TREK ACROSS THE ICE

Hokitika Guardian, 15 March 1930, Page 2

TREK ACROSS THE ICE

SAGACITY OF ])OG-LEA.DEiR

WELLINGTON March 12

Three members of the Byrd expedition returned from the lee Barrier on the winding ship Kosmos today. They are Lieutenant H. InnesTaylor, of Canada, who was largely responsible for the expedition’s dogs; Mr Jacob Bursev, of . Newfoundland, sledgeman and dog driver; and Mr Howard F. Mason, one of the wireless operators who enabled the party to keep in touch with the world during its yoarr; among the snows. In addition'';, the Kosmos brought back 30 dogs',''each of which played no mean part in the success of the venture. Among them was St. Lunaire, the lumbering thoroughbred Eskimo, which performed almost miraculous feats on the 200 mile trail blazed bv Mr Bursey’s party for Dr Gould’s great march to the mountains which hedge about the world’s most remote territory.

,‘«lt was ii wonderful adventure, the memory of which can never fade,” said Mr Bursay, in referring to the year spent at Little America. Its trials and privations were overshadowed by the sense of endless adventure and the spirit of cameraderia which had existed throughout among the men. The* 400 miles journey to near the foot of the mountains and back to the base at Little America, which hei undertook in company with three others, stands out as tho most striking adventure in Mr Bursey’s memory of the part he took in the expedition. With three dog teams, the party left the main base on October 15 in order to lay out depots and plant food for Dr Gould’s party of six men and five team* which set out on its mo men tuns journey about a month later. Mr Bursey’s party was detailed; with the objects of lightening-, the. load of the others, and they “cached” 2001 b of food at a distance of 200 miles from Little America.

The weather in October was still bad, and although Mr Bursey’s party returned without mishap, it had adventure in plenty. Air Bursey was driving the leading team going by compass and lie said he was astoun'ded at the work of‘ His dog leader, St. Lunaire. He \luul spout '{.nearly all his life among sledge dogs, but he had never known a performance like that put up by his leader on that trip. Over the whole TOO miles the dog never had to be led by a man. The visibility was almost nil for (fay.-, on end, yet St. Luof/irc - kept his traces taut, and never faultcred. The intuitive sense of direction of the dogs was fully revealed on the return journey of 200 miles.

“]'t was a queer sensation to plod on day after day, scarcely knowing where you were going,” Mr Bursey said, “For days tho visibility was so bad that we could not even see our own feet yet the dog leader sensed the trail and never hesitated. In places our outgoing trail had been completely obliterated, and it '••as difficult to pick up the red flags we had planted every little way, yet the dog literally picked his own way.” An eeriness to be found nowhere else was experienced in the great wastes inland from the Barrier. The members of the party were on shitting ice for a good deal of the time, and at night they could hear the groaning of the ice as it moved and the reports as it broke. They wore away for 25 days, Dr Gould’s party being .absent on the long trek for three months, and covering a total of 13C0 miles. The geological party had bases every SO miles, and everything was done to /meet emergencies.

Discussing his own trip. Mr Bursey said that on the return the party could not see anything until about 20 miles distant from Little America. It proved necessary to link the sledges by rope and for each man to wear safety belts with ropes. The sledges were light on the return, and it was possible to cover about 25 miles on some days, but on others only six miles were traversed. The cold was intense, the lowest temperature being 38 degrees below zero. The nights were spent in winclproof tents, concluded Mr Bursey, the wireless outfit carried proving a source of comfort as they were always in touch with the base.

‘/Every member of the expedition was indispensable, and the task of Mr Mason, one of the wireless oper-

ators.. was one never before allotted

to a member of a polar expedition. Mr Mason and his assistants kept tho world informed of the activities at Little America. They were in touch with New York every day for a whole year. Mr Mason stated that in spite of their distance from civilisation they wero always able to send messages to their friends and relations halfway around the world. An average of about 1500- words a day was sent from the barrier. Lieutenant Innes-Taylor had charge of the expedition dogs at Mount Cook last year, and lie took them to the barrier for their work in the summer He stated that they would remain in Wellington until arrangements could ho made for their shipment iu America.