THROUGH THE ICE

Southland Times, Issue 22218, 10 January 1934, Page 5

THROUGH THE ICE

EXPEDITION SHIP

WYATT EARP REACHES BAY OF WHALES

“EVERYTHING INTACT”

(Per United Press Association.) Wellington, January 9

The Lincoln Ellsworth Antarctic expedition in the ship Wyatt. Earp, according to a radio message intercepted to-day by the Bear of Oakland, has arrived safely at the Bay of Whales in the Ross ice barrier. Last week the Wyatt Earp informed Rear-Admiral Byrd on board the Jacob Ruppert that she was still held fast in the pack ice which ever since she had entered it on December 15 had been unusually heavy. . The radio message intercepted to-day indicated that the Wyatt Earp had arrived “all well” at the Bay of Whales and had found everything intact at the Little America base established there by Rear-Admiral Byrd. The huts were deeply buried under some 18 feet of snow, the accumulation of four years Presumably “everything intact” meant that the wireless masts were still standing and the two aeroplanes left behind by Rear-Admiral Byrd were still in position. The Wyatt Earp sailed from Dunedin on December 5 and entered the pack ice outside the Ross Sea on December 15 after a passage of 10 days. Tire radio message intercepted to-day did not state when the ship, cleared the pack ice, but presumably it was the week-end, so that she was three weeks working her way through to the Ross Sea. According to Lieut. English, commander of the Bear of Oakland, the reason why' no Press messages were received recently from the Myatt Earp is that she had been having trouble with her radio apparatus and short tubes. The concussion to the ship caused by her ramming the pack ice or being bumped herself by the ice had broken a number of tubes in her transmitting apparatus and, being short of spare tubes, she was conserving those she had and was only sending absolutely essential messages. SLOW PROGRESS THE JACOB RUPPERT. PASSING OF A ROOSTER. (United Press Assn.—Telegraph Copyright., (Rec. 5.5 p.m.) New York. January 8. A message from the Byrd Expedition steitesi — Still below the Antarctic circle, the Jacob Ruppert to-day crept at a slow speed through heavy fog. The ship s noon position was 67.21 south and 130.27 west. Since noon yesterday the Jacob Ruppert has negotiated 142 miles Curiiously enough the vast number of huge icebergs sighted in these waters twelve days ago have vanished. Apparently they have been propelled northward by ocean currents and steady, southerly winds.

In an attempt to trace ocean currents in this vicinity the scientific staff, under the chief, Dr. Poulter, is setting adrift several thousand bottles containing a mailing form for the finder. For containers the scientific staff confiscated empty beer bottles. It is the correspondent’s to report the sudden death of “Knake Pete,” the expedition’s rooster, the only survivor of the first Antarctic poultry farm. According to Frank Mitchell and 'Walter Lewisohn, the engine-room crewmen, the rooster fell through a ventilator. They failed to explain how the rooster happened to appear in the engine-room completely plucked. Mitchell asked: “Is it my fault that ‘Knake Pete’ happened to fly down the ventilator into a bucket of scalding water?” The remainder of the crew believe they have solved the disappearance of eleven other chickens.