IN ANTARCTICA

Hokitika Guardian, 23 January 1929, Page 5

IN ANTARCTICA

"By Bussell Owen, copyiighted 1928 by New York Times Company and fit. Louis Post Dispatch. All rights for publication reserved throughout the world. Wireless to ‘New York Times.’ ’’

BYRD’S EXPEDITION

EX PER lENCKX IN OPEN BOAT’

ELBA NO IP BOLLING ABB IVES

(United Press Association -By Electric Telegraph—Copyright).

(Receiver this day at 9.2 b. a.m.) BAY OF WHALES, Jan. 21

"We had our closest and must <lis : concerting experience with killer whales las u week. A short but exciting guessing contest came during a long excursion by Byrd in a small boat to a lead along the eastern side of the Bay, searching for a landing place for the Eleanor Bolling. He took one of the quarter boats, with outboard motor, and was accompanied by Strom (first, mate), Paul Siple, John Sutton and myself. It had been snowing nearly all day and a stiff wind was blowing off the ice. Although it was still snoring a littio when we put off, and the skv was a. thick, dirty grey, we could see several miles and make out the smoky outline of the ice clifFs ahead. The boat ran along the edge of'the Bay of Ice towards the Barrier to the cast, the Commander and Strom conning uie boat through big lumps of pack ice, some pieces being twenty to thirty yards across, stuck out in great tongues of solid blue ice far below the water line. There were ugly looking shelves, cobwebbed and honeycombed with perforations.

"When we first reached the Barrier it was thirty-five feet high, with a .steep wall of white snow outside the true Barrier line, in which the strata of many snowfalls could be seen. The Commander turned the boat’s nose southward, and then along the Barrier for more than a mile to where the ice was caked too thick for our boat to rise over it.

"Byrd examined the face of the Barrier. inland, his glasses focussing on a point where the Barrier sloped gently to tho Bay of Ice, now blocked by high pressure ridges. He. then decided to start. for home. The motor had other ideas, however, so we had to take to our oars. Wo wound in and out of the big cakes of ice, while two Askua gulls swept down to look over the strange invasion. Many snow petrols were sitting on ice cakes camouflaged against the snow, only their black eyes and bills making them visible.” SI'POUT OF WHALES.

"Approaching a point where the boat was to turn westward along the face of the Bay of lee, towards the ship, the low, feathery spout of a whale was seen, half a mile ahead. We regarded that spout with interest, which might mildly be called intense. Byrd was,, steering, standing up. The drift .ice was thick here. Another spout was seen, then the long black fin of a killer ding over a low ice cake. '”h,. question was: How many were there ?

“Byrd headed a course close to the ice straight for the spouts. We sill sat silently and watched. We reached the point, with a small inlet beyond it "hen three fins rolled up- towards the ioe. Byrd at once turned the boat so sis to cut across their tails. We passed not more than ten feet behind them as they disappeared, diving under. They then broke water again, twenty feet behind us, heading towards the boat with an enormous deliberate roll. As the whales rolled towards us, Byrd stood with his body half twisted around so that he could see them holding the tiller with one hand and a .2-3 revolver in the other. “We had learned that a bullet can account for a killer. As the killers went under again lie shifted the course and once more headed towards the ice. “ ‘Get ready to get on the ice,’ he yelled One scrambled ashore with a rope and the others tumbled out. Byrd was last. “The killers must have dived under the boat and the ice. “After a few minutes we started the motor and pushed ofF, keeping a’.watch for killers, and we reached the ship in safety. “The look-out said he had seen three killers pass the ship a few minutes before we arrived, probably still looking for us.’’ ELEANOR BOLLING ARRIVES. “The relief ship Eleanor Bolling entered the ice park at G.iiO a.in. We are right among lvergs and loose ice. We have seen penguins and seals on the ice for the first time. “We are having wonderful weather. It is clear, hut there is no sun. despite twenty-four hours’ daylight. The temperature is thirty-eight a hove zero. All hands are in the best of health and spirits. “\t noon the Eleanor Bolling was in position 1,4-11. miles south-oast of TairoHead at (18.38 degrees s. long. 177.50 degrees cast.”