Exploring Grahamland

Manawatu Times, Volume 62, Issue 22, 27 January 1937, Page 6

Exploring Grahamland

Not An Archipelago As Supposed A MOST DANGEROUS JOURNEY United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright. Received Tuesday, Midnight LONDON, Jan. 26. A Times’ world copyright message from Grahamland (Antarctica) states that Rymill and Bingham have returned to their base after a ten weeks’ sledge journey, traversing 535 miles. They extended the expedition’s survey across GraJhamland in latitude 69.50 south. They mapped 149 miles of the east coast as far south as latitude 70.40. Nobody had previously set foot on the east coast south of latitude 66. Three hundred miles further north they found the terrain a sloping plateau rising gradually from the west coast to 7000 feet. East thereof there were mountain ranges with many summits of over 8000 feet. The east coast running north and south lies 30 miles to the east. The previously supposed position is defined by crevassed ice slopes spilling a shelf of ice into the Weddell Sea.

The party spent 30 days surveying the coast and established flhat Grahamland is not an archipelago as might appear from fogs creeping up the bays above the glaciers suggesting broad channels among which the mountains might be islands. The party returned and pitched its highest camp at 7500 feet. Later it was hindered by broken country and crevasses, one of wihich Bingham’s lead ing dog crashed into when it fell through an icebridge and bit through the harness as it hung suspended before it could be rescued. Similar difficulties continued as the weather became worse, imprisoning the explorers for seven days in their tent. They had a most dangerous trip in the last stages homeward, crossing 60 miles of rotting sea ice.