Byrd Will Make Dunedin His Base

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 418, 28 July 1928, Page 1

Byrd Will Make Dunedin His Base

FLIGHT TO SOUTH POLE ARRIVAL IN OCTOBER (Special to THE SUE) DUNEDIN, To-day. The secretary of the Otago Harbour Board, Mr. W'. J. Bardsley, has received word that Commander Richard Byrd should arrive in Dunedin during the latter part of October, on the first stage of his South Polar 4 expedition. Cables from the manager of Commander Byrd’s Antarctic Expedition, Mr. Richard G. Brophy, make it appear that Dunedin has been chosen as the base for the forthcoming expedition. The reason for the conclusion lies in the fact that storage accommodation for equipment, etc., has been arranged for by the Dunedin agents at his request. Commander Byrd has, no doubt, been influenced in this respect by the splendid offer of the Otago Harbour Board of the use of all port facilities for the scientific expedition free of all cost. The expedition, which will include 75 men, three airplanes, snow-mobiles, tractors, dogs, and all necessary equipment, will arrive here about the end of October on the ice ship Samson, a wooden barquentine. A good deal of the equipment will be forwarded to

punedin by cargo vessels. It is unerstood that the three planes will be assembled and tried out there. For some considerable time the cretary of the Harbour Board and lr ’ L - Tapley and Company nvV® been corresponding with the th« aSer of ex 'Pedition supplying f . necessary information regarding ciuties and supplies obtainable at this Port. the expedition manager v if it would be possible thft°r» arter a sk *P a t Dunedin to go to Koss Sea, sailing with the expedian auxiliary ship to carry coal, ofr * Tae reply sent back was to the ho suc h a ship could possibly ue chartered. START ON NOVEMBER 10

...A, messa s:e from America Y ed that it was anticipated that the . r f’3 rture front Dunedin for the Antin CIC Wou ld be made about November as ked if the chartered ship v . follow tiie expedition to the ice anviif 1 "' f' a ~ °f Whales, where the “;'" ary provisions she would be cha^ lns tvould be unloaded. The him s, tiP would then return to edln \ On the other hand, if she e e htiipped for the trip to the I toss T lj e on l- she would be met there by ta u lco s ltip Samson, and her cargo tn off - She would then come back 10 this port. ram. ar cable asked for all arhonf ements to 11 “ made for a freight ot v refrigerating storage, and Th necessities for the expedition, about i- rlSeration needed would be tons, and a suggestion was temn r€gar< fing the possibility of a enoiwJ' ary construction for iceing to last until the cold regions were reached. SDnno ® x Pedition manager, in re- . to a request, was also supplied ramL lnformation regarding the ar--Vmer'ments that could be made for the „, I . Cari , Products sliipped aliead of >eadv ? e °' tlon , to stored in Dunedin to r reshipment to the Antarctic, tion ot the scientific expedi*bnn, . t " e Antarctic will occupy out two years. -