Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-22
MEN CLIMB
TOWER TO SEE SUN
First Glimpse of Daylight in
Four Months Excites Party
on Polar Expedition.
BY RUSSELL OWEN.

By radio to The Star and New York Times.
LITTLE AMERICA, Antarctica, Au-
gust 20.-An unfair advantage was TAX
en- of the sun today. Oficially it Is not
due back here until Thursday, but 1t
was so close to the horizon at noon that
the men of the Byrd expedition climbed
the radio towers and saw it and peeked
at 1t from the top of the Barrier hills.
It did not quite detach itself from
the clinging sky line. but at least three
quarters of it were visible. Not only
that. but a seal was killed for fresh
meat, the second seal seen this season.
and the snow shoveling gang was out
marking the end of the long hibsrna-
ton.
This was a perfect day to get the first
glimpse Of the sun. Early this morning
the sky became golden in the northeast
and the splash of light moved north
mering on the edge Of the Barrier.
Masses OF yellow and orange clouds were
piled above this shining segment the
pale blue Of the sky between them.
Almost overhead a coral pink line of
feathery cirrus clouds stretched like
a fairy road and was lost over the far
horizon. Low in the south was band
of pale blush violet and above that
a band of deep rose pink in which was
set the full moon like a jewel. 1t was
q pale green yellow moon with corona
of pale opaline green, an unreal and
spectral moon.
Snow ShOveIerS Stop to Marvel.
So magnificent were the colors that
the men shoveling snow stopped and
leaned on their shovels in wordless en-
joyment of such beauty. Slowly the
colors changed. became deeper and less
evanescent as the pulsating golden glow
of the north grew wider and stretched
further up the sky.
Men had been climbing the radio
towers all morning in the hope of
catching sight of the sun, but had given
fore noon decided to go up himself and
got to the top of one of the towers and
shouted
Larry. oh. Larry" he yelled down TO
Larry Gould. our geologist, who. with
others was engaged in the prosaic oc-
cupation of digging out bags of coal, Il
can see the SUM-"
All around the camp men dropped
shovels and ran for the towers. Joe
Rucker and Quin Blackburn and Arnold
Clarke swarmed up behind the COM
mander and Quin perched himself on
the platform OF one of the towers.
There was part of the sun. glow
ing ball of yellow fame, msgnified
tremendously by refraction. The men
Toasted their eyes on 1t. watched It
till the unaccustomed brilliance made
them turn away.
Far out on the Barrier edge. a mile
and q half from camp, Howard Mason
saw 1t also and watched till his toes
got cold. and up on snow hills behind
the camp others on skis stood still.
Ane hr ct,
the sun has been seen here, four
months of darkness and twilight, Of
cold and billiards. Only now do We
realize how much we missed it and
how good 1t Is to see 1t again. But
IL will be two days yet before it can
be seen from sea level or before it will
shine directly on Little America, for
the camp lies in a hollow.
Rare View Out on the Barrier.
Mason had a wonderful view spread
out before him. The Barrier fell sharply
away ct his feet. a line of pressure
ridges thrCsting up their uneven edges
below him on the bay ice. Beyond was
still another upheaved mass of twisted
ice and between them pool Of slush ice.
where seal had been seen the day
before.
A seal lay on the ice near the hole
and near it we're the two small fig
ures of Chris Braathen and Jack Bursey.
who had killed it for fresh meat and
were preparing to bring it In on a dog
sled. Still farther out was the glisten-
ing eXpanse Of the bay ice with the
sun peeping over the edge
Bernt Balchen and Sverre Strom went
on skis to Framheim today to see what
condition the ice was in at the ap-
proaches to the Barrier, where the
southern trail winds through the pres
sure ice and crevasses They found
many new upheavals and crevasses, a.
If there had been terrific pressure there
this Winter.
On the way home they came by way
Of the bay ice and had to make q widS
detour to get back around the pres
sure ice. which has been forced I'D in
the last few months. The entire surface
of the bay between here and Franheim
has apparently changed and is so broken
that 1t may go out this season much
farther than last year.
Copyrisht. 1929.
By the New York Times Company and the
81. Louis Post-Dispatch. All rights for
publication reserved through
out the world.