Evening star., 1929-01-01
Byrd to Mark Path.

e Ice DIS SOOu DIS pOSoAOAC.
Byrd to Mark Path.
The weather continues good, although
we were forced to shift our position last
night slightly to the westward because
of pack ice which drifted down and
surrounded the ship. We are now
moored to the edge of the pack about
in the middle Of the bay.
Comdr. Byrd is expected back in the
next day or two and then plans will be
made for getting ashore, as he is look
ing for the path most free from
crevasseS and cracks and will mark it
on the way out.
The killer whales have been playing
around in greater numbers than ever.
Two of them have been shot and the
moment one is wounded the entire
pack sets on him and tears him to
pieces, the whale frequently leaping
from the water in smother of foam
to escape the bites of his companions.
They are a blood-thirsty lot of ami
mails and even slight wound is suffi-
cient to set the entire pack on the un-
fortunate whale which is wounded
This ferocity is the only thing needed
to make us cautious in how we ap-
proach the edge of the ice when they
are around, and now every one is CIV
ing them wide berth
They are veritable tigers of the sea.
There are no seals here at all and it
is easy to see why, as the killers make
short work of them when they are found
in the water
The shore party camped Friday night
somewhere near Framheim, the site of
Capt. Amundsen's camp, although they
could not find the hut, which has been
covered with snow, after hours of
struggling over pressure ridges and
cracks in the bay, ice filled with water
and over heavy pressure ridges and
crevasses on the barrier.
They left the ship at $50 o'clock
Friday night and camped at an early
hour Saturday morning after a march
of several hours. Saturday afternoon
Carl Petersen, the radio operator, sent
in few details of the trip from the
most southerly radio station in the
world, using tiny portable set on
which he could not only send perfectly,
but on which he could pick up stations
all over the world.
Message from Farthest South.
His message was as follows:
''At our camp, December 90
1T is 2 o'clock and the whole party
is sound asleep after the strenuous
march yesterday over the heavy pres
sure ridges on the bay ice and on the
barrier. The crossing of the pressure
ridges and the water-filled crevaSses
was at times very difficult.
Walden and his team went In one
for half an hour and Walden, assisted
by the commander and myself, worked
in water over our knees until the dogs
got the sledge out and we started on
our way again.
I'VE got up on the barrier on place
where the barrier sloped down to the
bay ice. One sledge at time was hauled
up and we all pushed.
ROped Together.
"Once on the barrier we were roped
together, and all took turns at leading,
the commander leading on a long
stretch ahead alone, with Christopher
Braathen on the other end of the rope.
after an hour and half'S sledging
on the barrier in a Southerly direction
we had light lunch somewhere around
the site of Framheim. After lunch We
camped for the day in well sheltered
place. From the opening IN my tent
can see Cape Mans Head, with its re-
markable likeness to Capt. Roald
Amundsen.
"The dogs were splendid, and Walden
and Vaughan in starting the sledgeS
had to run nearly the whole IL miles.
"Bernt Balchen shot seal for sup
per, and we had seal steak which
was as good as dinner in the Biltmoro.
1.-The commander will start on the
barrier on the next move to find suit
able spot for base and place 20
We NAV be here for day or two more.
This is the worlds most Southerly
radio station, and it works perfectly
Stations all over the world come in
here"
Killers Poke up Shouts and Blow.
Just before Comdr. Byrd started off
Yesterday afternoon, about half the
ships crew we're on the ice alongside
the ship There were dogs running
around barking, tents standing which
had been set up to test them, men on
skis. and the two teams of dogs hltched
up to their sleds, every dog barking and
, straining with impatience.
Willard Van Der Veer, one of the
moving picture photographers, was
getting ready to take a picture OF the
start. while his associate, Joseph T..
Rucker. with his camera, was farther
out on the route A small boat in
which Ralph F. Shropshire, assistant to
the scientific staff, had been after some
small fish seen floating on the water,
had been pulled up only moment be-
| fore on the edge of the ice.
There was a swish and a puff near
| the edge and huge black snout, in
which were two little piglfke eyes,
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