Evening star., 1928-12-12
ISLAND DISCOVERY
AFFIRMED BY BYRD
Barren Land Seen in AntarC-
tic After Party Spends
EventfuI 48 Hours.
BY RUSSELL OWEN.


BY wireless to The Star and New York Times.
ON BOARD THE BARK CITY OF
NEW YORK, AT SEA, December IL
One gets all mixed up in dates down
herei. Sunday was the 9th and so
was Monday, because we crossed the
1S0th meridian And the last 48 hours
have been more full of incident than
any since we left New Zealand.
We confirmed the existence of Scott
Island, which has been in doubt since
it was discovered; nearly got lost in
dangerous ice packs; lost a hawser and
saw a whale caught. Now we are along
side the pack and are preparing to
enter it.
The flnding of Scott island was a
source of great qualification to Comdr.
Byrd, as other ships have reported pass
| ing over the spot where it was sup
posed to exist without seeing it. The
islands were discovered December 25,
1902.
Two peaks loom amid desolation.
| When the course was laid out on the
last day to the point where we wished
/
right through the supposed Scott Is
| land. About O'Clock Monday night
two peculiar-looking peaks were seen
risingly sharply from the sea off the
| starboard bow.
At first it was thought they were ice
| befgs, but as they seemed darker than
| distant bergS and did not reflect the
/ sun. the belief grew that we were ap-
preaching an island. As We came
nearer two black basaltic rocks stood
out about 300 feet high, the loneliest
island in the world, lost in desolation
of ice and wilderness of untroubled
/ water.
Peaks Formation Peculiar.
One peak was much larger than the
| other and was clothed on top with
snow, with an ice foot running out to
| the South At the north end was an
| opening through which the sea washed
| Pieces of ice were thrown up against
it by the swell, which tossed spray high
into the air. Birds lowered over it and
neSted by thousands in corners of the
| rock.
The other rock was slightly higher
and had remarkable resemblance to
an elephant, water washing through an
arch between the trunk, which went
down into the water, and the body of
the rock
The elephant likeness was complete
even to rounded, sloping head, eyes
of snow and huge howdah on top.
| This howdah-like hump was covered
with lichen of hematite brown one of
the lowest forms of vegetation, and one
wondered how even that primitive
plant survived in such a bleak and
wind-swept place.
The lines of cleavage on the rock
made it look as if it were composed OF
columns which rose sheer from the
water, and in places it overhung the
water. 1t was queer to see this black
rock rise in place where we had only
seen glistening icebergs and froth-
crested seas for so long, and it fascin-
ated every one aboard. Pictures of il
were obtained and SO far as known
it has never been photographed before
Capt. Melville obtained sights which
showed that the island was in just
the position where Scott reported it
namely at longitude 1795l2 west anC
latitude 6725 south
After leaving the islands behind under
clear sky. the ships drove to south.
ward all night. Toward midnight il
began to cloud over and blow, ano
snow flurries blew out of the West. The
Sltuatlon was not peasant, as we were
surrounded by large bergs and pieces OF
pack, and in the darkness were just
able to pick way between them.
Tow Hawser Is Broken.
Suddenly the Eleanor Boiling saw ice
dead ahead. In dodging around it such
strain was brought to bear on the
| hawser that it tore loose from the
, City of New York. The force of the
, parting shook the ship. The hawsel
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