BYRD’S SHIP MOVES ON

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 540, 18 December 1928, Page 9

BYRD’S SHIP MOVES ON

Narrow Lanes of Water FLOATING BERGS GRIND PAST Weather Mild and Calm THROUGH narrow lanes of dark water that break a vast waste of shining ice, the City of New York, with Commander Byrd’s gallant party of adventurers aboard, is grinding its way down to the Bay of Whales. From here, Byrd will make his dash to the South Pole by air. His stout ship, at last reports, was already 100 miles into the ice-pack, and high hopes were held of a swift passage through to the barrier. (United P.A.—By Telegraph — Copyright) (Australian and N.Z. Press Association)

Received 9.5 a.m. VANCOUVER, Monday. We are far into the ice pack to-day, having started through on the anniversary of Captain Roald Amundsen’s ai’rival at the South Pole in 1911 (says Mr. Russell Owen, Press correspondent with the Byrd expedition, in a dispatch dated December 16). He started South the year before, and laid bases toward the Pole during his first season, but it appears now that we should arrive at the Bay of Whales sooner than he did. because we are only about 700 miles away. He did not arrive there until January 14; with good luck we should be unloading in 10 days, although it is rash to make predictions down here. Commander Byrd, like Captain Amundsen, intends to lay his bases as far inland as possible this season—that is, before March, when the winter sets in—and to do the most of his important work next year, when he will be able to start flying long before it would he possible for the ship to get through the ice. Captain Amundsen began his Polar journey on October 19, when, despite the cold, the weather was fair for travelling, and it should be equally good for flying. Whereas Captain Amundsen spent two months toiling over the snow and the crevasses and up dangerous glaciers to the Pole from the Bay of Whales, Commander Byrd will make the flight in less than a day, and will be able to map it and examine the route for some distance on each side. Such is the advantage of the airplane in exploration. It is a great relief to be going forward again after lying-to off the ice pack for several days. The weather is perfect. It is a calm, warm day, in which it is not uncomfortable to stand on the deck in an ordinary woollen shirt and without a cap. NOTHING BUT ICE The sky is a pale Arctic blue, with a tinge of faint grey along the horizon. As far as one can see there is snowcovered ice, hummockqd and broken into large cakes, with frequent leads of open water between. There are many grotesque shapes formed by the ice that has been heaved up and then eroded. The reflected glare is so brilliant as to tire the eye, and snow-glasses might be necessary if it were not for the streaks of dark, open water. A few seals have been seen basking in the sun—fat sleepy fellows which raise their heads and look with mild curiosity at the drifting menagerie of barking dogs, and then roll over and go to sleep again. A DANGEROUS FORCE We are making fair speed, and hope the ice v ; ll remain open for the whole distance through the pack. Such luck would be almost unprecedented, but as this is the earliest any explorer has been able to get through, and as reports from the whalers below indicate that the ice is opening more all the time, we are sanguine as to the result. An occasional hard bump against a floe which grinds its way alongside reminds us, however, that we are dealing with a dangerous force when it is set in motion by an unfavourable wind. The peace and serenity of this day bring about a false sense of security. Taking pictures here is rather difficult, because of the intense light and the danger of over-exposure, and a filter has to be used practically all the time, even when the sky is overeast. Constant experiment is going on to determine the proper filtering. COMPASSES ERRATIC Another phenomenon which causes difficulty is the erratic behaviour of the compasses, which get wilder and wilder as we get farther South. The sticking of the compass was due to the fact that the dip of the needle is so great when it is close to the magnetic Pole that the horizontal magnetic forces are too weak to overcome the downward pull. It is a phenomenon with which all explorers are familiar, but it is disconcerting at sea nevertheless. With the sun and the compass, however, an absolute check can be obtained. Ice is everywhere. As far as the eye can see in any direction there is nothing but a shining white expanse of snow-covered pack, with hardly a break in it, but we are nearly 100 miles into it now, and should be through in a few days. The sun is so warm that it can be felt through our coats, and the air temperature is 36deg. There is hardly a cloud in the sky and only a faint breeze. THUNDEROUS JOLTS If it were not for the thunderous jolts with which we hit the pack sometimes, this would be the most placid existence in the world, but oc casionally we get a shock that shakes the ship from stem to stern, and we are thankful for the 31in of timber along our sides, and for our massive bow. Up in the forecastle there is a rumble likq distant thunder as wo hit those heavy floes, and they grind alongside. The vibration is terrific, but on the deck this is not so noticeable, and we are enjoying this warm and peaceful

interval between the Roaring Forties and the hard work that awaits us at the barrier. AMUSED BY PENGUINS To-day we saw several penguins and the first sight of these amusing birds convulsed everyone aboard. One pair bobbed up on an ice floe alongside, cocked tbeir heads at us and shook them, and waved their flippers as if trying to assure themselves that they were awake. They put their heads together and talked it over, and finally decided that they both saw the same thing, for they wadded down to the edge to look us over more carefully. As they walked with a wobbling motion from side to side, they waggled their flippers as if to balance themselves, and presented so ludicrous an appearance as to cause everyone to howl with laughter. Finally they went away, sliding on their bellies across the ice, and propelling themselves by their flippers and feet. They move with remarkable speed in this way—fully as fast as a brisk walk. Three of them followed us half a mile propelling themselves along, and occasionally standing up to look around to make sure that we were still In sight. ICE SEEN FORMING In the open leads this morning, we saw ice forming behind us almost as fast as we went through. The water was full of ice crystals, and as they came to the surface they formed a sort of scum of ice which quickly solidified into a thin sheet. It reminded one of the story of Jules Verne, in which a piece of ice was thrown into the sea when it was at the point of freezing, and the ice was just sufficient to start a crust that rapidly spread over the entire surface. It is perceptibly colder at night, when the sun drops to about 15deg above the horizon, and last night the temperature went down to 21 above zero, but it can be seen that v\j are not suffering from cold yet, although we are only a few hundred miles from the barrier. The continued light of night has made sleep difficult for some of us, but we are rapidly getting used to it, although one is apt to forget what time of day or night it is when the sun shines all the time. The “Nfew York Times” has received a mdio from the Eleanor Bolling saying she is 350 miles south-east of Taiaroa Head (Otago Harbour), bound for Dunedin to get the second load of supplies for the expedition. WILKINS DELAYED UNFAVOURABLE WEATHER (Australian and N.Z. Press Association) (United Service) LONDON, Monday. In a‘copyright message from Deception Island, Sir Elubert Wilkins says: "The snow, sleet and rain have been unfavourable for an aerial expedition. “The ‘ceiling’ is about 600 ft high, whereas the plateau of Graham Island, which we must cross, is about 2000 ft high, and studded with mountains reaching a height of 6,000 ft. We may get off to-morrow if the clouds break.”