Evening star., 1934-10-28

Richard T.. Byd describes mere
his experiences during four and a
halt months OF solitary ISOLATION
which almost proued fatal to him
at Boiling Gduance base in the
Antarctic.
BY CHARLES J. ". MURPHY,
Communications oficer. Byrd Antarctic
Expedition.
" TITLE AMERICA, Antarctica,
October 81 (by Mackay Ra-
wholly relaxed from the
- strain of his recent experiences.
Rear Admiral Byrd casually,
and with the detachment Of a man
consulting a distant and impersonal
event, has reviewed the remarkable
Winters isolation that nearly cost him
his life.
Not all the facts came from him
in direct interview-they occurred in
casual conversations with members OF
the expedition; they were dropped
briefly in conversations over a pot
of tea.
Part of the story came from DR..
Thomas C.. Poulter, who led the
tractor party to Admiral Byrd's ad-
vance weather base in August and
for two months lived in the intimate
life Of that outpost.
Epic of Antarctic.
1t is now a complete story, one
of the epics of the Polar regions.
Coming back even to Little Amer
ica," Admiral Byrd said, lis like re-
turning to a different world. I've
been away for nearly seven months,
living entirely alone for more than
four months of that time, and almost
completely within myself, under con-
ditions I can't find words to convey.
I feel as if I had to sink roots into
a foreign soil and recorder, not only
my own life, but my philosophy as
well. It's like being tossed onto q
different planet.
You will understand" he went on
to tell this correspondent, who has
enjoyed a long and intimate FRIEND
ship with him, that parts of the
story are not yet wholly clear in my
memory. My diary is still at the ad-
vance base and will be brought in
by the tractor with my other effects.
Besides, the experience was a very
personal thing with me. 1t was some
thing I lived out myself, fulfilling a
desire I had had for many years, and
the whole thing has for me an inti-
macy difficult to reveal.
Enjoyment and Nightmare.
mo intelligent man could live iso-
lated in that shack through Polar
Winter night, enduring some OF the
coolest temperatures ever recorded,
and not find out something new about
himself and about people and things.
There were periods of irdescribable
peace and tranquility out there. I
don't think I ever enjoyed anything
more than the first two months /
spent there.
But June-June was the long
nightmare. 1t was an eternity OF
darkness. I was physically helpless,
and from the high invulnerability OF
the first months was brought down
to a point where I lived only from
minIite TO minute, expecting every
me to bring the final crushing de-
cision.
1T is a wonderful thing for a
man to discover, when things are
blackest and hope has vanished to
but the thinnest pulse beats, how pas
sionately and pertinaciously he viii
cling to life and the principles he
has set for himself, when even these
things stand forth with their frailtieS
exposed.
Beautiful Experience.
"As an experience. it was in many
respects a beautiful experience.
wanted it, I asked for it, and 1 would
not have missed it for anything
Still, I'm glac it is ended and I feel
that it was worth while"
The value of Admiral Byrd's ex-
perience from a scientific point OF
view will be determined when the
meteorological and auroral records
he kept at the southernmost obserVa-
tory ever occupied are collated and
correlated with the data accumulated
bv the main stations at Little Amer
ica during the same period of time.
DR.. Poulter, who examined Admiral
Byrd's records, said they were COM
pletely and painstakingly kept, even
at the forfeiture of the strength that
Admiral Byrd should have reserved
for his own salvation.
"I was up every morning before .
o'clock" he said, "to make my first
weather observations, and often 1t
was 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning be-
fore I turned out my light.
He set for himself a rigid routine
to which he steadfastly stuck. NOT
having an alarm clock-he still can
not figure out how he ignored that
familiar and essential item among
the innumerable things he TOOK
along-he had to train himself TO
awaken in time to take the o'clock
observation. The kerosene stove that
was his only source of heat he extln-
guished at night, as a rule, several
hours before he turned in. His hrSt
act in the morning after he threw
on his clothes was to start the stove
going. Usually at night before ne
turned in he would put water on the
stove for cup of tea in the morning
and for cereal. This would freeze
hard during the night, with the fire QUIT
Observation Routine.
While the ice in the pot was thaw-
ing Admiral Byrd would climb the
ladder up the hatch, take reading
of the thermometers and the baro-
graph in the instrument shelter top
side and note the clouds and the
wind direction. Then he would re-
turn below and note the wind dlrec-
ton and velocity recorded by the bat
tery-driven triple register in his shack.
This instrument was connected with
the weather vane and the whirhng
wind cups on the thermometer pole.
The instruments required contlnu-
GUS care and vigilance. The intense
cold stopped the delicate clockwork
mechanism on account Of the freezing
i