Evening star., 1933-12-10
ELLSWORTH SHIP
NEARING ICE PACK
Wyatt carp Experiences Fair
Weather-Faces Squalls
and Cold Soon.
BY DIR. LINCOLN ELLSWORTH,
Leader Ellsworth Transantarctic Flight
Expedition,

Expedition.
BY Radio to The Star
ABOARD THE MOTOR SHIP wy
ATT EARP. December 9.-We have had
a remarkably smooth trip SO far and
today finds us about half way to the
pack ice.
Even in these low seas the Wyatt
make knots, instead of without
them Although Thursday noon we
entered the northern limit of the ice
drift, yesterday was warmer than when
we left Dunedin, New Zealand, our last
port of cal1.'
Squally weather, rough water and in
creaSing cold are due to come before
long. The duration of daylight is
lengthening and in another week we
should have midnight SUM- Sooty and
white wandering albatross the first
nave seen OF these marvellous birds,
with wing spread of IA feet, follow in
our wake, while little black and white
cape pigeons fly in friendly fashion
above our decks.
100 Ships Quilted.
The first day out we saw one blue
whale, but the plankton (water or
ganisms), upon which blue and fin
whales feed. is found mostly along the
fringe of pack ice, where are all the
whaling grounds. This year there will
be no whalers in the Ross Sea, but on
the Weddell Sea side there will be
great activity. for report from Cape
Town says that 100 mother ships and
chasers are Quitting for these waters.
Their equipment also includes one air
plane, to be used in spotting whales.
Heavy ice fields fringe the Weddell
Sea, so that the whaling grounds are
at least 300 miles out from the fixed
ice barrier to which hope to fly but
I hope to establish radio communica-
ton with the whalers and to receive
weather reports from them before and
during the flight across the Antarctic
continent from the Ross Sea to the
Weddell Sea.
NY memory of leaving Dunedin is
vivid. Circling in plane above the
Wyatt carp, my wife looked down upon
my departure. I felt more than a tinge
of sadness as saw her disappear In
the misty skies. bound for Auckland.
Married only five months, our first
Christmas will be separated Hers
will be spent in Samoa, en- route to
America; mine in the pack ice en- route
to the Great White South.
Yule Gifts on Board.
MOSI mems mlnQS, as DO ours aboard
the Wyatt carp. turn to Christmas at
this time of year. Down in the hold
are suit cases and packages filled with
boxes of dainties which are tied with
red ribbon on which my wife had been
busy for month past, but the con-
tents have been kept secret from me-
Every other package on board. from
Polar flying clothes to cabbages, is
listed and slowed in known compart-
ment where it can be found at a
moments notice. All emergency equip
ment is placed handy to the matches,
but I expect no emergency.
A message from the Prime Minister of
New Zealand, received as we left Dune
din, extended warmest good wishes for
the success of my venture and expressed
the willingness of the government to
extend any facilities within its power,
either in its own dominion or in the
Ross Sea dependency This message IS
indeed appreciated, but the expedition
has been so we'll organized and pains
takingly equipped, that I can dream of
nothing but success as we push off upon
this last great adventure in the history
of South Polar exploration.
Copyright. 1893. by MANA, Inc, and 4
New York Times.)