Byrd “Snowed-in”

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 628, 3 April 1929, Page 9

Byrd “Snowed-in”

Expedition Ready for Winter Snow Tunnels, Trenches and Hangars THl'-i Byrd Expedition will be virtually “snowed-in” for the winter at the Bay of Whales. A series of snow tunnels is being built to give covered communication between the various houses of the camp, and roofed-in trenches will protect the dog teams. In hangars built of snow blocks the planes will defy all efforts of howling polar gales to dislodge or damage them. (United P.A.—By Telegraph — Copyright) (Australian and N.Z. Press Association) (United Service)

BY RUSHELL, OWEN Copyrighted, 1928, by the "New Tork Times” company and the St. Louis "PostDispatch." All rights for publication reserved throughout the world. Wireless to the "New York Times.” Received 9.5 a.m. BAY OP WALES, Monday. T)OWN went the thermometer with [ a bump to 47 below zero to-day, but the sun is shining. Shovelling and digging proceed just the same, despite the frost-bitten toes and noses, to the tune of “Poor little snowpile, don’t you cry, you’ll be a big hole by and by—grunt and heave—saw and shovel.” Eyebrows, whiskers and the edges of our parka hoods are covered with rime, the men’s breath mounting in big clouds in the still, biting air. Toes are congealing and mittens are so stiff with frozen perspiration that they’re curved like iron gloves round the shove] handles. Shovel and heave, then halt, while a frost-bitten cheek is rubbed back to life. Just now we are building a series of tunnels that would be el model for the subway system Sydney Is talking aboutWhen they’re finished it will be possible to walk to the houses and obtain supplies without going outside. There will be a quarter of a mile of glistening channels of communication. While one group was working, the aviation crowd was putting the big Ford plane to bed for the winter. They made a huge hole 10 feet deep and, with the help of the entire gang, pushed the huge fuselage in wii;h the centre section and wing motors still mounted. Then they erected a wall of snowblocks around It. This building was the beginning of a new method of construction which Is now being adopted by the subway constructors. With the aid of ice-saws, such as are used to cut ice in the ponds at home, they sawed down and across, then lifted chunks of hard snow. This snow is so firm that it can be quarried like stone. It was a labour of two days getting this hole ready, and the mechanics and pilots did most of it. The mechanics have kept the planes going without faltering on all these cold-weather flights. They lifted blocks until their arms ached, and when they had finished the big ship

was stowed away in a hangar of snow, roofed oyer with snow and covered with a tarpaulin, with room enough inside to permit them to work on the gas and oil lines, and motors and other parts of the machine all through the winter night. There isn’t a wind in Antarctica which can get hold of enough of that structure to budge it. It is so carefully designed. The next problem was to care for the dogs, so that they would be protected in the low temperatures. The dog drivers are the mainstay of this work, although the aviation crowd help them also, for to get enough tunnels to hold 80 dogs is a tremendous task. Trenches similar to those used to connect the houses are being dug, radiating from a seal pile, which is the food supply. When a trench is finished holes are cut in the side for dog crates, and then the whole thing is covered over with snow blocks, making a perfect “hotel corridor.” The dogs will be chained just far enough apart so they cannot fight, and will be turned loose under the eye of their driver for a certain time each day for exercise. BOUND FOR AUCKLAND MRS. BERKNER TO JOIN HER HUSBAND BYRD’S RADIO EXPERT (Australian and N.Z. Press Association) Received 9.5 a.m. VANCOUVER, Tuesday. A bride who is to join her husband in New Zealand to enjoy a honeymoon almost a year after their marriage will sail on Wednesday by the Aorangi. She Is Mrs. L. V. Berkner, the wife of the radio expert and airplane pilot with Commander Byrd's Antarctic expedition, who was lent to the expedition by the American Bureau of Standards and just transferred for duty to New Zealand. The two were married in May last, and the husband left shortly after with Commander Byrd.