ADVENTUROUS FLIGHT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20420, 23 November 1929, Page 13

ADVENTUROUS FLIGHT.

BYKD'S AEROPLANE STOPS,

FORCED DOWN ON SNOW.; 1

ALL THREE ENGINES FAIL. 1

NEW YORK, Nov. 21. [By Mr. Russell Owen. Copyrighted 1928 by the New York Times Company and the St. Louis Post Dispatch. All rights for publication reserved throughout the worlds Wireless to the New York Times.] BAY OF WHALES, Nov. 20. Commander Byrd and his companions Hew back 10 the camp at about midnight after a day spent in struggling with refractory mot'is. They finally lifted tho big Ford aeroplane out of the rough snow ridges of tl j landing field in which ifc was, and returned to camp with a following wind. They presented a queer sight, splashed with oil, blistered from the cold and the petrol, and weary and bedraggled. " Trouble began soon after we left.*' said Commander Byrd. "After flying for n hour it was noticed that the gas consumption was unusually„high and a small-leak found by Harold June in the hand-pump behind the pilot's seat. He packed it with chewing gum and taped it. An hour and ahalf later all three motors stopped as tho two outer tanks unexpectedly ran dry because of the rapid consumption. " June switched on the other tanks, and tho engines again picked up, but ifc was one of those moments which one remembers in flying. While we were nearly 100 miles away we saw the crevassed pressure region, about 200 miles south of Littlo America, sticking up like haycocks in the great plain of the Barrier.*' Party Receives News From Home. Their next landmark was the geological party, whom they passed beyond the 200-mile depot. "It seemed like a crime to watch them plugging along down below," laughed June. " They justwere not moving. Dean dropped a message to them from their friends and relatives of the trail party at home, which had beeii received by radio, a unique mail delivery. " A course was then set by Commander Byrd for the mountains and about 40 minutes after passing the geological party the mountains began to show ahead." " They were magnificent," said Commander Byrd, and June also said that they were the most wondorful group of mountains he had ever seen. Some were covered with ice and snow, some. had. great bare patches of rock, some were dome shaped and others ware peaked.; The aeroplane was headed directly for the mountain, in front of Mount Nansen, and there a place was found where a base could be established. The entire flight was a splendid test of navigation under Hying conditions down here, and Commander Byrd is quite satisfied now that his calculations will work out as he expected. Tho course •tvas kept perfectly with the aid of the sun compass and checked with navigation done on the way out. "When the time came to take off, Dean taxied up to the slope and got o2 nicely in spite of the rough ground. They climbed to 5000 ft. and flew parallel to the mountains toward the south-east for 15 minutes, so that McKinley could take pictures of them. Commander Byrd Surprised. Then they turned and took their departure on a course for Little America. The , wind forced them to follow a course slightly more to the west than that taken on the way out. They saw the crevasses while 100 miles away and were able then to follow the dogs' trail home. ; Commander Byrd., who had flown a while on the way out and for about 45 minutes of the way back, had just turned the controls over to Dean when the motors began to pop and splutter. June was in the middle of a message which he was repeating. He left it, not even stopping to lock the key, and this caused tlie signals to stop instantly. " I was never so surprised in all my life," said Commander Byrd. " I never expected to "have all three motors stop at ones, and although we knew that the petrol was low ifc seemed strange. I looked down and saw that we were right over the worse part cf the Sastrugi, the one place where the men on the trail had told us we could not land safely. I never expectc l that we would land safely, but we did." They were desperately afraid that the whole machine would be frozen so hard that they would not, bo able to get the engines restarted and were in the midst of a hard job warming the motors with torches, when they heard the Fairchild coming. It made ft perfect landing, and their troubles were over.

TRIP TO ICE PACK. i SUPPLY SHIPS PREPARING. NEW ZEALANDERS GO SOUTH* . V [BY TELEGRAPH.—OWN CORRESPONDENT.! DUNEDIN. Friday. The Byrd Antarctic Expedition ship City of New York, which has just completed an extensive' overhaul afc Port' Chalmers, was towed to Dunedin this morning. After some work on board has been completed she will load 200. tons of Westporfc coal and will then commence the loading of provisions and equipment for the expedition's base. Captain Melville states that when the barque leaves Dunedin about the middle of December she will make the trip to the ice pack under sail to conserve the coal supply. At tho ice pack she will bo joined by tho Eleanor Boiling, which will load stores and equipment, hero and sail early in January. Both ships will work their way through tho ice together and should reach the Bay of Whales during the latter part of January. The. crew of the City of New York' on her trip south will include a number of New Zealanders.