BACK FROM ICE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21729, 19 February 1934, Page 8

BACK FROM ICE

THE JACOB RUPPERT

STORM-TOSSED VESSEL

ILLNESS OF CAPTAIN

DOCTOR SAVES LIFE

UNLOADING OF STORES

[BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION"] DUNEDIX, Sunday

Bearing nnmistakeable signs of her struggles with Antarctic ice and a heavy gale, .which was encountered on the return voyage to New Zealand, the Byrd expedition ship Jacob Puppert arrived at Port Chalmers at 11.,'J0 o'clock today. Quite apart from the 70-mile-an-hour gale in which the Jacob Ruppert laboured for four days shortly after clearing the ice, the return trip to Dunedin was by 110 moans an uneventful one, as for , the greater part of the 13 days' passage Captain Verliger was unable to take part in the working of the ship on account of acute illness. While returning from Little America to the ship on a dog sledge he caught a severe chill, which later developed into pneumonia and for some time he wa§ so seriously ill that his life was almost despaired of. Dr. Guy Shirey, who was himself returning from Little America on account of ill-health, attended the captain night and day and eventually succeeded in pulling him through. His skilful attention was the subject of the highest commendation by Captain Verliger, who expressed the universal regret of members of the expedition that Dr. Shirey had been compelled to return. Base Found In Good .Order

Speaking of the ship's experiences in the ice, Captain Verliger said he had been extremely favourably impressed with the vessel's qualifications for such an undertaking. The period at the ice barrier had been one of great activity, all hands working 12-hour shifts in order to expedite the unloading of the large quantity of stores and other material for the expedition. Fortunately the base at Little America was in excellent order and was occupied almost immediately. In fact, one of the first meals at the base consisted of seal meat, which had remained frozen since the previous expedition. During the gale which was encountered after leaving the ice, seas rose at times to 40 feet. The Jacob Ruppert will remain in Otago Harbour for the next 10 months, after which she will return to Little America to pick up the members of the expedition. Doctor's Disappointment

Dr. Shirey intends to return to the United States as soon as possible. He will probably sail for Panama by the first ship proceeding by that route. He expressed considerable disappointment to-day that he had been unable to remain with the main party at Little America during the winter months. Dr. Potaka, who is at present travelling south on the research ship Discovery 11., will be met in the ice fields by the Bear of Oakland, to which he will tranship to complete his journey to th 9 expedition base. BEAR OF OAKLAND FREE STRUGGLES TO OPEN WATER PARTY AT LITTLE AMERICA (Received February 18, 5,5 p.m.) NEW YORK, Feb. 17 The following wireless message has been received from Rear-Admiral Byrd on board the Bear of Oakland in the Antarctic:—

After several days' manoeuvring the Bear managed to extricate herself from the ice-pack and now is proceeding at full speed to Little America. Last night open water was seen in a passage about half a mile wide and the ship made her way through slowly, never stopping although at times she moved ahead only inches at a time. Many times she had to strike the ice a» full force to break her way through, causing the vessel to tremble violently from stem to stern.

After an all-night struggle the ship emerged into fairly clear water. A message from Little America says: The moving of the necessary stores across the treacherous ice-field is Hearing a successful conclusion. With the exception of the aviation equipment, gasoline, coal for the houses and a few odds and ends, all the supplies have been transported safely to the second main cache on Eastern Heights, a- mile and a-half south of Little America. If the good weather holds June expects the dog teams and tractors to finish the operation in a few days, although the trail is becoming steadily worse. A tractor narrowly averted disaster when a crevasse 3ft. wide and 60ft. deep suddenly appeared in front of it. Shortly afterwards the seven leading animais in a dog team dropped into a crevasse and hung dangling by their harness till they were pulled out by the drivers after a struggle.