BYRD'S BASE CAMP

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20703, 29 April 1929, Page 9

BYRD'S BASE CAMP

LOCAL EXPLORATIONS PERMANENCE OF WINTER QUARTERS. DEEP CREVASSE EXAMINED. By Russell Otcy. Copyright, 1928, by the New York Times Company and St. Louis PostDispatch. All Rights for Publication Reserved Throughout the World. Wireless, to New York Times. BAY OP WHALES, April 25.' Commander Byrd went to the bottom of a crevasse near the camp yesterday and found sea water about 35 feet down —or, rather, slush ice in the crack—, which was salt. We had long believe 1 that there was water under the Barrier on which our base* is located, and also that there must be land somewhere near here to hold it for so many years in its peculiar formation. The location of that land is a secret which would explain the existence of the Bay of Whales. If we did not believe in the existence of land we might be somewhat uneasy as to the permanence of our winter quarters. The crack has interested us for some time, because it has become wider in the last few weeks. Whether this is due to con' traction in cold weather or to a barrier movement or to a tendency on the part of a section of the barrier to calve off no one knows. Most of the opinions expressed tend to the contraction theory, and the commander’s inspection of it seems to support that opinion more strongly than any other; bu* so little is known about the movement of the barrie* here, the location of land, the strains to which our portion of the barrier is subjected, and the action of currents anil tides on the great ice mass that any opinion is hardly more than an intelligent guess at present, but if possible the commander intends to know something more definite about it by tbe spring by making soundings. It was a cold day for playing around the crevasses. The temperature waa 50 degrees below zero, and a light breeze was blowing. , While a suitable spot waa being found for entering the crevasse those in the 1 party were busy part of the time in watching for frozen spots on each other’s faces. , “ You’ve go*" it on your cheek,” one would call, and another would answer back, “ Well, your nose is frozen,” and when a mitten was removed so that the frozen part could be' rubbed the hand would freeze. It was so cold that hand flashlights could not be used, as the cold stopped the chemical action of the dry batteries. Strom’s left big toe got frozen, and he had to run to the nearest house and thaw it out. It resembled a cold potato when he stripped his sock off. Dr Cowon, who attended him, hqd his hands nearly frozen, and he had to get some warmer gloves. Light was ultimately provided by a portable gasolene engine generator, which Hanson took and attached to e locomotive type of searchlight that was pointed down into the dark fissure. When everything was ready a rope was placed around the commander —under hjs arms, crossing on his chest, and fastened behind his head. The crevasse did not go straight down, and there were many sharp projections in the ice, which broke off and tumbled about his ears. The ropes were held by Strom, Siple (a Boy Scout), Vaughan, Deary, and Thorne together. It was much warmer at >the bottom, and tho .thermometer placed on the ice there registered 18 degrees above zero Fahrenheit, although it was 50 degrees below at the surface. Commander Byrd could walk only a few feet jn either direction, so after satisfying t himself that the. ice . below him really" contained salt, and taking a sample of that and of the bottom of the barrier snow, he was pulled up again to join the frostbitten crowd above. Coming up he examined more carefully some unusually large ice crystals which projected thickly from the side of the crevasse. . (Received April 28, at 11.38 p.m.) Another storm period seems upon us. The wind is again blowing, and there is a hard temperature. ’ It is still 21 below zero. Last night it was 40 below, and the day before 58. The wind started yesterday afternoon, and it slowly and steadily increased in force until the drift outside hides everything in a smother which blinds and confuses anyone who ventures out in it. Commander Byrd ha,s been trying all sorts of arrangements recently in an attempt to find something to protect ns Against the wind, and yesterday he went for a long walk down by the ice.with the temperature at 54 degrees lielow zero and a 20-raile wind blowing. If the wind can be kept from the face, which is the only exposed part of -tbe body, he has found that he can keep warm for a long period of time. He has been experimenting with face masks to protect tlu, nose and cheeks, and has devised ons which although it gets wet and frozen does not touch the skin and acts as n shield. The only places which the wind can hit are around the eyes, and he is trying to find a way to protect them. Furs have proved a perfect clothing • except for fast travelling, when they arc too warm. While he was on the ice yesterday there was a perceptible fog despite the low temperature. It seems inconceivable that moisture could exist in the air in such cold weather, but the fog is real. This is explained by the fact that the humidity may ho relatively just as groat here as in u warmer climate. Although the actual amount of moisture contained in the air at 50 degrees below zero is infinitesimal the air will hold only a certain amount of water at certain temperatures. For instance, it will hold about 200 times as much water at 50 degrees above zero as against 60 degrees below, but 50 below has a certain saturation point, so that when the wind comes up, as it did yesterday, and stirs up the ivarmer and colder air, the change in the temperature causes the condensation of a small amount of moisture and makes an unnatural looking but very real fog.