DOG-SLEDS CREEP SOUTH

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 801, 23 October 1929, Page 9

DOG-SLEDS CREEP SOUTH

DIFFICULT TOIL OF FIRST BYRD PARTY BETTER PROGRESS NOW By RUSSELL, OWEN Copyrighted, 1925, by the “New York Times” company and the St. Louis “PostDispatch.” All rights for publication reserved throughout the world. Wireless to the “New York Times.” Reed. 9 a.m. BAY OB 1 WHALES, Monday. The supporting party camped G 1 miles south of Little America last night. Arthur Walden, its leader, reported discouragingly slow progress, because of the miserable surface during the first two days on the trail, but since then conditions have improved, and the teams are making a better speed. In the last two days they have made 17 and 18 miles, which is good going for this time of the year with heavy loads. Last Thursday they made only seven miles. The runners of the sleds were breaking through the crust, and there was a continuous overhang of hard snow which must be crushed, and under that was the hard, granular sand-like snow of the Barrier. That snow sticks to the skis like glue. At (he 44-mile depot, which was put out last year, they took 6001 b of dog food for distribution farther south. With this weight, they tried hard not to run astray in the trap, as Amundsen calls a valley full of haycocks and crevasses west of the trail —the trap into which he (experienced polar traveller as he was) wandered one grey day, and nearly came to grief.

Our men could se'e crevasses dimly near at hand south-west of their camp. The next morning the blizzard had passed, and by making a turn to the east they got around the worst part of the trap, although they cross* a small crevasse and passed a n” oer of haycocks, those steep hollow mounds of snow which always indicate the presence of deep chasms under the surface. They made good progress, however, covering 17 miles, and last night camped 61 miles from Little America, with one bad area behind them. Their heaviest loads are to the 100-mile depot, and if the surface should again become cruand bad, they might have to relay over that part, of the route. After the 100-mile depot, the sledges will be much lighter.