Evening star., 1928-12-27
Polar Party Lands on Ice
Barrier, First Goal of
Expedition.
PLANE BASE SOUGHT
Ship Will Proceed to
Bay of Whales From
Discovery Inlet.
BY RUSSELL OWEN.

ms,
DISCOVERY INLET, Antarctica. De-
ccmber Give have been ashore at
last. if one can call floating sheet
of bay ice a shore, but as the entire
barrier is supposed to be af1oat, we
have at least been on its doorstep.
About two-thirds of the ship'sacompany
are out on the ice in this snug harbor.
playing with penguinS, skiing and
hunting seals to get meat for the dogs.
We reached the barrier Tuesday at
longitude 177:25 w, and cruised along
it all that night and yesterday morn
ing. With all we had read of this wall
of ice we found that no pictures or
descriptions of it could convey an ade-
quate impression. It rose 80 or 80
feet high, majestic and forbidding,
beautiful and terrible. We watched it
for the most part silently, marking the
clean lines of cleavage. where great
bergs have broken off, the caves into
which the waves dashed, the overhang-
ing cliffs, which seemed about to topple
into the sea.
AS we moved eastward, Frank T.
Davis, the physicist, and Quinn A.
Blackburn, the topographer, sketched
the face of the barrier and soundings
were taken every hour They showed
depths ranging from $50 to 800 fathoms
at distances from a mile to 3 miles
off shore.
About 8 o'clock in the morning
Comdr Byrd had predicted we should
see the beginning of Discovery Inlet,
and just about that time we sighted
what at first was believed to be a dis
chart. however, convinced the COM
mander that we were in the mouth of
this wide bay. That opinion was
justified a short time later when with
glasses we were able to see that the
walls of the inlet were coming together
to the east. Three hours later we were
well inside where the inlet narrows to
width of only 2 or 3 miles.
Marine First to Land.
A short run brought us to the bay
ice, which was about half way down
the narrowest part of the inlet, and
here we came alongside the ice, threw
out two ice anchors and made them
fast. There was a scramble to be the
first one over the side. Capt Alton
Parker of the Marine Corps won by a
second. THE Marines are always the
first ashore!" he yelled back.
A moment later and the ice near
the ship was covered with men, rum
uulS 10 SbTGbC1l lI1G1I legs ana EGlLlIlR
each other with snowballs.
Imagine a long, narrow bay where,
instead of land, the walls are glistening
white cliffs of snow and ice rising
sheer above the water. The bay ice
runs off in a long curve between these
walls, which stretch inland for miles
and against the edge of this ice we are
now lying.
We are not more than 100 yards
from the barrier, which here is about
100 feet high. The walls are broken
and worn in some places. and as smooth
as If cut with knife in others. Along
the base are beautiful ice caves, on
which the light shines with the most
perfect blue imaginable. AS soon as
we had made fast Condr. Byrd, with
Bernt Balchen, Bosun Strom, Carl 0.
Petersen. the radio man, and Christie
pher Braathen, seamen and skimen,
went inland to try to locate landing
field at the edge of the barrier
Such a field could be used as base
for exploring the barrier, and also there
always has been the possibility that Dis
covery Inlet would make a better base
than the Bay of Whales, although the
bay would be much nearer 10 the area
which Comdr. Byrd wishes to explore.
They are still away and will not
travelling on skis, and when they reach
the barrier will be tied together with
Alpine rope Another party, composed
of Capt Parker, Pilot N. D. Vaughan
and Jacob Bursey, both dog drivers,
have gone some distance in to get,seals
which are lying there in the sun. We
need them for food for ourselves and
also for the e4dogs.
CIeanest Place in World.
In these few minutes the clouds
which obscured the sun have rolled
away, and the entire bay is shining
place of blue and white, wonderfully
| beautiful in this clear atmosphere. 1t
is the cleanest place in the world,
spotlesS wilderness. Dean Smith started
off to hunt seals, but on the way ne
found two penguinS which interested
him so much that he stopped to play
with them. They regarded him with
| friendly and curious eyes until he tried
to pick one up, and then he found that
the little fellows could fight with their
flippers and bite with their beaks. he
brought them back finally with many
bruises on his arms and legs and posed
them in front of the cameras OF VAN
| derveer and Rucker. the moving picture
men, who were over the side with the
| first and have been buster than BIRD
dogs ever since trying to keep up with
what has been going on.
| But the real fun began when an en-
peror penguin walked up to welcome us.
| An official greeter of the Antarctic, re-
| splendent in white shirt front frock
coat a long brilliant black beak, colored
| purple sides and with bright yellow
! spots on each side of his neck.
| He was a most imposing bird and
| rera rFad ,1s with inst the DroDer touch
| of scornful toleration He was at least
three and half feet high and weighed
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