Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-25
GOULD DESCRIBES
SLEDG|NG PER|LS
Byrd GeoIogiSt Tells of Many
Obstacles Overcome to
Reach Mountains.
BY LAWRENCE NJ. GOULD,

! BY Radio to The Star and New York Times.
LITTLE AMERICA, Antarctica, Janu-
| arv 23.-Back again in the comparative
luxury OF Little America, the daily pri-
vatlons that constituted our life on the
long sledging trip just completed by the
geologlcal party seem something like a
dream.
But when open my log book of the
Journey and note its daily entries of
both the pleasant things that we en-
countered and the obstacles that doomed
IN our way, I remember that there was
little about the actual trip that had the
quality Of dream. Sometimes, though,
It dlu seem somewhat like nightmare,
II that be sort of dream.
This has been one of the longest
sledging trips ever attempted purely for
scientific purposes.
Trail Marked for zoe Miles.
The supporting party, consisting of
Arthur Walden, leader and dog driver
Joe de Ganahl, navigator and radio
operator; Jack Bursey and Chris
Braathen, dog drivers, preceded us for
distance OF 200 miles.
Along the route they cached dog food
for use both on our southwark journey
and for the return trip and left an adj
ditional 500 pounds for us at their fur
theSt south point. They also marked
the trail and then saved us the trouble
OF navigating this part of our route.
And so 1t happened that the first 200
miles OF our trek were made with COM
parative ease
At the 2OO-mile mark was located
depot No. 4, the last outpost of the sup
porting party. Here we had to take on
an additional 500 pounds Of dog food
ana begin navigating and marking our
own trail.
Mike Thorne went ahead on his skis
and drove his team Immediately be-
hind him.
Following us came the four other dog
Freddy Crockett, Jack O'Brien and Ed
Goodall.
Pull at SIedges With Dogs.
The hardest work for the dogs came
just beyond this depot, where we took
on the additional loads. We made but
8 miles the first day with Thorne carry
ing so pounds of dog food on his back,
Vaughan carrying his own heavy KNAPP
sack and the rest of us Juggling at ropes
tied to the sledges to help the dogs
along.
We were bit gloomy that night. The
mountains seemed infinitely far away.
The next day We travelled IL miles
and the dogs were so tired that we had
to give them rest on the following
day. Then things began to go better.
We made II miles the next day of
travel, and from there on to the noun
tains We travelled along without greatly
fearing but that We should be able to
make our goal.
Gets Sight Of Mountains.
1--WE were sure at last we could see
the long sought-for mountains, as we
trekked along November as. Shortly
after noon the southerly haze lifted and
there to the southwest, but still very
far away, was a grand eScarpment of
snow-covered peaks; nothing dead
ahead.
by 4 o'clock we could distinguish
huge mountain mass almost dead
ahead OF us. This we believe to be
Mount Nansen."
On November 20, we stood by for tn
polar flight, listening in by radio in
readiness to start with our dog teams
to the rescue should they have q forced
landing. We got more than q Vicari-
Gus thrill out of the flight when we
saw the Floyd Bennett soar over us and
saw a door open, from which was
dropped parachute load of cigarettes
MINIS and messages from the commander
and others in Little America.
With the beautifully clear weather
continuing after the polar flight, the
mountains stood out clearly and we
headed in the direction Of Liv Glacier
which was somewhat to the west of our
course.
Long Trek to Mount Nansen.
From November 80, I find the follow
ing entry in my log:
THE mountains looked so near this
morning that We decided to make them
or oust-it came very near being the
latter, We Travelled IS miles over the
toughest going We have ever had, which
was complicated by q 20-mile wind from
the southeast, with heavy drifting snow
that stung our faces and pushed us
ABOUT, where the surface became icy
nearer the mountains.
From is miles away from the noun
tains, the Barrier was pushed I'D into
low, icy-covered ridges by the ice fiow-
ing out Of the glaciers and the whole
was cut up by series Of great, almost
parallel crevaSses, miles in length, that
crossed our course diagonally.
we crossed numberleSS ones, great
huge ones. little ones, open and closed
ones, bridges falling in as we hurried
across. Individual dogs were always
tumbling in and occasionally part of q
team would fall through and begin to
fight among themselves, and then again
q sledge would break through.
AS we neared the mountains the
surface became icy and 1t was increas-
ingly difnclllt to keep straight Of skis
and manage the sledges.
Camp at Foot Of Glacier.
but here we are, camped tonight at
the foot of Liv Glacier in the very
shadow Of Mount hansen. Very tired
after the long trek, but even II I were
not should need much more poetic
felicity of expression than can muster
10 give any notion Of the sublime sight
ahead Of us--a mighty range of noun
tains from 10000 to $4,000 feet high,
rising sheer from the Ross Barrier
which ut their feet is not far above sea
level"
We spent three days exploring the
lower part OF Liv Glacier and surround
ing mountains. We incidentally saw the
necessity of getting we'll into the noun
tains beyond the foothills If we were to
reach the rocks that held the key to the
geology.
We had hoped to ascend by way of
the Ltv Glacier, but we found 1t so steep
and so badly crevaSSed that we were
scarcely able to climb it on foot shod
with crampons. We therefore left this
our first mountain camp, and came
along the foot OF the range to the SOUTH
east and camped on the lower part of
what Amundsen indicates on his chart
as the western portion of Axel Heiberg
Glacier
Establish Mountain Base.
We established our mountain base
here and called it Strom Camp
Our first field work necessitated as
sending the glacier to get at the rocks
that capped Mount NanSen, which lay