ANTARCTIC LAND

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16838, 29 December 1928, Page 15

ANTARCTIC LAND

BYRD'S DISCOVERIES ICE BARRIER SCALED CHARTS PROVE INACCURATE. (Elec. Tel. Copyright—United Press Assn.) (Australian mnj N.Z. Press Association.) (Hy Russell Owen.) (Copyrighted 1928 by Hie New York Times Co., and ill" St. Louis Post-Dispatch. All rights for publication reserved through. our the world.} (By Wireless to the Now York Times.) Received December 29, 3 p.m.) NEW YORK, Decern be 23. "Commander Lvrd .states that our visit to Discovery island appeared worth while from a geographical standpoint. We leached the Ureal Ice Lanier at about 177.40 deg. longitude, 70 miles, west of the entrance of Discovery Inlet. As we approached the barrier wecould see on our starboard two places where the Barrier sloped down to thewater's edge. These were about.'looyds. wide. This phenomenon was interesting, as the Harrier generally rises more or less perpendicular from the water's edge for 30ft. or 40ft. to 160 ft. altitude, I hough Cos midsummer down here we found Discovery Inlet tilled with what we call bay ice. "Loi ihrce quarters of its length we have found thai this beatiliful ice locked harbor was no! accurately charted. II may bo that there has been some change in the contour since the last explorer reported it. Strom, Balchen, Lint hen. Petersen, and 1 proceeded on skiis eastward of the head of the harbor to select a lauding Held, as we, hope .later to chart Discovery Harbor with one of our automatic mapping cameras. We have found that instead of running east and. west, as shown by the charts, there, is a. general curve from the eastward towards tho south, so that at the end. of the harbor, where the lines of tho Ice Barrier meet, its direction runs nearer to north and south, I ban it does east and .west.

"At a point- about three-quarters of the distance, between tho ship and tho end of tin; harbor the Barrier sloped gently /lown to the bay ice, so that wo were able, to climb on to the Barrier, which we ascended for 150 ft., and still we had not. reached the top. At this point, Strom, Balchen, and Braathen proceeded to investigate some snow peaks we had seen lying to the southeast, near the curve of the harbor. These turned out to be several of these peaks with valleys between, and we decided that though they are snow-covered, land lies under them, and that this is part of sotne .land that keeps intact- this extraordinary harbor fashioned in the Ico Barrier. ,

"There, were several places toward, the end of the harbor, both sides of which sloped down to the water. At the end of tho harbor the two Barrier walls don't meet, because, of a small channel extending to the south east. Dr. Bichovd, the Norwegian whaler, told inc that he followed this crack, and, that il curved around to the sea. This shows that that part of the Lanier to the northward, which forms part, of Discovery Harbor, is an island. A.s lhe.ro is a strong easterly current, running along here and under the Barrier it is indicated that this ice island is resting somewhere oil land. This, I believe, is of some interest to geographers, as there is a great deal of discussion as to whether or not the Ice Barrier rests on land.

"We have been taking soundings regularly, and the lowest depth of water we ' have so far got at or near the Barrier is 245 fathoms. Later, after mapping Discovery Harbor from tho air, and taking more soundings, wo hope lo be able to show conclusively that a considerable part of the Barrier about the harbor rests on land. "We have found other errors in tho chart. The depth-finder which we took so much trouble and expense to put on the ship has proved well worth while, as we can got accurate soundings without, slopping the ship, by getting from. Ihe bottom of the. ocean the time of the return of the echo of the sound we make with ' electricity. "We have reached the Barrier some days earlier than any other explorer, and are getting interesting data on the pack ice and bay ice that one might' find at this>time of the year. We passed two ice packs in Ross Sea in addition to tho one wo had such a, difficult time getting through, but we were fortunately able to get around (hem. to the westward without being put much oft* our course."