IN ANTARCTICA

Hokitika Guardian, 27 April 1929, Page 5

IN ANTARCTICA

IN A CREVASSE

INTERESTING EXI’KR! EN(ES

(By Russell Owen —Copyrighted 1020 by the New York Times Company, and St. Louis Post Dispatch. All rights for publication reserved throughout the world. Wire lo ss to New York limes.)

(Received this day at 10 a.m.) BAY OF WHALES, April 25

Byrd went to the bottom of a crevasse near the camp yesterday and 'mind sea water about thirty-five feet down, or rather slush ice in a crack which was salt.

We had long believed there was water under the harrier 011 which our base is located and also’ there must he land somewhere near here to bold it for so many years in its peculiar formation.

The location of that land is a secret which would explain 'the existence of the Ray of Whales. M' we did not believe in existence of land we might bo somewhat uneasy as to the permanence of our winter quarters. T he crack has interested us for some time, because it lias become wider in tin* last few weeks. Whether this is due to contraction in the cold weather nr to a harrier movement or to a tendency on the part of a section of the barrier to calve off. no one knows.

A majority of opinion tends to the on traction theory and the Cwmman•ler’s inspection of it seems to support that opinion, more strongly than any ntlier, but so litt'e is known about the movement of barrier here and the location of the land.

The strains to which our portion of the Barrier is subject and action of currents and tide on the great Ice mass, makes any opinion hardly more than an intelligent guess at present, but if possible the Commander intends to know something more definite about it by spring, by making soundings. It was a cold day for playing around crevasses, fifty below zero, and a light breeze blowing.

While a suitable spot was being I’ound for entering the crevasse those in the party were busy part of the lime watching for frozen spots on each other’s faces.

“ You’ve got it on vour cheek,” one would call, and the other would answer back: “ Well your nose is 'frozen,” and when a mitten was removed it was so frozen that tlu* part to lie rubbed by the hand would freeze. It was so cold that hand flashlights could not be used, as cold stopped the chemical action of the dry batteries. Strom froze bis left big toe and had to run for the nearest house and thaw it out. It resembled a cold potato when he stripped his socks off. Doctor Cowan nearly froze his hands •md had to get some warmer gloves. The light provided, however, by a portable gasoline engine generator which Hansom took and attached to locomotive type of searchlight that was pointed down into the dark fissure. When everything was ready a rope was placed around the Commander, under his arms, crossing on his chest and fastened behind his head.

The crevasse did not go straight down and there were many sharp projections of ice which broke off and tumbled about his ears. The ropes were held by Strom and Siple (the boy scout, who is about tin* size of a lug Norwegian), Vaughan, Veury and Thorne together.

It was much warmer at the bottom, and the thermometer placed on the ice registered 18 above zero Fahrenheit, although it was 50 below at the surface.

Byrd could walk only a few feet in either direction, so after satisfying himself that the ieo below him really contained salt, and taking a sample of that and of the bottom of the barrier snow, he was pulled up again to join ...e frost bitten crowd above, Imt coming up lie examined more carefully some unusually large ice crystals, which projected thickly from the sides of the crevasse.