scientific data and Hanson is losing sleep during busy times in assembling some of his scientific radio instruments. Despite the constant daylight down here, wc have little difficulty in communicating directly with the United States, yet up at Little America, ten miles away, we often cannot be picked up but we are heard distancing in the United States. In other words, our waves jump over the areas close to us but are effective at long distance. A week ago Pergen, in Norway, notified us that San Francisco was calling us. Dog Teams Broken In. The dog team drivers arc getting well broken in. It is remarkable that some of the greenhorns have learned to drive the dogs. We are not going to go off half-cockcd on our flying. We will not make any flights until we are all set. We have over a year down here and there is no cause for dashing off before we are prepared. The Fairchild 'plane is being uncrated to-day.

Eleanor Bolling on Second Voyage A FULL SHIP: CARRIES PROVISIONS FOR 15 MONTHS. DUNEDIN, Last Night. _ Carrying a full shipment of provisions and equipment the Antarctic expedition ship Eleanor Bolling left Otago harbour this afternoon at 3.40 on her second voyage to the Bay of Whales. The vessel is carrying sufficient supplies to keep the 40 men of the expedition now on the barrier for 15 months. Tljo carriage of such a large quantity is necessary as the vessel may be prevented by the ice closing in from making a third trip south. She is also carrying three aeroplanes and a large quantity of petrol and oil