BYRD’S MEN TAKE SOUNDINGS IN BAY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18946, 17 December 1929, Page 9

BYRD’S MEN TAKE SOUNDINGS IN BAY.

PROVE BARRIER IS A FLOATING MASS. BY RUSSELL OWEN. Copyrighted. 1928, by t, ’ e „ Times ’’ Company and St J-<ouis Post-Uispatch. All Rights for Publication Reserved Through cut the World. Wireless to “New York Times.” (Received December 17, 9.20 a.m.) BAY OF WHALES, December 15. The first sounding made near the camp shows that we are indeed floating. Through a hole in the ice at the head of Versurmer Inlet only about 150 yards from our front door a sounding of 1600 feet was obtained. It is hoped that a series of soundings around the bay and in the crevasses south of the camp may be made so that something more definite may be learned about the possible presence of land near here. Something must hold this Barrier or the Bay of Whales would have disappeared long ago. Sounding is hard work, where the old ice remains and eighteen feet of it has to be penetrated before the water is reached. This sounding was done by Paul Siple and Victor Czecka. A sledge has been fixed up to hold the reel, and burning oil and gasoline torches were used to assist in penetrating the first five feet of ice. Then a long pipe was used to chip through the ice. When the pipe had gone down as far as it would reach and the bottom had not been located, Czecka put together two pieces of angle iron, making a drill 20 feet long. He worked down through the last three feet, and when the drill went through, it nearly jerked from his hand. A sounding line was then let down through the hole, and after dropping 1590 feet, brought up against the bottom. It showed a clay floor at this part of the bay. Czecka has made a device for bringing up samples of the bottom, which will be used for future sounding. It is small, and its end is scoop-shaped, like one of those iron jaws on dredges used for deepening channels, but it is actuated by powerful springs, which snap the jaws together when the bottom ,is reached, hold them closed. Some interesting specimens may be obtained with it.