IN ANTARCTICA

Hokitika Guardian, 21 November 1929, Page 5

IN ANTARCTICA

(By Russell Owen—Copyrighted 192£ by the New York Times Company, and St. Louis Post Dispatch. All rights for publication reserved throughout the world Wireless to New loik Times.)

BYRD HAS AIR RUN

FORCED DOWN SHORT OF EUEI

[United Press Association.—By Electric Telegraph. —Copy righ t. ]

(Received this day at 9.40 a.m.)

BAY OF AVHAI.ES, November 19

Byrd made a successful flight to Queen Maud Range, 440 miles south of Here, on the edge of the polar plateau, although on the.way back he was forced down by lack of fuel due to causes as yet unknown. He landed ninety miles south of Little America last night on the return trip and fuel was taken out in the other plane. It was unusually cold and the crew of the big Ford, which made the laying flight is probably wailing for the sun to get higher, and make easier the task of warming and cranking the motors. The trip was remarkable because of two landings, botli of which were fur from smooth. Every pilot knows the danger of lauding in a wilderness ofi a rough, unknown surface. The landing at the mountains was made with a heavy load and although bumpy, the ’plane stood the strain well. On tho way home, the motors cut out over one of the worst places on the whole route, where tho Satrugi or high snow ranges run cast and west and form a dangerous field, but again the big ’plane was set down safely. The landing, however, caused us some bitter moments last night, before it was known that everyone was safe and the ’plane uninjured.

i’or two or three hours it was thought that the ’plane must have crashed somewhere, because of an accident in the air, or in landing. A message from the ’plane had been broken in the middle with no further indication of what might have happened. As time went on and radio communication from the ground had not been established everyone thought of a forced landing; It was a silent, strained group of men, many of them profoundly affected, who waited for the good word that the Commander .with his men and ’plane were unimpaired. In its trial flights the ’plane performed excellently. In one test the ’plane was taken to twelve thousand feet with a six ton load and at that height had considerable climb left..

Tiie weather held fine and it seemed too good an opportunity to let slip for putting down a fuel base at the mountains for use of the Polar flight. The floor of the cabin was covered with cases of gasoline and oil lines to be cached at the mountain base. The take-off loaded exceeded fourteen thousand pounds, a good load to lift with skis from tho barrier and a mighty heavy load to set down on rolling snow near the mountains. The pilot this trip was Dean Smith. Harold June had charge of the radio. Captain Ashley McKinley went along as, aerial surveyor to take photographs. On Byrd of course devolved the duty of navigating over the blind waste and lie also hoped to find on this flight a good path through the mountains to the plateau. The ’plane taxied down to the eastern end of the shallow basin in which the camp lies and in no more than thirty seconds was off the ground and climbing slowly out over the Bay, a perfect take-off.

Dean circled the camp once and then headed south and in a ifew minutes the ’plane was out of sight against the clear sky. An occasional brief radio message was followed five hours later by the announcement over the air from Byrd that the ’plane had reached the mountains and was looking for a landing field. Finally, when we heard nothing more, a decision was made to get out the Fairchild ’plane to go and investigate. Haines and Bert Balchen flew

south with fifty cans of extra gasolene, food and warm clothing. The radio worked well and we heard them through the hour’s run south until suddenly they reported they saw the other ’plane and would land alongside. It developed afterward that they tried to*send 'from the ground but we heard nothing. Within another hour, however, we heard Fairchild in the air again and the welcome news that everyone was safe. It returned to camp shortly and they got a riotous welcome. They had left gasolene for the Ford which would return as soon as possible after warming up.