WORKING SOUTH

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 3, Issue 721, 22 December 1933, Page 5

WORKING SOUTH

Press Association

AMONG THE ' ICE > jacob ruppe^t ^iisin^ v: amidst hundreds of ADMIRAL BYRD'S PLANS >' (Red 8.20 p.m.) *

(Special to

from

the Byrd Expedition); A '

• At Sea, Dec. 21. At noon to-day the Jacob Ruppert was barely one day's steaming from the edge of the unknowm waters -eftcircling the Pacific quadranf of the Antarctic. The course is still southeast. We are apparently getting into the greatest iceb'erg-producihg area in the world. Sincfe one was fir'st sighted this morning over 800 doifies . are in vision. A fleet of a scoreyor more, exactly like ships Uilder •way*are strung across the vessel's path, the nearest being less than three miles distant, with sheer sides. The largest is close to 250 feet above the water. The sea is strewn with gently roeking ice debris through which thb Jacob Ruppert is warily feelihg her -way. — $>v Admiral Byrd and other Ahtarctic : veterans said they had never seen such quantities of icebergs. The Admiral remarked "only the undulated and exte'nsive barrier coasts could produce bergs ih VuCh large numbers. Somewhere her'eabout is "a barrier which may be considerably larger than the Great Ross ice barrier." Admiral Byrd's present .objective is a point in the S'outh Pacific where the !50th me'ridian cuts the Antarctic Circle. From there he hopes to work the vessel past the recorded tracks of Qaptain C6ok in 1773 and then explbre 2000 miles bf the undiscovere'd coa'st line to the right and left bf thc position. If the ice pack and storms prevent navigation an aerbplane fiight over the' area migb't be attempted. . .