Grim Killers in the Ice

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 569, 23 January 1929, Page 6

Grim Killers in the Ice

THRILL FOR BYRD EXPLORERS Deadly Whales Round Boat BY RUSSELL OWES CoDvrikhted 1925, by the “Sew York Times” company and the St. Louis “Post-Dispatch.”’ All rights for publication reserved throughout the world. W ireiess to the “New York Times.” Reed. 9 a.m. BAY OF WHALES, Monday. LAST night we had our closest and most thrilling experience with* killer whales, those deadly prowlers of the icy water-lanes.

A short but exciting guessing contest came during a long excursion by Commander Byrd in a small boat to a lead along the eastern side of the bay, searching for a landingplace for the Eleanor Boling. He took one of the quarter-boats with an outboard motor, and was accompanied by Strom, the first mate, Paul Siple, John Sutton and myself. It had been snowing nearly all day. A stiff wind was blowing off the ice. Although it was still snowing a little when we put off and the sky was a thick, dirty grey, we could see for several miles and make out the smoky outline of the ice cliffs ahead. The boat ran along the edge of the Bay ice toward the Barrier, to the east. Commander Byrd and Strom were conning the boat through big hunks of pack ice. Some of the pieces were 20 to 30 yards across, and stuck out great tongues of solid blue ice far below the water-line, and ugly-looking shelves, cobwebbed and honeycombed with perforations. There were long stretches where the ice was only a scum on the surface. The boat dashed over the waves which lapped against the bow. When we first reached the Barrier it was 35 feet high—a steep wall of white snow outside the true Barrier line, in which the strata of many snowfalls could, be seen. ENGINE FAILS Commander Byrd turned the boat’s nose southward, and then along the Barrier for more than a mile, to where the ice was caked too thick for our boat to buck through. Commander Byrd examined the face of the Barrier inland with his glasses, examining the point where the Barrier sloped gently to the Bay ice, now blocked into high-pressure ridges. Then he decided to start for home. The motor had other ideas, however, so we had to take to the oars. We wound in and out of big cakes of ice, while two Skua gulls swept down to look over the strange invasion. Many snow petrels were sitting on the ice cakes, camouflaged against the snow, only their black eyes and bills making them visible. When we were approaching the point at which the boat was to turn westward along the face of the Bay ice toward the ship, the low feathery spout of a whale was seen half a mile ahead. We regarded that spout with an interest that might mildly be called intense. The commander was steering, stand-

ing up and peering ahead, his keen i face outlined in his woollen cap. KILLERS’ FINS SHOW The drift ice was thick here. We I wound through it with all eyes on a point ahead, broken and serrated by upstanding cakes of ice from an old pressure-ridge. Another spout was seen, and then the long black fin of a killer standing up over a low ice cake. r J.*he question was how many were there. Chewing gum rapidly, with his cap pushed back. Commander Byrd, with Strom, switched their 45’s around so that we could get at them quickly. We had learned that the killer can be killed with a bullet. Byrd headed a course close to the ice’straight for the spouts. The responsibility was his. We all sat and silently watched. "We reached a point with a small inlet beyond it. Three fins rolled up toward the ice. Byrd at once turned the boat so as to cut across the tails of the killers. We paused not more than ten feet behind them as they disappeared, diving under. They then broke water again 25 feet behind us, heading toward the boat, which gave an enormous, deliberate roll as the whales rolled toward us. A TENSE MOMENT Byrd stood w r ith his body halftwisted round, so that he could see them, holding the tiller in one hand and his revolver in the other. As the killers went under again, he shifted his course again and headed directly toward the ice. “Get ready to get on the ice,” he yelled. One scrambled ashore with a rope and the others tumbled out. Byrd came last. Tho killers must have dived under the boats, thinking they were seals or some other water animal. We waited for a time to see them reappear. After a few minutes, we started the motor and pushed off, keeping a watch for the killers. We reached the ship in safety. The- look-out said he had seen the three killers pass the ship a few minutes before we arrived, probably still looking for us. The Eleanor Boling entered the icepack at 6.30 a.m. We are right among bergs and loose ice. We have seen penguins and seals on the ice. We are having wonderful weatlier, clear, but with no sun and 24 hours’ daylight. The temperature is 38 above zero. All hands are in the. best health and spirits. At noon the Eleanor Boling’s position was 1,441 milgs south-east of Tairoa Head (Otago Harbour) in latitude 68.38 degrees south, and longitude 177. 50 degrees east.