ELLSWORTH'S STORY OF POLAR FLIGHT

Northern Advocate, 20 January 1936, Page 6

ELLSWORTH'S STORY OF POLAR FLIGHT

Fuel Failed 25 Miles From Little Am

[United Press Association.—B y Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.! (Received 10 a.m.)

NEW YORK. January 18. the cordial international partnership and co-operation, which has marked it throughout, and which now finds apotheosis in the successful mission of the Discovery 11. It is a pleasure to share our pride and thanksgiving with our cousins.”

npHE SENSATIONAL RESCUE OF 1 MR LINCOLN ELLSWORTH AND MR HOLLICK KENYON BY THE/SHIP DISCOVERY 11., ON BOARD OF WHICH BOTH MEN . HAVE EMBARKED. IS BEING WIDELY DISPLAYED IN THE PRESS. Many prominent explorers expressed their pleasure and relief at the rescue. In a copyright message to the N.A.N.A., Mr Ellsworth said: — “At last the trans-Antarctic flight has been accomplished but not without some difficulty. We were forced to land four times on the way, and once were held up for seven days on three days of which a blizzard raged. “On the previous landing we Were delayed two days by bad visibility and snow storms. 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 in which we lived comfortably till yesterday, when the Discovery’s aeroplane re-ap-peared, and the pilot let us know that our lonely wait was over. The Radio Fails.

In Washington today, the Secretary of State, Mr Cordell Hull, expressed the Government’s gratification at the Discovery’s rescue of Messrs Ellsworth and Kenyon, and praised the British Government and Australia for their fine co-operation in locating the missing explorei’s. A Melbourne, message states that, commenting on the rescue of Messrs Ellsworth and Kenyon, Dr R. E. Presteley, a noted Polar explorer, said the commander of the Discovery 11. steamed along the meridian which is free of ice, and performed a remarkable feat of navigation to get his stefil ship from Dunedin to the Bay of Whales in three days. Ellsworth’s Thanks. Mr J. A. Lyons has received the following radio from Mr Ellsworth aboard the Discovery: “Kenyon and I are deeply grateful for the extraordinary efforts which your Government, through the Royal Australian Air Force, put forward on our behalf. We assure you most sincerely how much we feel the honour you have accorded us, and we cannot thank you enough for all that has been done for us.” ' A wireless message from the representative of the North American Newspaper Alliance on board the Wyatt Earp, says: “The ship at last has broken through the ice bordering the Ross Sea, and now we are heading direct for the Bay of Whales. -We expect to meet Mr Ellsworth there on Sunday.”

“Shortly after 4.15 p.m. Grenwich mean time on the day we started (November 23), we realised that the radio had failed; but there was nothing we could do but continue the flight. After passing the mountains of Hearst Land, we flew at an altitude of 10,000 ft over a high plateau with isolated mountains at intervals. Then these gave way to an unbroken plateau! At 5.45 p.m. I dropped the Stars and Stripes on hitherto unclaimed territory. For three hours we flew over mountains, .and, at 9.5 p.m., we ran into bad visibility and reduced our altitude to 6.400 ft. Finally we were forced to land at latitude 79.12, long. 104.10.

“Later the weather cleared, and, late in the afternoon of November 24, we warmed up the engine and took off, but after half an hour in the air we were forced to land owing to poor visibility. Fuel Gives Out. “Several other attempts to proceed ( to Little America also failed, until December 5. when we took off again and flew towards our objective. We were almost in sight of the Bay of Whales, when our fuel, which had served so well, finally gave out. “We fixed our position at latitude 78.45, longitude 163.36. After four days of work on 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 Commander Hill and officers of the Royal Research ship Discovery, and now we are enjoying the comforts of civilisation once more,” Perseverence Commended. The “New York “Herald-Tribune” commends the perseverence of Mr Ellsworth for his successful flight after his previous failure. Also the paper praises the work of the Discovery, saying:— f

“Not the least gratifying feature of this particular expedition has been