IN ANTARCTICA

Hokitika Guardian, 17 December 1928, Page 6

IN ANTARCTICA

WILKINS’ PLANS

United Press Association— By Electric Telegraph—Copyright).

LONDON, Dec. 15. Wilkins, reporting from Deception Island on December loth, says the weather was such as all three whale catchers had to spend the day in liarbourfi and not unwillingly, because the Norwegians here and their folk at home and also ourselves respectfully paid a tribute to the memory of Amundsen. The search fails to reveal a suitable snow covered field lor a take-off on the skis, with a heavy 01 any load. The records and statements of visitors here in the past ten years indicate that the season is a month earlier than usual. Normally the harbour ice would still be perfect for landing either on wheels or skis. Ihe ice has already disappeared. Bain usually does not fall until alter the new year, but this year we had much rain and soft snow. While Eileson and 1 were on board a whale catcher yesterday, we vainly searched. Snow Island, fifty miles off the shore, and othei places for a take-off field, but the snow had melted all the flat surfaces, leaving black patches of volcanic tufa. The sloping surfaces where the snow accumulates were too sloping or too seal icd with deep crevices. AAe will take the “Los Angeles” as a seaplane at the earliest possible moment, with the heaviest possible load, and make a trip into the Weddel Sea. An hour’s sunshine encourages us to pour two hundred gallons of gasolene into the “Los ’Angeles,” which is now riding on her floats. We also bestowed our personal belongings aboard the machine.. Before the second hour passed, long stratus clouds, resembling milky streams, streaked from the West across the sky. Storm clouds, wind and ram quickly followed. I, with Crossan as pilot,'will at the first indication of tw'olve hours’ flying weather, start for the Weddell Sea. If the machine will lift the load, then we hope to solve the important geographical question—whether Graham’s land is part of the Antarctic Continent.