Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-26
Storm, Now Brewing, Ex-
peCted to Shift Frozen
Mass Southwark.
THICK CAKES WITHSTAND
RAMMING AND GATHERING
Coal Is Economized During Halt
in Trip Through South
Polar Territory.
BY RUSSELL OWEN,

Wireless to The Star and New York Times
BAY OF WHALES, Antarctic, jan
uary 26,-Yesterday Byrd made val
liant attempt to reach the ice barrier
to cut passage through the heavy
pressure ice with the City of New
York to a low place where the Boiling
could be easily unloaded The ice was
too thick, however, and after a day
of ramming and battering the ice
under which the old ship stood up
nobly, he was forced to quit and await
a little aid from the weather. 1t ap-
pears now as if it might be coming, as
a storm is brewing. which may shift to
the south, and if it does, this part of
the bay ice should go out.
We left the berth where the ship had
been made fast to the edge of the ice
foe, because the ice in that spot was
getting soft. Several men went in up
to their waists during the morning, and
finally Norman Vaughan, who has been
carrying heavy loads in the last few
days, went in up to his shoulders while
he was standing alongside his team
preparing to start in with load of coal.
He went down like shot before he
could make the slightest attempt to
spring aside and hung there in the
Icy water, his arms outstretched. until
Eddie Goodale, another of the drivers,
pulled him out
Vaughan, dripping and half-frozer
from his icy plunge, ran to the ship
and up the plank and into the boiler
room to strip his clothes off and thaw
out. In few minutes he was again
ready to start.
In the meantime his sledge weighted
with coal bags had been sinking lower
and lower in the ice, which bent in
around it until the top was level with
the water despite the efforts of men
to hold it up. They also were in i'm
minent danger of going in for time,
but managed to pull the coal bags off
and drag the SledgeS to safety.
Byrd Seeks New Mooring.
That decided Comdr. Byrd, however,
to seek safer spot and as the lead
on the east side of the bay had opened
up to within a few hundred yards of
the low part of the barrier he deter
mined to attempt to smash away in
the hope that he could make a pas
sage for the Boiling.
The ship pulled along the edge of
the pay Ice under steam until out in the
open lead. With Byrd sitting on the
main top gallant yard and Strom in
the crows nest the ship was headed
south parallel to the barrier and about
800 yards out from it, where there
seemed to be a series of openings that
led on a gradual curve inward toward
the barrier. The ship hit the ice with
all the power in its engine and easily
cut its way through for some distance,
The ice became heavier until it
checked the forward movement, and
then we began to back up and ram
ahead, making a few feet each time.
once the ship was caught amidships by
a big cake that folded under other ice
and as the bow was jammed tightly at
the same time 1t was as If she were
held in a vice. Men went over the
side with bars, poles, axes and shovels
ana finally broke the ice loose so that
the ship could move again.
Ship Goes Ahead.
AS If to make up for this delay the
snip went ahead with renewed speed
for some distance, the bow lifting up
and smashing down again through ice
nye and six feet thick. rolling a little
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