Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-17
ice BARRIERS HALT
BYRD EXPLORATION
Back From Attempt to Reach
King Edward Land in
the New York.
BY RUSSELL OWEN.

bN hUSSELB ONEN.
wireless to The star and New York Times.
BAY OF WHALES. Antaretica,
February l5.--Comdr. Byrd returned
last night from an attempt 10 reach
King Edward VII Land in the bark
City Of New York and the ship Is once
more alongside the ice in the bay.
He had hoped that the sea to the
northeast would be open as a result
Of the recent storm so that he might
penetrate some distance toward the
point where he believes undiscovered
land may exist. But the pack ice was
so thick that he was forced to turn
back.
1t seems always to have been din
cult to reach King Edward VII Land.
Capt. Robert Scott was nearly cut of
when he first saw and named the
Alexandra range of mountains, and
Sir Ernest Shackleton also found that
it was almost impossible to penetrate
the pack lie in that direction.
When Comdr. Byrd few over King
Edward VII Land, however, he found
that the sea was open as far as he
could see and he had hoped that the
recent storm, while 1t might force
broken pack ice down from the I'M
known region In the northeast, would
at the same time leave 1t open sufft-
GENTLY for navigation.
Meet Curiously Formed Bergs.
We left here after the storm had
broken and the bay was so choked with
Ice that the ship could not enter. 1t
seemed a propitious moment for head
ing northeast so that these precious last
days of Summer might be utilized.
AS far as we could see was ice. broken
into huge, thick cakes and studded with
bergs of all sizes and shapes, some Of
them OF curious formation, which had
come from the direction In which we
were headed. But the ship could move
at four or five knots without difficulty.
We have seen more bergs in the past
few days than in any period since We
came down here, although only a few
OF them have been as large as the
big ones we saw north Of the pack ice
in the Ross Sea. Many OF them were
Of curious shape.
One which interested US was dented
through its entire length as If 1t had
been struck by giant hand. From
its low wall, nearest to US, the top
Sloped down and then went steeply up
to height three times that of its
lower side, and this upper slope was
covered with big fragments of lee as
If an explosion had torn 1t loose and
sent 1t out to sea.
Under the lowest part of the depres-
sion, when we had moved far ahead so
that we could see the end Of the berg,
was long blue cavern.
Barriers Face Worn Away.
No one has been able to give an ade-
quate explanation of what might have
caused such an unusual formation.
This berg passed us as we went OUT
and, when we returned late the next
day. It was in the Bay Of Wales and
slowly moving outward TO the north
ward.
The face Of the barrier changed also
as we went North. 1t was cut away
more, so that the overhang was at a
sharp line and there we're mnumerable
wedge-shaped breaks in it half a mile
or more deep where bergs were formed.
1t seemed evident that these breaks
might be the cause of some OF those
deep booming sounds which we mad
heard during the obscurity OF the storm.
There Is no doubt that this part OF the
barrier has worn away much faster
than the more sheltered portions which
rim the Bay of Whales and that the
wrenching action Of the sea was the
main cause Of the breaks.
After steaming all day and most OF
the night through the scattered paca
ice, which was 10 feet thick and some
times even heavier, the ship reached
a~Ir anIr g.
tration would have been difficult, II noa
impossible
Comdr. Byrd did not wish to force
his ship into this pack. which blocked
the way north and which had un%
doubtedly blown down from the irn-
penetrable regions beyond because Of the
danger Of getting stuck and being
frozen in.
Endless March Of Ice Pack.
He turned north and steamed along
the edge Of it for several hours, pass
ing around bergS and tremendous pieces
Of pack, until IL became obvious that
1t extended far to the north.
To the northeast Il was unbroken
as far as could be seen from the mast
head. and the commander felt that,
even II he found the passage around
the end Of the pack and turned In to
the east, there might be danger OF
its closing around the ship in the un-
certain weather.
So he reluctantly ordered the ship
turned back toward the Bay Of Whales.
This pack. moving from the north
east, has been one of the most inter-
esting phenomena observed during our
stay here. There seems TO be no end,
for 1t Is still marching by outside. al
though largely broken up by the time
1t reaches here.
And the bergs are so numerous that
1t indicates there has been an unusual
breaking up OF Ice along the coast of
King Edward VII Land and even
farther to the north where no ex-
plorer has ever been able to determine
what Is the mysterious bond which
holds the vast pack in its grip.
The most plausible explanation Is
that there Is land there which has
never been seen, land curving toward
the north and forming an enormous
blight. either mountains or islands. It
Is one Of the most interesting mysteries
of the Antarctic and one to which
Comdr. Byrd intends to pay much at
tention.
lcopyright, 1929 by the New York Times
right for publication reserved throushout
the world.
ROTVTNG REACHES nTyNrnTAr