THE FAR SOUTH

Hokitika Guardian, 22 November 1928, Page 7

THE FAR SOUTH

COMMANDER, BYRD’S RRE-

PA RATIONS

GI : AKDING AGAINST FROSTBITE

WELLINGTON, Nov. 20. The chief guests of the Rotary Club at luncheon to-day were Commandei ]{. E. Byrd and Messrs Lol'gren, Shropshire and Van l)er Verr, of his paitj. Mr D. J. McGowan presided. Commander Byrd said that lie was a Rotarian also. Ho had carried the Rotarian flag to the North Pole, and he would take one with him to the Far South. He brought them greetings from the Rotary Club of the United States. He had that morning met Sir Douglas Mawson, whose hook, “The Home of the Blizzard,” was the Bible as far as the expedition was concerned, and was particularly valuable as regarded the weather they would meet. The weather at their camp, the Bay of Whales, would not be as extreme as that encountered by Sir Douglas, whose worst experiences were in a different part of the Antarctic. One of the most difficult things down there would be to keep Hie feet iii good condition. They were taking reindeer skin boots, the bottoms of which would be made of the skin of the seal, and the boots would be made exceptionally roomy, as anything like a tight fit where there was moisture led to frostbite. Any binding of the foot accelerated freezing, which, unless care was taken, was likely to occur in a few hours. Numbers of men had lost their lives through frozen feet in the Arctic. It was easy not to realise that the feet were becoming frozen, as at the first touch of frostbite there was a warm feeling, and the tendency was to keep going on without realising that frostbite had started. Woollen socks would he worn inside, but it was impossible to avoid moisture. The way its effects were obviated was to wear a special grass padding beneath the socks, which absorbed the moisture and could he removed and renewed or dried out. They were also going to be very careful about their hands, wearing reindeer mittens lined with wool. In order to give them a chance of getting hack safely such things hacl to be brought down to a fine point. Commander Byrd detailed the plans for carrying a hand sled in the ’plane, which, if a forced landing were made within reasonable distance of a. base, would give them a chance of getting hack to the base. The greatest difficulty would lie to avoid scurvy, and lor ibis purpose a party would lie sent out immediately on landing to kill seals in sufficient quantity to provide fresh meat, which was a sure preventive of scurvy. He had known Eskimos to live entirely on moat and yet keep perfectly healthy. The company, which had developed insulin had made them a ]K>wder containing the important vitamins.