The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1934-07-24
RYR'D|'S.RH':tEF =.
+PARTYBAIKED
Turns Back After Losing
Trail; Feels, Sure OF
Finding Him j.,

LITTLE AMERICA, Antarctlca'
July 24.-(UP).-Five men, are
encamped on the Ross ice barrier
after an unsuccessful attempt 10
each Rear-Admirai Richard byro ;
hut 1928 miles south of this nas. a
They prepared today to ulg o, y
tractor out of blizzard, and s sn
which caught them % miles sousn II
"f the base after they had. given
I'D as impossible the task s4 him nv
which Byrd set them to get i''"'
out.
LITTLE AMERICA, ANTARF 9S
T1CA. july "a. CUP).-(V1a NC e
Wv K.U Radio). (UP). "A rele1
nartv dispatched by tracer rae s F F.
bring Rear-Admiral Rlcnara w. -,
Rvrd back to Little America IRON nm
by by isolated base 1913 miles SCUM
.nn the barrier was forced by oiin
o oai and exceeding cold to turn
back last night. I'll, -
The party, headed by Dr. nus:
r Pouiter. second in command OF
The Byrd South Polar expedition
had reached the 50-mile depot on
the trail linking the Headquarters
with Byrd's outpost, but lost the
markers beyond that, and decided
to turn back. y IL,
;; DR.. JPoulter reported by radio
that the flags marking the south.
arn trail from 5O-mile depot, half
wav to the Byrd outpost, were
buried in drifts and that 1T was
! inadvisable to proceed around the
dangerous valley of crevasses. -
He apparently was reluctant 10
relv on navigation alone to carry
| him around the crevass!riven,
area lust south Of the depot. Byrd
had instructed him on starting not
r. take chances with the lives OF
any of the men, and Poulter be-
lieved he was following orders 10
return and await more favorable
start. -.
Furthermore, a blizzard was
reported heading toward camp, ~
miles south of Little America, and
to continue through the storm
would have been impossible, even
with markers. The temperature,
going to II degrees below zero
here, added to the danger of re-
naming in the open too long.
The wind rose and a blizzard
grew with amazing force in each
gust, the storm registering sixty
miles an hour. 1t was blacker
than the inside of a derby hat
out in that bowling gale. i
However the party of five IN
the tractor group reported no par
ticular damage so far. They car.
ried full camping equipment, and
on the body of their big tractor is
a cabin holding two folding hunks
and stove.
They had travelled 100 nautical
miles to make their so miles OF
I"southing." and were lust short
of being half way to the Boiling
advance weather base where Byrd
awaited their coming after nearly
four moths of isolation, observing
meteorological data. -
There was no fear that the
tractor party eventually would
not be able to locate Byrd's cab
in buried under the SHOWS but the
broken trail will make it difficult.
The Poulter party halted on the
rim of the Valley of Crevasses,
| the most treacherous area on the
route. They sought in vain in the
darkness to locate the small or
ange-colored flags which the trail
blazing parties planted last fall.
DIR, Poulter reported in previous
radio contacts that all along the
trail the flags were difficult to
find, being completely showed UNI
der in places.
Since 2:3O p. m. last Friday,
when the tractor left Little Amer
lea in snow storm for Byrd's
base, the heavy machine, zig
Jagged over the barrier with men,
bers of the party scouting ahead
on skis trying to pick UP the trail.
DR.. Poulter swept the SHOWS. with
powerful searchlight as they
moved; slowly along in the dark
ness. The long polar winter; does
not end for another month, when
the sun returns to these climes.
among federal secret operatives