IN ANTARCTICA

Hokitika Guardian, 20 January 1930, Page 3

IN ANTARCTICA

ICE BARRAGE. *0 BYRD’S STEAMER, (By Russell Owen—Copyrighted 1929 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, January 17. The steamer City of New York is 300'miles north of Scott Island. She, should reach the pack ice in a few days. What she will find then, and when she will he able to get through the ice, is the subject of frequent conversation in tiie camp. There is unusually heavy icepack this year, it lias made us doubt many times ■whether the ships can penetrate it, and everything depends on the rapidity with which the pack ice disintegrates in the next few days. , The pack is now wider at the 118th meridian than at any time since the whalers have been coming south. For the first time, the whales did not appear in large numbers south of the pack, and those few which were found were badly scarred by the ice. Commander Byrd is unconcerned about lie situation. The only disagreeable aspect is that the ships may arrive so late that the loading may be hurried or curtailed, iu our speed to get out before the freeze up. The summer season is short in the 1 Antarctic. Already the days are a little cooler and the wind nips.