Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-11-11
BYRD'S SLEDGERS
RETURN TO BASE
Advance Party Ends 400 Mile
Trek Across Shaking Ice
in Antarctic.
BY RUSSELL OWEN.

By Radio to The star and New York Times
LITTLE AMERICA, Antarctica,
November 10.-Four grimy-faced and
bewhiskered men came up the slope to
the camp yesterday, having travelled
more than 400 miles on the Barrier and
having twice crossed an area of
crevaSSes. holes and haycocks so dam
gerous that it echoed beneath their
feet and roared and growled around
them while they slept.
They were the members of the
Southern supporting party, Arthur
Walden, leader; Joe De Ganahl, naviga-
tor, and Christopher Braathen and
Jacob Bursey. dog drivers. They were
q little thinner than when they left,
but they were in perfect condition.
Walden's grizzled gray whiskers made
him appear even more the trail veteran
that he is, Braathens beard surled i'll
every direction and the faces of Bursey
and De Ganahl were burned by the
sun and on one of Joe's cheeks was a
round hlistered spot where he had been
frozen.
Byrd Praises Heroic Effort.
Comdr. Byrd was greatly pleased with
their work and their safe return.
"They had cold, difficult going" he
said, but they made not an excuse or a
exactly to the letter and did even bet
ter by leaving 200 pounds more food at
the advanced base than we thought pos
Sible
"They carried the message to Garcia.
Tbs enthusiastic effort the men are
making in the name of geology will
be more than justified If the advanced
geological party reaches the great
mountains where they can obtain In
formation that will help solve the mys-
terry of this great continent"
The men were glad to unharneSs
their dogs and gG inside.
"It was a great trip" they all said,
although travelling over the Barrier IS
about the most monotonous work in the
world. But we had enough thrills in the
crevasSes to make up for all the dull
days"
They were all hungry after their last
days march of AZ miles, although they
said the trail rations were perfect. II
never had such good food on the trail,
said Walden, but want a cup OF sweet
tea and I want it now"
No Time for Getting Scared.
Everything went well until they
reached the crevasses, the center OF
which was latitude 81.12 south. There
tneS Sap into a condition for which
even yEs they are finding difficulty IN
describing, because it so far surpassed
anything thsy expected.
walking o5sr surface which shook
under them, crossing wide creVaSseS
only a few feet from places where the
bridge had fallen in, camping at night
with them, bags dropped under tnem'
the ice shook and the continual thun-
dering. rumbling sound of titanic pres
sure. it was an aweSome experience.
They didn't have time to get scared
while going through, but at least two
of them admitted to shuddering bit
when they had passed and looked back
at the treacherous and honeycombed
area through which they had found
their way.
on the way through" De Ganahe said,
s'our wits working all the time, turning
sharply first to one side and then the
other along the edge of wide pits, but
when it was all over don't think
there is one of us who wouldn't admit
to being thankful that it was over.
at made me think of the Bad
Lands of the DakotaS in ice or the
breaking edge of q glacier" said Wal
den, who, despite his 80 years, came In
as fresh as a daisy.
The high ridge OF pressure ice and
crevasses was forced zip at least $50
feet, forming a long serrated line
against the horizon when they reached
it, It seemed an insuperable obstacle.
AS far as they could see, 1t stretched
to the east and west.
Their first indication of the nature
of the surface to the north was a series
of f1lled-in crevaSses snd large holes,
apparently left by collapsed haycocks.
went on that there was definite evolu-
ton of formations caused by the bar
rier sliding over land far beneath.
On the southern side are open
crevasseS and large holes; in the CEN
ter of the area are countless crevasses,
some bridge and others open, haycockS
end enormous holes. some of them COW
cred by a filmy layer of snow and 9TH
ers yawning blue and black. And north
Of the region the ice, apparently seek
ing equilibrium and readjustment, set
ties down and the holes and crevasses
I'LL up with concave snow bridges, most
OF which can be crossed with safety.
Caught in Maze Of CreVasses.
They reconnoitered the front of the
broken hillside on skis at first, roped
together, tried it east, west and south,
and found holes and hillocks every
where. These hillockS cover deep, round
holes In the Barrier, generally linked
up with crevasses.
They picked out place to go through
and had Travelled only little way when
crevasses, many Of them IL feet wide
or more, and many open holes, blue at
the top and growing blacker and black
er as they went down, forced them to
the right.
In short time they found them
selves completely blocked, huge open
creyasse IN front, maze of holes as
If in a swiss cheese on one side and
the treacherous haycocks ON the other.
Here they turned and retaced their
steps, being forced to go up on the
side of two haycocks to turn the teams.
(Copyright 1929, by the New York Times Co.
and the st. Louis Post-Dispatch ALI rights
for publication reserved throughout the