ANTARCTIC CONTINENT

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17180, 10 February 1930, Page 5

ANTARCTIC CONTINENT

TRIBUTE TO EXPLORERS THE ELEMENTS DEFIED .MUCH WORK STILL TO DO (Elec. Tef. Copyright —Dnited Proas AssnJ NEW YORK, Feb. 8. Mr. Bowman, in a radio address, delivered an invitation to Sir Hubert VVilkins, Admiral Byrd and Sir Douglas Alawson to meet with the American Philosophical Society on their return for mutual discussions of their explorations. "There cannot fail," he said, "to be great interest in the great Antarctic continent, tho seventh and last to bo explored. This interest is m> doubt heightened by the defiance wild which the elements obstruct the inquisitive spirit, of man. Ii is the driving curiosity about scientific problems still unsolved that has moved Admiral .Byrd, Sir Hubert Wilkins and Sir Douglas Alawson to match Antarctic defiance, with calculating skill and courage. Onn invitation is a warm one to Alawson and Wilkins. "This message," he adds, "goes directly to you both, and 1 want to say with what deep admiration I follow your fortunes and wish your gallant enterprises success." In the course of an address to the Philosophical Society, in extension of his radio address. Air. Bowman delivered a lengthy address on present explorations of Antarctica, in which he stated: "Very much work needs to bo done on the pack ice, but it is only occasionally that we. realise what the aeroplane and the radio moan. I'ntil November 16, 1928, no aeroplane bad been flown in the Antarctic. That day Wilkins made his first flight from Deception Island." VALUE OF PHOTOGRAPHY In a discussion on the tremendous importance of the use. of the camera from the aeroplane, he said: "By this means, there has been outlined by Sir Hubert Wilkins in two seasons practically tho whole oft the hitherto unknown portion of the Antarctic archipelago and the coast of Hearst Land for 400 miles. Wilkins' great flight from Deception Island 600 miles south is, of course, one of the greatest feats of the exploration. It was the most startling and important journey that Sir Hubert made and it is great satisfaction to record that, in the present season, he was able to check tho determinations of last year and show the substantial accuracy of the positions on his map." The speaker continued to deal further with Wilkins' work, which, he said, would be invaluable to future exploration and very gratifying to the cartographer on the other side of Antarctica, where there was an expedition of which they should hear much more before tho end of another year. Air. Bowman then proceeded to deal with Sir Douglas Mawson's past and forthcoming contributions on Antarctic exploration. lie concluded : "It would be gratifying to tins assembly if, within the next* few days, we might have the acceptance lo the invitations to these three explorers to meet in this hall and bear mutual communications on your discoveries. All of you have brought the Antarctic to our family firesides, clubs, and schoolrooms. We found ourselves involved in the Antarctic serins with everybody betting on the success of all teams-—those three mentioned and Isachsen and Riiser Larscn. The general public should acknowledge their indebtedness to the press." He contended that the practical benefits of Sir Hubert Wilkins' meteorological studies in the Antarctic would outweigh all other Antarctic interests put together. AN AUSTRALIAN HERO

The Herald-Tribune magazine, in an article on Sir Douglas Mawsoh's work, states: "Mawson has become an Australian hero—a symbol of Antarctic adventure. Australians are proud of him for his adventures; yet they hold in greater" regard than his material abilities his spirit, emotions, and gestures of tiis life. Mawson most particularly is to plant in Antarcticia the starred and crossed banner of Australia as the nation most eminently concerned. The Antarctic is a frozen, forbidding continent to-day, but the blood of Scotland flows in the independent veins of the canny Australians. Antarctic may not always remain so—this is the age of science—who knows?" WILKINS' MESSAGE REALISATION OF HAZARDS RESCUE EFFORTS DISCOURAGED ADELAIDE, Feb. 9. Realising the hazards to be faced in the Antarctic, Sir Hubert Wilkins made a stalling appeal in a letter to his brother, a resident in South Australia, to discourage sending a rescue party it ho is reported missing, as ho does not desire other men to lose their lives searching for him. The letter reads, inter alia: "You may not hear from mo for 12 months, so don't give up hope. If nothing is heard after that lime, you will know I am lost and it will 'bo too late to send rescuers. I have fine fellows with ma and a- good plane. The only danger I fear is the wheels stopping. If forced down, T am carrying every conceivable thing for our safety and for getting kick overland."

| BYRD SUPPLY SHIP I A 37 HOURS' JOURNEY I PROMPT RETURN NECESSARY (By Wireless to the New York Times) (Copyright. 1928, by the New York Time's Co., and the St. Louis PostDespatch. All rights for publication reserved throughout the world.) (Bv Russell Owen.) LAY OF WHALES, Feb. 7. The City of New York is apparently through the main pack ice and has headed for Little America with tin- wind on her quarter and is making good speed. She is expected here on Wednesday. "We have not seen any ice lately, except mush." said to day's radio message. A blizzard is blowing" here to-day. and the temperature., fell last night to four teen below zero. News that the City of New York wa.i through the ice pack came unexpectedly this morning. It was known that she was coasting along the of the i«o looking for an opening, but evidently the recent storms had smashed the pack much quicker than had been .believed possible by those who have been in this year. The first message to Rear Admiral Bvrd from the Oitv of New York said : "Wo are in the Ross Sea. and estimate our position at 8 a.m. to be latitude 69 degrees 39 minute* south, longitude 178 degrees east. We are hovo-to in clear water in a severe southerly gale of hurricane force and a heavy swell. We have passed lalterlv through 60 miles of new pircike r e. varvingi in thickness up to six inches. With a low thermometer and calm, the ice pack will become impassable; therefore. we strongly urge that the base nurtv be prepared to leave on our arrival, as anv delay might prove serious We traversed the pack in 37 laws. The heaviest ire was in the first 20 miles on the north side, where there was much open ice. After that we took the open leads where possible." THE BOLLING RETURNS MORE STORES REQUIRED SAILING AGAIN TO-MORROW (P*r P>-.'«!S Assncidtl'in.) DUNEDIN, last night. The Eleanor Rolling, a Byrd expedition ship, arrived at Dunedin this afternoon' at about 4 o'clock, after an unsuccessful attempt to net. through tho .ice on the way to the Bay of Whales. There was a large crowd on the wharf to welcome the vessel and crew. The Eleanor Boiling left Dunedin on January 10. and encountered heavy south-easterly gales on the journey south, which' was completed on January 30. In addition to the City of NewYork, the whalers SmM hern Princess. Kosmos. C. A. barren Sir .lames Clark Boss, and the Wilson Aiou/n are wait ing for I lie pa •'■; t »>n. Mails and stores were dc'ivcred, and she left the ice again on the niornim." of February 1 to obtain coal and shve.s for the City of New York and the wbalms. Moderate

weather was experienced on tho return voyage. The ice pack is said to ,1 e heavier now than for years. The whalers are re ported to have had a, good Reason. The southern journey covered 1380 steaming mile,, and on tin- return IdSb miles were, traversed, the ship having cruised along the ire pack for two days and Inning penetrated further south than any other ship this year. On the return journey many icebergs were seen scattered all round the horizon in latitudes around 67 south. ll is reported that some of llit! whalers have been into the pack and the bows of several have suffered damage. The. Kosmos is said to have a, lull cargo. It is not likely that anv whaler will go through to Boss Sea. ' ft is learned that the City »f New York has got, through the pack and is now lying) in the lee of the pack in a heavy gale. She will be near Little America shortly if the weather conditions improve. The temperature recorded was 14 degrees below freezing point. The Eleanor Polling is expected to sail again on Tuesday for the ice.

President Hoover, on December 21. signed a bill raising Commander P.yrd to the rank of rear admiral on the retired list of the Tinted Stales Navy in recognition of his "extensive scientific investigations and extraordinary aerial explorations of the Antarctic continent and of the first mapping of the South Pole and the polar plateau by air." The bill, which passed the Senate, on December 21. had been voted with loud applause by the House of Representatives a few hours before being signed by the President. The rank and pay of £9OO yearly became, effective immediately. The same rank was <niiferred by Congress on Rear Admiral Peary in ■ 1911 in recognition of bis discovery of the North Pole two year' previously. Rear Admiral Byrd received his previous promotion to commander also by Act of Coivjress. after his flight over'the North Pole. Having skipned the rank of captain, he is now. •it 41. the youngest rear admiral on the list.