Byrd Making Fair Speed Into Frozen Antarctic.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18640, 18 December 1928, Page 1

Byrd Making Fair Speed Into Frozen Antarctic.

BEAUTIFUL CALM WEATHER BEING EXPERIENCED, SAYS RUSSELL OWEN IN SPECIAL MESSAGE. SHIP CRASHES INTO ICE-FLOE WITH THUNDEROUS JOLTS, SHAKING VESSEL FROM STEM TO STERN. (United Press Association.—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) (Received December 18, 10.55 a.m.) NEW YORK, December 17. A COPYRIGHT MESSAGE from the Byrd expedition says:— “ Ice is everywhere. As far as the eye can see in any direction there is nothing but a shining white expanse of snowcovered pack, with hardly a break in it. But we arc nearly 100 miles into it now and should be through in a few days. The sun is so warm it can be felt through our coats. There is hardly a cloud in the sky and only a faint breeze. If it were not for the thunderous jolts with which we hit the pack sometimes this would be the most placid existence in the world, but occasionally we get a shock that shakes the ship from stem to stern, and we are thankful for the 31 inches of timber along our sides and the massive bow. Up in the forecastle there is a rumble like thunder as we hit those heavy floes and they grind alongside. The vibration is terrific, but on deck this is not so noticeable, and we are enjoving this warm and peaceful interval between the Roaring Forties and the hard work that awaits us at the barrier.”

“To-day we saw several penguins and the first’ sight of these amusing birds convulsed everyone aboard. A pair bobbed up on an ice floe alongside and cocked their heads at us. They shook them and waved their flippers as if trying to assure themselves that they were awake. They put their heads together and talked it over, and finally decided that they both saw the same thing, for they waddled down to the edge to look tis over more carefully. As they walked with wobbling motion from side to side they waggled their flippers as if to balance themselves, and presented so ludicrous an appearance as to cause everyone to howl with laughter. Finally they went away, sliding on their bellies across the ice and propelling themselves by. their flippers and feet. They moved with remarkable speed in this way, fully as fast as a brisk walk. Three'of them followed us for half a mile, propelling themselves along and occasionally standing up to look around and make sure that we were still in sight. “In the open leads this morning we. saw ice forming behind us almost as fast as we went through. The water was full of ice crystals, and as they came to the surface they formed a sort of. scum of ice, which quickly solidified into a thin sheet. It reminded one of the story of Jules Verne, in which a piece of' ice was thrown into the sea when it was at the point of freezing and the ice was just sufficient to start a crust that rapidly spread over the entire surface. It is perceptibly colder at night when the sun drops to about fifteen degrees above the horizon, and last night the temperature went down above zero, but it can be seen e are not suffering from the cold vet. Although a few hundred miles from the barrier, the continued light of night has made sleep difficult for some of us, but we are rapidly getting used to it, although one is apt to forget what time of the day or night it is when the sun shines all the time.’’ _ In a copyright message from the Byrd Expedition, dated December 16, Russell Owen, of the “New York Times,” says:— “We are far into the ice-pack to-day, having started through on the anniversary of Captain Roald Amundsen’s arrival at the South Pole in 1912. He started a year before and laid his bases toward the Pole during his first season, but it appears now that we should arrive at the Bay of Whales sooner than he did, because we are only about 700 miles away. He did not arrive there until January 14. With good luck we should be unloading in ten days, although it is rash to make predictions down here.” Will Lay Bases First. Byrd, like Amundsen, intends to lay his bases as far inland as possible this season, that is before March, when the winter sets in, and do most of his important work next year, when he will be able to start flying long before it would be possible for a ship to get through the ice. Byrd’s Plan. “Amundsen began his Polar journey on October 19 when, despite the cold, the weather was fair for travelling, and it should be equally good for flying. Whereas Amundsen spent two months

in toiling over snow and crevasses and ; up dangerous glaciers to the Pole from the Bay of Whales, Byrd will make

the flight in less than a day and will be able to map it and examine the route for some distance on each side "

Weather Perfect. “Such is the advantage of the aeroplane in exploration that it will be a great relief to be going forward again after lying-to off the ice-pack for several days. The weather is perfect, calm and warm. It is a day on which it is not uncomfortable to stand on the deck in an ordinary woollen shirt without a cap. The sky is pale Arctic blue, with a tinge of faint grey along the horizon, which, as far as' one can see, is snowcovered, ice-hummocked and broken into large cakes with frequent leads of. open water between. There are many grotesque shapes formed by the ice that has been heaved up and then eroded. The reflected glare is so brilliant as to tire the eyes, and snow glasses might be if it were not for the streaks of dark open water. A few seals have been seen basking in the sun. They are fat, sleepy fellows, which raise their heads and look with mild curiosity at the drifting menagerie of barking dogs and then roll over and go to sleep again.

Pushing into Pack. “We are making fair speed, and hope that the ice will remain open for the whole distance through the pack. Such ludk would be almost unprecedented, brut as this is the earliest any explorer has been able ot get through and as reports from the whalers below indicate that the ice is opening more all the time, we are sanguine as to the result. An occasional hard bump against the floe which grinds its way alongside reminds us, however, that we are dealing with a dangerous force when set in motion by an unfavourable wind. The peace and serenity of this day brings about a false sense of security. Film* Difficult to Take. “Taking pictures here is rather difficult, due to the intense light and the danger of over-exposure, and a filter has to be used practically all the time, even when the sky is overcast. Constant experiment is going on to determine the proper filtering. Erratic Compasses. “Another phenomenon which causes difficulty is the erratic behaviour of the compasses, which get wilder and wilder as we get farther south. The sticking of the compass is due to the fact that the dip of the needle is so great when close to the Magnetic Pole that the horizontal magnetic forces are too weak to overcome the downward pull. It is a phenomenon with which all explorers are familiar, but it is disconcerting at sea nevertheless. With the sun compass, however, an absolute check can be obtained.” Eleanor Bolling Returning. A radio message to the “New York Times” from the Eleanor Bolling states that the vessel is 350 miles south-east' of Taiaroa Heads, New Zealand, bound for Dunedin, to get a second - load of supplies for the Byrd expedition. tralian Press Association.