Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-20
BY RUSSELL OWEN.

BY Radio to The Star and New York Times.
LITTLE AMERICA, Antartica, March
20.-A hole opened in the clouds to the
east yesterday, ana, despite a wind
which made a flight hazardous, Comdr.
Byrd flew through to his three men in
the mountains, whose long silence had
so alarmed us.
The three, Larry Gould, Bernt Bal
chen and Harold June, ware safe and
WELL despite hours of fighting terrific
storms, and the rescue plane returned
in the darkness with Balchen and June.
Comdr Byrd. Larry Gould and Malcolm
Hanson, the radio operator. who flew
to the mountains with the chief, are
remaining until another fight can be
made to bring them back to Little
America.
The wind is blowing up drift snow
and it is cloudy, but there Is some hope
that the fight may be made later in the
day. Those at the mountains are per-
fectly supplied, have pleny of food and
fuel, as well as shelter.
The silence of Gould's party at the
Rockefeller Range since Thursday was
explained by their battle with a terrific
storm which, at its height on Satur-
day. wrecked their plane.
A wind of 100 miles an hour tore the
plane from the snow and from the lines
by which it was anchored, carried it off
mile and dropped it, splintered
wreck, on the glacier ice.
The three men had worked for hours
to save it in a gale which at time blew
-, irl1f hA ltv,ae
| were holding and pelted them with
snow Jumps from the mountains two
| miles away
| But all their efforts were unavailing
and, while they were getting little
rest in their tent. the plane lifted
straight up in the air and disappeared
in the stormy darkness.
There is no doubt that they have dis
! covered a new Antarctic storm area
| comparable to that of Adele Land
where Sir Douglas Mawson encountered
such appalling storms.
When resting outdoors Gould and his
companions had to lie fat and hold
themselves in place by knives and SKI
sticks stuck in the ice. Only slopine
wall of snow block prevented their tent
from. being blown away.
Cloud Curtain Delays Start.
The fight was made and the rescue
accomplished at time Of great depres.
sion in our camp. Failure to start the
engine the day before, when the weather
had been SO good, made every one
gloomy.
While the clouds were thick and gray
overhead and over the horizon, so thai
curtain seemed to hang between u:
and the mountains, the dog teams were
being prepared for their desperate at
tempt to get through.
Comdr. Byrd moved quietly but anx'
iously about, watching the sky anc
encouraging his men to greater effort
But it was evident that the delay wa
hard for him to bear He feels a deeI
sense of responsibility for the safety o
those who have come with him to thi
frozen land.
Early in the afternoon the clouds be
gan to break overhead and the Sui
shore through. A 20-mile wind wa
blowing from the east and gap in tn
clouds began to widen on the horizon.
The commander gave orders to warn
up the engine of a plane so that h
might leave If there was the promise @
, even four hours fairly good visibility.
1t must be remembered that dow
. here clouds. cause the horizon to dis
, appear completely and merge with tn
snow.
Hanson, the radio operator is shol
, and intensely active, highly strung an
! a demon for work. And he is a radi
engineer of great ability.
Sun Cleans Over the Course.
When Hanson had loaded the last {
. his radio equipment and looked up wit
| Satisfactjon from, his 'tachon1eter whic