YEAR IN THE ANTARCTIC

Taranaki Daily News, 19 February 1935, Page 9

YEAR IN THE ANTARCTIC

ADMIRAL BYRD’S RETURN

JACOB RUPPERT IN NEW ZEALAND. VALUE OF SCIENTIFIC WORK DONE TOUCH OF ROMANCE AT ARRIVAL. By Telegraph—Press Association. Dunedin, Last Night. Two days earlier than was expected, the Byrd expedition ship Jacob Ruppert was sighted off the heads shortly after midday. An hour and a half later the vessel arrived at Port Chalmers and after a medical examination which found a clean bill of health proceeded to Dunedin, reaching her berth at 4 p.m. An official reception was extended to the leader and his party by the Mayor (the Rev. E. T. Cox), the acting-chair-man of the Otago Harbour Board (Mr. John Loudon) and members of the civic committee and harbour board. After a sojourn in the Antarctic extending over twelve months the members of the expedition were obviously delighted to make contact once again with civilisation, and though bearded and bewhiskered they were fresh complexioned, healthy and cheerful. Few if any appeared to have suffered from the rigours of the Polar regions, but when it is remembered that they enjoyed no company save their own for more than a year it can well be imagined that they greeted land and the sight of new faces with feelings of heartfelt gratitude. Rear-Admiral R. E. Byrd in an interview said the main function of the expedition had been to ascertain whether there was any connection between Marie Byrd Land and the main Antarctic continent. As a result of the work of the work of the expedition they were now satisfied that the existence of such a connecting link had been definitely established. A great deal of scientific work of great value had been accomplished, but the full results of it would not be available for at least three years owing to the necessity for correlating the information gathered. The expedition had left behind a large quantity of food and housing material, which would be available to any future expedition. HIGH LIGHT OF EXPERIENCE. Admiral Byrd, who will leave for Auckland this morning to meet Mrs, Byrd, who is due there on Friday, added that he was not prepared to discuss the question of whether he proposed to undertake any further Polar exploration. “I have now completed four major expeditions without the loss of a single life,” he said. “That is what I regard as the high light of my exploring experience. At the same time it is a special act of providence and is not due to any actual skill of my own.” The expedition enjoyed fresh milk as a regular article of diet at the Bay of Whales. However, of the three cows taken south one succumbed to the rigours of the Antarctic, while the other two, together with a bull calf born in the far south, are now aboard and are in good condition. It is of some interest to speculate on the. commercial value of these animals, especially the calf, by the time they reach America. Also aboard, travelling in the luxury of a special ice chamber, are 37 penguins, 17 being of the Emperor variety and 20 of the Adele variety. So far they have stood the voyage to the United States splendidly. In interviews the geological members of the party stated that no minerals of commercial value were found in the Antarctic. Traces were discovered of lead and molybdenite, as well as extensive deposits of coal in the Queen Maude area, but their inaccessibility is the chief barrier. A touch of romance was associated with the arrival of the expedition. While the Jacob Ruppert was still some distance from the point of berthage Dr. T. C. Poulter, second in command, had hired a special launch and was speeding towards Port Chalmers, where he met Miss Helen Gray, to whom he proposed to be married the same night, bringing characteristic American bustle to bear on the preliminaries. Dr. Poulter was so successful that less than four hours after his arrival his marriage was celebrated in the manse of the First Presbyterian Church, Admiral Byrd giving the bride away.

Dr. Poulter met Miss Gray while he was a professor at lowa Wesleyan College, and she later assisted him in scientific work. She has been at Dunedin for some time in charge of Dr. Poulter’s three children* of a former marriage. The pair have been in touch by radio throughout the expedition; and it is understood the marriage arrangements were made over the air.