Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-26
BYRD SHIP DRIVES
| THROUGH ICE PACK
35-MiIe Wind Stretches Sails
to Help Speed to Outer
Edge.
BY RUSSELL OWEN.

By Radio to The Star, Star and the New York
ON BOARD THE BARK CITY OF
NEW YORK, At Sea, Wednesday, Feb
ruary 26.-The City of New York, Ad-
miral Byrd's flagship, today is running
west toward the whalers outside the
northern edge of the pack. We have
just left the heavy pack, which toward
the end was broken in large foes. and
the ship is steaming along with clear
water ahead.
For hours she had been winding her
way through leads and occasionally she
brought up with jar that made her
tremble. but then slid around the ice
and took up her course again.
We have been extremely fortunate.
When the southern edge of the pack
was reached the ice, although not
heavy, was tightly pushed together and,
under a cold southern wind, was joined
by new ice.
Wind Filled Sails Drive Ships.
But no sooner did the ship Degin to
slow up, barely crawling forward, than
a stiff wind from the south, about IS
miles an hour, with gusts as high as
40 hit the ship astern.
A fore lower topsail and fore staysail
were set and, with this pull added TO
tz&e work of the engines, she slowly
worked her way through the most close
= consolidated part Of the pack and
came out into an open lead.
from that time forward she drove
anead before the strong wind, break
ing rotten ice two or three feet or more
thick with little trouble
Sometimes she would be brought up
short by a heavy cake OF hard ice, but
always she wiggled around 1t and got
going again.
Lead Followed Like a River.
The ship made at times as much as
five knots through this stuff and late
yesterday hit a wide lead running north,
up which she ran as through river.
Last night the lead narrowed again
and, as darkness came on, the ship
was hove to for about three hours I'M
til the light again enabled the ice pilot
to pick his way from lead to lead.
The wind was still southerly and this
morning the City of New York was
running easily north and west, with
heavier ice to the northeast. Now no
ice can be seen to the northwest from
the crows nest.
we expect 70 meet EIle SISdLUSLllp
Eleanor Boiling tonight.
Pack Negotiated in a Day.
Since at noon the day before the
City of New York was encountering the
loose foes Of the outer fringe of the
ice pack her passage of the belt that
fringes the Polar Sea was accomplished
in little more than "a hours. On her
way down to the Barrier the bark took
81 hours TO negotiate the pack.
It is now clear sailing to Dunedin,
New Zealand, where she will arrive
about the middle of next month, COM
pleting the first leg Of the homeward
journey.
The ship now is steering for the
whalerS to the west of her to enable
the transfer of the dogs from her
crowded deck and thus give more oppor-
tunity to work her faster along her
course.
From the Eleanor Boiling, the supply
ship of the expedition, she will take on
coal and then both vessels will start the
northward voyage together, the faster
Boiling probably towing the City Of
New York at least part of the way.
At noon Of the previous day the
Eleanor Boiling, according to positions
given by both ships was about 80 miles
City Of New York. With smooth open
water ahead the City of New York, She
should join the Eleanor Boiling, as
expected, by night.
CcopyTiEht. 1880. by the New. York Times 90:
and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. All
rights for publication reserved through
out the WORLDLY