Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-01-20
Ronne's Ship Bottles
70 Miles Of Ice in Week
BY CAPT. FINN ROME
North American Newspaper Alliance

~'S-N We 'ssNA-No A'SNSPapCA lAAidbNC
ON ARD THE ICE
BREAKER STATEN ISLAND IN
THE V.sDDALL SEA. Antarctica
Delayed Ours is the first
American ship ever to enter the
Weddell Sea and the first of any
nation to smash through the
heavy foes of eight-foot-thickl
tce-rafts that have sealed of this
desolate bay for more than a.
year.
The obstacles to navigation
have been fearful. In over week
we have navigated only 70 miles
and now we are encased in ire
mendously heavy ice off Gould
Bay, still $40 miles from our des-
tination. Bowman Peninsula in
Edith Rome Land where We
hope to set up the station where
we will live for the rest of 1857
Yet We may be forced to set up
our base nearer at hand.
Something of the loneliness
and heartbreak and heroism of
Arctic exploration was brought
home to us this week as we paid
visit ~ helicopter to the eight
men at the British base I'M
Shackleton Bay.
This group, led by Ken Blaik-
lock lost their stores and fuel on
the treacherous bay ice last year
and were forced to winter over
In tents with the temperature
down to minus "a degrees. Only
two months ago were they able
to complete building a hut.
where we sat around a stove and
watched their elation at seeing
new faces. In a few days they
will be joined by the group
under Dr.. Vivian Fuchs and Sir
Edmund Hillary aboard the sup
ply ship Magician.
First Visitors in Years
On New Years eve Capt. Ed
win Macdonald and I flew by
helicopter to another isolated
British base where we were the
first visitors in more than a year.
Here at HALEY Bay met again
my old friend DR.. v. David Dalg-
liesh, in command of a nine
man party. We took his aide,
George Lush of Portsmouth.
England, back to the Staten
Island for an X-ray of a broken
wrist that was found to be heal
ing satisfactorily in spite of the
10 different casts it had in four
months.
say New Years "eve"-but
OF course at this time of year
the sun shines "a hours a day.
and work goes on around the
clock. 1t was at 4 am. on Janu-
airy 2, that we lost helicopter
in an accident that miraculously
spared the pilot. Walter Strait
and Walt Disney Cameraman
William Forth.
The 'copter had engine failure
at eight feet off the deck. flipped
over and ground up the deck
with its rotor blade. The ma
chine and Fortin's CinemaScope
camera were damaged beyond
repair.
While our two ships, steadily
battling the ice, moved slowly
forward toward our ultimate
destination. the remaining cop
ter flew Capt. Mcdonald and an
Argentine observer, 1t. Dansel.
to the Argentine Belgrano base,
II miles away. During their visit
with the eight Argentines, their
leader, Gen. Herman Pujato, ex-
pressed his desire to meet me.
which request Capt. Mcdonald
radioed aboard.
AS my 'copter. piloted by 1t.
. Edgar NeWall, approached the
barrier cliff l saw a small beaver
plane, 10 sled-dogs. four weasels
and radio masts which were Wis
ible. One man popped up, SEEM
ingly from nowhere, and greeted
me most heartily in Spanish. 1t
turned out to be the general
himself.
Old Magazines Popular
Others were soon on the sur
face, including Capt. Mcdonald
who returned to the ship in the
'copter which had brought me.
The Argentine doctor, who spoke
English we'll. led the way to a
small boXlike opening where we
climbed down a vertical ladder
to landing. where a low tunnel
led to their living quarters buried
deep into the barrier. Although
congenial Gen. Pujato had been