BYRD’S EXPEDITION

Hokitika Guardian, 15 January 1929, Page 6

BYRD’S EXPEDITION

BYRD’S REPORT.

i. a .storm for days

(By Telegraph—Press Association)... (By Russell Owen—Copyrighted 1928 by the New York Times Company, and St. Louis Post Dispatch. All rights for publication reserved throughout the world. Wireless to New York Times.) BAY OF WHALES, Jan. 12. ■The storm that was reported in the last despatch kept up two days. All hands at the ship and Little America were pleased they were able to weather it in good shape. The ship had five anchors out in the ice fields to which we ‘were se'cufedj and the wind blew strong enough to put a terrible strain on the anchor lines. We had to keep a constant watch on them. It looked inan3 r times as though we would be blown away from our berth. The gale spent its force when the wind got round to the south-east,;' and had it been' from the north, we could not have stayed where we are, as the waves would have thrown the City of New York against the ice and injured her A Iso there would have been the danger of an iceberg drifting down with the wind and catching the ship between it and the icefield. “Great ice fields and bergs from the east are constantly drifting hv us, •■and we: have to be vigilant all . the time, the walls of our house at Little America withstood the storm, and today the roof will be put in place/ We feel sure now that if we have any wind during the six months’ night up to one hundred and fifty miles' ah' hour ,or gusts up to two hundred miles an hour, as recorded by Sir Douglas Alawson, that the houses will be able to withstand them.- There are three more houses to erect, but this is a good gi/.e, and will berth and mess at least 30 men.” . GOOD RADIO WORK. BAY OF WHALES, Jan. 13. The ice is going out of the Bay of Whales rapidly, as it did with Aminfclsen, the only explorer who made his base here; but we have a much longer distance to carry our -supplies than he' did Our difficulties are greatly increased hy the large amount- of scientific} paraphernalia we are taking ashore. Sincs. the primary object of the expedition is scientific, we are getting this material to Little America at all costs. It'' is slow work; as we cannot rush The the elements. We must be patient, hut the spirit of the men is so loyal and enthusiastic that' we feel confident that we can heat the unloading and transportation difficulties ahead of us. At any rate we are not behind the schedule, as we have allowed-for the-ca-prices of the Antarctic. The departure of the Bolling (supply ship) from New Zealand'has- been delayed a day or two on account of a broken hoisting boom, but she will probably leave within forty-eight hours. She is loaded with additional.scientificequipment and planes. Floyd Bennett and Virginia Richard Bropliy, the Expedition’s business manager, with the Bolling-at Dunedin, lias been on the job there day and night for a week at the radio key talking to us about supplies. We all' have reasons to be glad of his'capacity for detail. Although ' we. are 2,700 miles from New Zealand, our. radio , communication is almost like telephone conversation. 'Malcolm Hansom, of the Navy, radio engineer; Lloyd Berkner, of the Dep Armen t of Commerce; Edward Alansofi, Carl Peterson and Lloyd Grenlief from 'civil-life,-'are 'alls radio operators; and have done extraordinary good work. We have found so much use Ur radio between the ships, Little America; New Zealand, and the United Stfites,.- that the operators'' have 'had little sleep. It has reached the point where we must let up somewhat on the radio and give them a rest. lam very proud of the work these follows have -done. In addition to their daily usefulness to the expedition, they have gathered scientific data, and Mansen is losing sleep during busy times assembling some of his scientific radio instruments.' Despite the constant daylight down here, we have little difficulty in communicating directly with the United .State's. Yet up at Little America, ten miles away, we often cannot he picked up, hut are heard distinctly in the United States. In other words, our 'waves .jump-, over .the areas close to us, but are effective at long distance. Tips- week Bergen (Norway) notified us San Francisco was calling us. The dog team drivers are getting well broken in. Tt is remarkable that some, of the greenhorns have learned? to drive dogs. . We are not going to go-off half cock-1 ed on our flying. We will not make any flights until we are all set. We have over a year down bore, and there, is no cause for dashing off before we are prepared. The Fairchild plane is being uncrated to-day. A YEAR’S SUPPLIES LEAVE DUNEDIN. , DUNEDIN, Jan. 14. )’ Carrying a full shipment of provisions and equipment, the Antarctic expedition ship, Eleanor -Bolling, left Otago Harbour this afternoon at 3.40 on her 'second voyage to the Bay of Whales.’The vessel is carrying sufficient supplies to keep the 40 men of the ex.peckitioii now on the Barrier fii- littcon months. The carriage of such a large quantity is necessary as the vessel may be prevented hy ice closing in from making- a- third trip south. She is : alst> carrying thro© aeroplanes and a large quantity of petrol and oil.