Evening star., 1928-12-29
Commander and Group Look
for Landing Field on
X Great Barrier.
EVIDENCES THAT FL0E
HAS LAND BASE FOUND
Depth Finder Carried on Bark
Proves Worth-Air Map
of Area Planned.
BY CoMDR. RICHARD e. BYRD.


~ wireless to The Star and New York Times.
ABOARD THE BARK CITY OF
NEW YORK, December 29.-Our visit
to Discovery Harbor was perhaps worth
while from a geographical standpoint.
We reached the great ice barrier at
about 177:40 of longitude, approx
mately 10 statute miles to the westward
of the entrance to Discovery Harbor.
AS we approached the barrier we
could see on our starboard bow two
places where the barrier Sloped down
to the waters edge. These were about
100 yards wide and this phenomenon
is interesting, as the barrier generally
rises more or less perpendicular from
the waters edge, from 80 or 40 to l6O
feet in altitude.
Though this is Midsummer down
here, we found Discovery Harbor f1Ilec
with what we call bay ice for three.
quarters of its length. We have found
that this beautiful ice-locked harpor
is not accurately charted. 1t may pe
that there has been some change In
its contour since the last explorer re-
ported 1t.
Landing Field Sought.
Strom Ralchen. Braathen, Petersen,
and 7 proceeded on skis to the east
ward of the head OF the harbor to Sc
lect a landing field, as we hope later
on to chart Discovery Harbor with one
of our automatic mapping cameras. we
have found that instead of running
east and west, as shown by cnarIS;
there is a general curve from eastward
toward the south, so that at the END
of the harbor where the lines OF the
ice barrier meet, its direction runs
nearer to north and south than IL
does east and west.
AT a point about three quarters OF the
distance between the ship and the enc
of the harbor, the barrier Sloped gently
down to the bay ice SO that we were
able to climb onto it, after which we
ascended for $50 feet, and still we mad
not reached the top. At this point,
Strom, Balchen and Braathen pro-
ceeded to investigate some snow peaks
we had seen lying TO the SoutheaSS
near the curve of the harbor. There
turned out to be several Of these peaks,
with valleys In between. ana we nave
decided that though they are snow
covered, land lies under them, ana tnat
intact this extraordinary harbor FASH
ioned in the ice barrier There were
several places toward the end OF the
harbor, on both sides, which sloped
down into the water. AT the eno OF
the harbor the two barrier walls DO not
meet because of a small channel ex-
tending to the southeast.
Island Basis Land.
of a NInruya0ioYn
whaling expedition, DR.. Richovd, told
me that he followed this crack and that
it curved around to the sea. This
shows that that part of the barrier to
the northward, which forms part OF
Discovery Harbor, is an Ice island. AS
there is strong easterly current run
ming along here and under the barrier,
it indicates that this ice island is rest
ing somewhere on land. This, / be-
lieve, is of some interest to geographers,
as there has been great deal OF dis
cussion as to whether or not the ice
barrier, or parts of the ice barrier, rests
on land. We have been taking sound
ings regularly, and the lowest depth OF
water we have so far gotten at or near
the barrier is 245 fathoms.
Later on, after mapping Discovery
Harbor from the air and taking more
soundings, we hope to be able to show
conclusively that considerable of the
barrier about the harbor rests on land.
We have found other errors in the
chart of the harbor The depth finder,
which We took so much trouble and
expense to put on the ship, has proved
well worthwhile, as We can get accurate
Soundings without stopping the ship by
getting from the bottom of the ocean
the time of the return of the echo of
the sound we make with electricity.
Gets Interesting Data.
We have reached the barrier some
days earlier than any other explorer
and are getting some interesting data
on the pack ice and the bay ice that
one might find at this time of the year
We passed two ice packs in the Ross
Sea in addition to the one we had such
difficult time getting through, but we
were fortunately able to get around
them to the westward without being put
very much off our course.
(Copyrlght. 1928. by the New York Times
Co; and the st. Louis Post Dispatch. All
rights for publication reserved throughout
the world.)
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