THE ANTARCTIC

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19666, 7 December 1933, Page 2

THE ANTARCTIC

BYRD’S EXPEDITION

MAIN BODY ARRIVES By Telegraph—Press Association WELLINGTON, December 6. At 10 o'clock this morning the Jacob Ruppert, bearing Rear-Admiral R. E. Byrd and the main body of his second Antarctic expedition, berthed at Wellington. The Bear is expected on December 27. During its stay in Wellington. various details of organisation will be carried further and probably 10 or 12 New Zealanders will be taken on as members of the crew, the majority of whom will return with the Jacob Ruppert, though some may go on to the ice during the winter months. It is too early yet for the steelbuilt Jacob Ruppert to penetrate the ice and approach the Barrier and Rear-Admiral Byrd’s intentions are to carry out oceanographic work. He will be met later by the Bear which is a wooden vessel and will precede the Jacob Ruppert through the ice if necessary to the Bay of Whales. It is intended to place the Jacob Ruppert alongside the Barrier if this can be done. Commodore Jertsen, a captain in the Norwegian Navy, who has a great deal of ice experience, will have charge of this operation and will be the first man to take a steel ship through the ice in the Ross Sea. In event of conditions making it impossible to take the Jacob Ruppert alongside the Barrier it will be necessary to tranship goods to the Bear —• a long task. The main camp will be on Little America where it is expected to find a big Ford aeroplane for which new engines are being taken, also a considerable quantity of stores. It is proposed to establish the advance base 400 miles to the south where two men will spend the winter months in the loneliest outpost in the world, carrying out weather observations. Rear-Admiral Byrd’s main object is to fly over and map out the vast territory so far completely unexplored. Various parties of scientists will be transported to the plateau and to the Marde and Edsell Ford ranges, possibly by aeroplane. Tractors and snowmobiles will be used as well as 150 dogs which will be in the charge of Captain Innis-Taylor, formerly of the North West Mounted Police.

The scientists’ personnel, equipment and plans are by far the most elaborate of any Polar expedition. The food question has been tackled in the light of Rear-Admiral Byrd's previous expeditions. A number of the officers and men have been with Rear-Admiral Byrd several years and have wide experience. Four aeroplanes are carried, including an autogiro, which will be used chiefly for scientific observations at the base and three cows are on board. They will be the first to enter the Antarctic and a calf is due to be born shortly after arrival in the Antarctic waters. Nearly 100 tons of dog food is being taken. A U.S.A. post-office is to be established in Little America. The heavy stores include 15,000 gallons of petro,, several hundred gallons of lubricants, 12,500 tons of crude oil and as ballast 2,500 tons of coal for the Bear. Among quite unusual stores is a very large supply of artificial vitamin C, sufficient to meet all possible requirements in guarding against scurvy. The markotin was prepared at Oslo from oranges. The JacoD Ruppert’s forepeak has been strengthened by stanchions and concrete. H. R. Young, who was recently engaged in diving work at the Arapuni hydro-electric works, has joined the Byrd expedition. Young was with RearAdmiral Byrd on his last expedition in the City of New York. He is a Royal Navy diver of IS years standing.