THE ANTARCTIC.

Otago Witness, Issue 3959, 28 January 1930, Page 25

THE ANTARCTIC.

COMMANDER BYRD’S EXPEDITION. THE GEOLOGICAL PARTY. GREAT WELCOME AT BASE. Special to Press Association from the Byrd Expedition By Russell Owen. (Copyright.) BAY OF WHALES, January 20. Over the southern hills of the Barrier this morning appeared a long black line moving slowly towards the camp. It was Professor Gould’s geological party returning from its sledging journey of 1500 miles. That is only a little less than the distance from here to the Pole and back, and is one of the longest ever made in the Antarctic. The bearded travellers were given a wonderful reception.

WHALERS MAY ASSIST.

UNPRECEDENTED CONDITIONS. BAY OF WHALES, January 22. Rear-admiral Byrd has asked the State Department to request the Government of Norway to have the powerful Norwegian whalers help the City of New York and the Eleauoi Boling through the ice pack. The City of New Y’ork reached the cage of the ice pack and found unprec dented conditions. The Elinor Boling will join her on the 26th. To avoid spending another year at Little America, the expedition must leave by February 20. Five whalers ai e in Ross Sea, and could force a way through. Rear-admiral Byrd returned yesterday from his flight to Discovery Inlet, having flown west from here 100 miles, then south 140 miles through the centre of the Great Barrier, in a search for signs of land, which would protect that long arm of the sea, and explain its formation. The only possible indication of land was in the region of pressure about 100 miles south of the inlet. An area of 15,000 square miles of new territory was observed during the flight. While in the air Rear-admiral Byrd was in touch with the City of New York through the station here, discussing matters connected with the problem of getting out this year, which, because of the late season and the heavy pack, is assuming a serious aspect.

One message was a telephone communication which New Y'ork received from London, and was sent to Little America from the office of the New York Times, and relayed to the plane while the latter was over the Barrier, more than 100 miles from Little America.

BACKERS REQUEST ASSISTANCE. WASHINGTON. January 23. Rear-admiral Byrd’s backers requested the emergency assistance of the State Department upon receipt of word that several members of the expedition were in danger of their lives due to the difficulty the steamer Eleanor Boling and the City of New Y’ork are experiencing in the unprecedented condition of the ice pack. The backers have asked that the aid of the Norwegian whalers be solicited to assist Rear-admiral Byrd’s vessels to penetrate the ice to proceed to Little America.

PROBLEM OF FORCING PASSAGE. HELD UP BY ICE. LONDON, January 24. “If it were possible for the whalers to relieve Rear-admiral Byrd, they would go immediately without awaiting the order,” an official of the Norwegian Legation stated, but he pointed out that the whalers were not built to negotiate bad ice. If Byrd’s own ships could not get through, it was most improbable that the whalers would be able to. It was impossible for Sir Douglas Mawson to assist Byrd. The only ship remotely likely is the William Seoresby, a little whaler helping Sir Hubert* Wilkins, which is now proceeding to the Ross Sea. The Government considers that she is too small to be of any assistance. FACTORY' SHIP TO BE SENT. OSLO, January 24. Replying to the request by the United States that the Norwegian whalers should render assistance to the Byrd expedition, the Government has telegraphed that it has approached the Whalers’ Association, which expresses the opinion that the ice pack will break up as it has done in previous years, but the factory ship will be sent to try to assist. MOVEMENT OF PACK ICE. WELLINGTON, January 26. In an interview with a representative of the Press Association, Mr H. R. Ferrar, who was geologist with Captain Scott’s first Antarctic expedition in 1901, expressed the view that Rear-admiral Byrd’s anxiety as to his chances of getting his party safely away from the Antarctic before next winter was groundless.

Mr 1 errar said there was no -ause foe Admiral Byrd to request help so early in the year, and explained: “ The pack ice comes into existence in somewhat the following way:—During the south polar wiuter the ice freezes and forms a fringe round the periphery of the Antarctic Continent and attached to it. In spring this fringe breaks away as large slabs of ice (ice floes) eight feet to ten feet thick, and slowly floats northward into tho lower latitudes In summer, the floes are found by sailors of these seas to have gathered as a belt of floating jee (the ice pack), which packs into a circular belt around Antartica, but separated from it by stretches of sea largely free from ice. In the autumn this belt of * pack ’ ice becomes attenuated, partly owing to its melting in the now warmer sea water, and partly because as the belt floats northward the bulge of the earth makes it stretch out on the circumference of a circle which increases in size with the decrease of latitude. Before the sea recommences to freeze as the next winter approaches the pack ice largely, jf not completely, disappears. This outline of events is borne out by the fact that ships approaching the Antarctic in the early summer always have a difficulty in crossing the belt of pack ice, which is 200 to 300 miles wide. In autumn (February) a ship is knowu to have voyaged between New Zealand and South Victoria Land without enco .utering any ice en route. The Discovery (Captain Scott’s ship and Sir Douglas Mawson’s p.esent ship, was fast frozen in the ice near Mount Erebus until February 16 of the year 190- 1 , and not leaving the Antarctic regions until the end of the month she sighted practically no floating ice on he, way back to Lyttelton. Admiral Byrd's position, therefore, is not so precarious as it seems.”

SIR DOUGLAS MAWSON.

SURVEY OF COASTLINE. MANY LARGE BERGS SEEN. CANBERRA, January 25. The following message from Sir Douglas Mawson, dated January 13, arrived at 5.30 this morning:—“We are off a high rocky peak on Enderby Land coast, which we found was separated by a narrow water passage from the ice cliffs of the main land. There are many rocky outcrops in the vicinity, some being islets, others projections from the coast ice. These and grounded bergs determine the local jam of the pack ice, through which the Discovery pressed to a large pool on the coast in the lee of obstacles, the approximate position of which is G6deg 30min south latitude. 53deg SOmin east longitude. The scientists disembarked and spent a profitable day. They observed a luxuriant growth of seaweed in the shallow waters, clothing the rocky bottom, which harbours a great variety of marine life. Whales were plentiful, and Adelie penguins abound, their rookeries extending from the shore up slopes 500 feet high. This is an area of ancient crystalline rocks. On climbing an elevation we came upon the nests of many kinds of sea fowl, thus locating the se ond known nesting place in the Antarctic. Petrels and chicks were observer for the first time from a vantage point 850 feet above the ship. We had a good view of the neighbouring sea and the northern extremity of Enderby Land. Within sight were 174 large bergs, mostly tabular in form and over 100 feet high. Large ice slopes were seen, rising evenly and smoothlj’ except where much crevassed patches showed over submerged rockv peaks. Elsewhere rocky foundations rise through the ice cap as lofty black peaks. One such, named Mount Codrington by Biscoe in 1831, was recognised among a bunch of lesser peaks to the south. Our survey of over 100 miles of coast, including Macßobertson Land and Kemp Land, is now joined with the coast line, charted by Biscoe. Overlooking this lone land we raised a flag on a high eyrie and deposited a scroll recording that fact. We descended late in the afternoon laden with rocks, birds’ eggs, etcetera, and were joined by the magneticians, who hal determined the magnetic constants, and all embarked.”