POLAR CONDITIONS

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 908, 27 February 1930, Page 11

POLAR CONDITIONS

SUITABLE FOR SUBMARINE WILKINS’S OBSERVATIONS LONDON, Tuesday. In a copyright message from Montevideo Sir Hubert Wilkins says: The flight convinced me that it would be hopeless to establish a meteorological station in the area about latitude 73 degrees south and longitude 101 west by means of a surface ship owing to the conditions of the ice. A submarine would afford the most economical and certain method cf carrying out an extensive plan. We found deeper soundings south of the bank, which seems to run parallel with Charcot Land, thus bearing out the observation of Stefansson, that the strait continues westward from the point where we crossed it in 1929. Continuing his story of the flight, Sir Hubert says: Our disappointment was great when we discovered what we thought must be land was merely icebergs. A great well of snow-clouds barred the way, and on pushing into them we found they were too thick to fly through. We were finally forced down toward the ice, which was dangerous, since we might meet high berg carriers. NO SIGN OF LAND We continued southward for 10 miles, when we believed we were beyond latitude 73 in longitude 101: Our range of vision was very limited, and there was no indication of land. Reluctantly we turned back, seeking a way through a sort of white darkness. After 20 minutes’ difficult and dangerous flying, we emerged from the storm clouds, and flew low across the ice to the William Scoresby. The temperature dropped, and the wind increased. No sooner had we landed on the water than breaking waves froze on the pontoons, and the ice piled up, but wo managed to haul up the seaplane. , . „ a yuccession of storms prevented a further take-off, and the oil was running short, so we decided to hurry tack to Deception.