With Byrd

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 58, Issue 72, 27 April 1929, Page 5

With Byrd

By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright

Australian Press Association.

DOWN A CREVASSE The Barrier I:e Contains Salt SEVERAL MEN FROZEN

(Eeceived Thi9 Day. Noon.) BAY OF WHALES, April 25. "Conullalldei, Byrd went to the bottom of a crevasse near the camp yesterday and found sea water about 35 feet down or ratlier slusli and ice in the crack which was salt. "We had long believed that there was water under the barrier on which our base is located and also that thero must be land somewhere near liere to liold it for so many years in its peculiar, formation, "The location of that land is a secret which would explain the existence oi the Bay of Wliales. "If we did not believe in existence land we might be somewliat uneasy as to tlie permanence of our Winter quarters. The crack has interested us for some timo because it has become wider in the last few weeks, "Whether this is due to contraction. in cold weather or to barrier movement or to a tendency on the part of a section of the barrier to clave off no one knows. . ONLY A GUESS. "The majority of opinion tends to tlie contraction theory and the commander's inspection of it seems to support that opinion more strongly than any other, but so little is known about the movement of the barrier, here, tlie location on the land, the strains to which our portion of the barrier is subjected, and the action of the currents and tide on great ice mass, that any opinion is hardly more than an intelligent guess at present, but if possible the commander intends to know something more definite about it by Spring by making soundings. "It was a cold day for playing around in crevasses — 50 degrees below . zero and a light breeze blowing. "While a suitable spot was being found for entering the crevasse tliose 111 tbe party were busv watcbing for frozen spots on eaeh other's faces. THE BATTERIES STOPPED. " 'You've got it on your cheek,* . oue would call and others would answer baek, 'Well, vour nose is frozen,' and when a mltten was removcd so that the frozen part could be rubbed the hand would freeze. It was so cold that hand flashlights could not he used as the cold stopped chemical action of the dry batteries. "Strom froze his left big toe and had to run for the nearest house and thaw it out. It resembled a cold potato when he stripped his socks off. "Dr. Cqwan nearly froze his liands and had to get some warmer gloves. Light was provided, however, by a portable gasolene engine generator which Hansen took and attaehed to ihe Joeomotive type of searchliglit that was pointed down into the dark fissrre. When everything was ready a rope was plnccd round the Commander nn der his arms, crossing on his ehest, and fastened behind his head. SHARP PRO*ECTK)NS.

> "Tlie crevasse did not go straight r down and there were many sharp pro- ! jections in the ice which broke off and | tumbled about his ears. The ropes were held by Strom and Siple, the ! boy scout, who is about tlie size of n ! big Norwegian, Vaughan, Feuery and Tborne togetlier. i "It was much warmer at the bot- , tom and the thermometer placed on the ice registered 18 above zero, Faiircnheit, although it was 50 below at the surface. "Commander Byrd could walk only a few feet in either direction, so after sotisfying liimself that the ice below lum really contained salt and taking a sample of that and of the bottom ot tlie barrier snow, he was pulled up again to join the ' frost-bitten crowd above. "Coming up he examined more carefully some unusually large ice crystals which projected thickly from the sides of the crevasse." By Russell Owen, copyright, 1929, by the New York Times Company and Ihe St. Louis Post Dispatch. All nghts for publication reserved through, out the world. Wireless by tbe New York Times.