Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-24
BYRD'S EXPEDITION
. GATHERS AT BASE
Dog Teams Called In and
AirpIane Slowed Away
for Winter.
BY RUSSELL OWEN.

wireless to The star and New York Times.
LITTLE AMERICA, Antarctica,
March 23-The Byrd expedition is
together again after days of intense
effort and dangers. Even the dog teams
came In early this morning having
Travelled 60 miles in 1912 hours in a
temperature of 40 below zero that last
part Of the trip The plane has made
its last flight and Is slowed away for
the Winter, and for the first time 1t is
possible to know the full story of the
days of anxiety.
The most thankful person in the
expedition is the commander himself.
He has had to make decisions on which
the lives of his men depended and to
risk not only his pilots and his remain
ing plane, but young dog drivers who
have established an Antarctic sledging
record for days Journey. Getting the
entire group back on the last flight was
risk which had to be undertaken after
deliberate consideration of a number of
alternative dangers.
It was not until every one was back
that the full story of the first fight
became known. There was some doubt
whether the plane could get off the
ground without smashing up although
It was net realized how rough was the
going until the plane was under way
when we first TAXED up on the hill at
the take-of. We stopped the plane and
talked it over, said Dean.
II didn't know whether We could get
off or not. But the commander said go
ahead and we went. But boy, 1t was
rough"
Perils Of Rescue Hop.
On the way over the clouds began to
close in and the sun became partly OBJ"
secured. clouds shutting In on 1t from
above and below, and the drift under
them increased so that II they had
forced landing they would surely have
cracked up badly; It was a condition IN
which a wise pilot would always turn
back except on mission OF rescue.
There was no way of knowing whether
the ground was clear at the mountain
or If there would be light enough to
land by il the clouds kept on obscuring
the sky. It was a great temptation to
turn back.
Another danger was a possible delay
IN finding the missing men. The range
of mountains is 90 miles long and
Comdr. Byrd did not know their exact
position. He believed that they were at
the southern end of the range and ne
knew ii was about 40 miles long ana
had It's approximate position. He lald Q
course which he hoped would bring
him near them. The flight had become
= raes with darkness with Corndr.
Bvrds Judgment and nayigational abil-
ity against the increasing shadow, Tnen
they saw the basin in which the plane
Law and. after q time, the plane Itself,
undoubtedly wrecked.
sThat was the worst looking landing
field I ever saw" said the commander.
SIT was green and white, green ice COW
sreei with splotches Of snow and looked
irapossible for Landing. To skid around
q, that surface and hit some snow
sieieways would have wrecked the plane.
We could see tlsA either plane crashed
below is and 1t ssz.e evident that it was
4 had wreck. That was q terrible mo-
naent, for ! was sure they had crashed
IN taking on and that somebody had
heen hurt or killed We had discussed
landing and determined not TO do 80
except ia an emergency, but that wreck
and the light which appeared decided
as. There was q tee laid out and Dean
brcusht the plane down cleverly In spite
Of the bad light. He deserved all the
credit for that ftght- Although we hit
with . bump, we did not break any
thing.
"Then June and Balchen came up
and was overioyed to ind that every
one was safe. The Joss Of any Of them
would have been a terrible blow and
when I saw the wreck it seemed that
my worst fears wereatrue. shah never
forget that moments OF relief and hap
piness."
There was no time to do anything
except start the plane back again at
once. Hanson took. out his radio gear,
some Of the personsI things and EQUIP.
ment and little food and then Byrd
ordered June and Balchen, both OF whom
wanted to stay, into the plane. He
would have sent Gould also II take
of In such poor light on hard. rough
field had not been. dangerous with a
heavy load. In another moment the
plane was in the air after bouncing over
the ice and snow and on Its way back
30 camp.
Byrd stays With Men.
Byrd. Hanson and Gould we're left
and Hanson Immediately got busy set
ting up his radio apparatus to tell the
base that the plane was returning, but
q serious situation still remained. The
weather was none too gold and al
though the commander had learned OF
the safety of his men and Hanson had
exchanged places with them, and It
was a long walk back TO camp with
the numbing cold and terrible winds
of the six months Antarctic night
coming on fast. Days are shorter now
and the sun will drop below the horizon
for months about April 10. The others
must get back before then, IL were
humanity possible. Comdr. Byrd kept
In touch with Capt. Ashley Mckinley.
in command OF the base In absence OF
both the commander and Gould, and
was informed of weather conditions.
what q wonderful thing this radio
Is" said Conadr. Byrd. st even have
business messages relayed TO me from
the States"
He and Mckinley talked over another
dilemma. When the plane could fly
again it was hoped that all three men
could be brought back on one trip, for
living DAYS are now few and far be-
tween, but 1t was doubtful If five men,
II a radio operator was to be carried
both ways. could pack themselves into
the plane with all the other equipment.
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