INTENSE COLD SUFFERED

Taranaki Daily News, 12 May 1934, Page 7

INTENSE COLD SUFFERED

ADMIRAL BYRD’S ISOLATION SIX WEEKS IN ADVANCE POST TEMPERATURE BELOW ZERO BUSY WITH OBSERVATIONS By Telegraph—Press Assn.-r Copyright. Montreal, May 9. A message from Little America says that to-morrow Rear-Admiral Byrd completes six weeks’ isolation at his advance post on the Ross shelf "ice. He has continued to report that all is well with the temperature ranging from 24 to 61 degrees below zero. At times Rear-Admiral Byrd has suffered from the intense cold. Yesterday he declared over the radio: “I am using the heating stove economically to save fuel. The temperature in the shack is only 20 degrees above zero. It is very cold at the telegraph key. However, I am used to that by now. “There is a wonderful peace and quiet in a place like this and I am enjoying myself, besides, the meteorological observations keep me busy. I had considerable trouble with the instruments, but they are still running. “I am also perfecting plans for the spring operations. The expedition must be ready to start and all the units involved in the eastern and southern operations must be prepared to take the field with the first good weather in October.” At the Little America camp the expedition has finished a most fascinating building project and “Dog Town” has been completed. Now 126 huskies have dwellings dug under the snow. Each dog is chained in crates something like cells in a long row. The dogs together consume 6001 b. of seal carcase at each meal. HOLIDAY AT LITTLE AMERICA. ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION. Rec. 7.0 p.m. Montreal, May 10. A message from Little America states that members of the expedition to-day declared a holiday in commemora,tion of the eighth anniversary of Admiral Byrd’s North Pole flight. Admiral Byrd is isolated 123 miles to the southward, but he participated in the ceremonies by radio communication,. After breakfast the mess hall was cleared and a microphone set up, and with Dr. Charles Morgan, the expedition’s geophysicist, at a wheezy .collapsible organ the men sang “Anchor’s a-weigh,” the song of Admiral Byrd’s school, the American Navy Academy at Annapolis. Other favourites were sung and then each man passed before the microphone, gave his name and voiced greetings to Admiral Byrd.