Evening star., 1933-12-17
BY COMDR. LINCOLN ELLSWORTH,

Leader Of Ellsworth Transantarctic Flight
Expedition,
ABOARD MOTOR SHIP WYATT
EARP, December 16-With definite
plan in view, am not in race to reach
Antarctic first Antarctic is big terri
tory and there is room for many ex-
petitions. In my mind, cooperation,
rather than rivalry, should be real
incentive. do not know plans of Ad-
miral Byrd and it has never been
my intention to use Little America.
We are now about 200 miles inside
the great polar ice pack and he'd no
by wind and wide, heavy ice foes
Snow Is driving up with southwest
wind, and the whole pack is in motion
To be locked in this without means of
propulsion would be a serious affair,
but We expect wind and current soon
to make riffs in the ice and leave leads
Of open water, of which we may take
advantage and proceed.
Our entry into the pack was sudden
and dramatic. Our only warning was
quick drop in temperature to two be-
low freezing and a light fog. Three
hours later two huge icebergs loomed
IN Slght, one to port and one to star
board. Fitting guardians they seemed
to the realm Of the ice king.
Land OF DeS0late Silence.
We passed between them, and two
hours later and 180 miles to the north
of where Rear Admiral Byrd found it
in 1880. We entered the polar pack, a
world apart from the one we had left
and where silence and desolation reign
supreme. LifeleSS and unfriendly it
may seem, yet it holds a fascination
all its own. Amid such surroundings
men are drawn closer together, and SO.
within the four walls of our little ship
there exists a comradeship that can
make us forget the dreary outside.
To work in these latitudeS we must
eat often, and we look forward to our
mess every four hours, which also brings
us together from our work.
None on an exploring ship can af-
ford to be idle. There are sledges to
make, sewing to do, films to take, and
every one takes turn at the watch on
deck.
Occasionally ivory gulls, fulmar and
black and white Antarctic petrels are
to be seem Thursday morning we saw
our first seal. a crab-eater, and that
night Bernt Balchen shot one, which
We had today for dinner. Three fin
whales travelling south passed us. and
I saw my, first penguin. an Adele.
passed 1t was the queerest, quatntest
bit OF feathered life have seen.
Emperor Penguin Appears.
We passed an emperor penguin this
morning, and it is well named as it is
the largest and most dignified of the
species, not bit inquiSitiVe like the
Adele. The emperor took not the least
notice OF Us.
Notwithstanding the first impression,
there is much color in polar scenes, for
the drifting ice is deeply tinged with
yellow, red and green. The yellow is
microscopic vegetable matter known
as diatons, and upon it the tiny red
and green shrimp life feeds. The
shrimp in turn is food for seals and
whales.
Interesting phenomena seen in these
latitudes are iceblinkS and water sky.
The iceblink is indicated by white or
pale greyish streakS upon the clouds,
while the water sky is represented by a
heavy streak of dull tarnished lead gray
color. There are now a few small
patches of water sky to be seen on the
low horizon, and perhaps within few
hours We may be on the move again.
(Copyright, 1888. by the North American
Newspaper Alliance. Inc, and the
New Yerk Times)