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 click here for the master table of contents for SailorOfFortune.com |
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 Captain Charles John "Nomad" McGuinness A Pivotal Member In An Unofficial Role |
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 127 |
From the National Geographic Magazine August 1930 The Conquest Of Antarctica By Air By Richard Evelyn Byrd Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy Retired
click photos |
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  128 |
The City OF New York, Sturdy Carrier of 20th Century Argonauts The staunch little vessel is no speed marvel, but she withstood the battering punishment of the Antarctic ice pack and brought Admiral Byrd and his fellow explorers safely home from their great adventure
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 129 |
Making Movies Aboard The City Of New York Under Difficulties Joe Rucker selected this precarious perch on the City Of New York from which to take pictures while going the the Ice Pack. The motion picture cameraman brought home 30 miles of film as their record of the expedition. The whaler "Larsen", towing the City Of New York, appear in the left background (see text page 140). |
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 130 |
The City Of New York
Leaving Antarctica |
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 131 |
For Hundred Of Miles Cliffs Of Ice And
Snow Form A Barrier About The Antarctic Continent The dog team on top the barrier gives a measure of comparison for these towering ice walls. |
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 134a |
Over Rough And Dangerous Pressure Ice The Dog Teams Hauled Supplies From Ship To Shore | |||
 134b |
Monarch Of South Polar Skies The big Ford monoplane, Floyd Bennett, performed superbly on its successful 1,600 mile round trip flight to the South Pole, bearing Admiral Byrd, Bert Bulchen, Harold June, and Capt. Ashley McKinley |
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 135 |
Sea Smoke Hovers Like A Dappled Shroud
Over The Sea This vapory substance stays close to the surface. When flying above it the airmen could not make out the decks of the City Of New York, but could plainly see its masts sticking up above the "smoke." In the background is an ice tongue of the barrier, along the coast east of the Bay Of Whales. |
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 136 |
Admiral Byrd's Capital City Under
Construction Little America was a metropolis compared to any Antarctic base which had preceded it. Forty two men spent fourteen months there without critical illness or distress. It was equipped with improvised scientific laboratories, hospital, gymnasium, storerooms, mess hall, offices, machine shop, dog kennels, and radio station (see page 150). This photograph of the base camp was made before its completion and when some of the supplies were still stored in tents. The Adolph Ochs Radio Towers were names for the publisher of the New York Times. |
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 137 |
Games And Radio Music Helped To Pass The
Leisure Hours On Saturdays, at about 4pm Antarctic time, Station KDKA or WGY broadcast special programs. Reception was excellent and the men of the ice party greatly enjoyed these performances. New Zealand stations came in well. The station at Little America was a daily (Morse) code communication with the New York Times and once even held a "code conversation" with Greenland at the other end of the Earth (see page 172). |
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 138 |
Radio Kept All Exploring Parties In Touch
With The Home Base Admiral Byrd's ability to communicate at all times with each unit of his expedition was a major factor in his success. The trail (radio) sets were made at Little America by the expedition's own engineers and gave extraordinary service. One annoyance experienced by radio users at home, but which never affected the expedition, was interference from other stations. A trail party is talking with Station WFA (Little America). |
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 139 |
Cloud Formations Sometimes Rival The Ice
And Snow For Fantastic Beauty The view shows Little America flying field with a familiar type of wind direction indicator.
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 140 |
Thawing Out A Ham And Egg Sandwich
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 141 |
Lunching "Al Fresco" (pick nick) On The
Bay Ice
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 142 |
Little Americans Developed All Kinds Of
Beards Except Bluebeards Subzero temperatures are not conducive to shaving, and facial adornment changed the apearance of many of Admiral Byrd's men. As they appear from left to right: Tennant, Hanson, Parker, Smith, June, and Rucker.
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 143 |
This Little "Pig" Whale Strayed Too Far Following a lead, he swam into close quarters and was unable to return to open water because the shifting bay ice had closed in behind him. He had then to wait for the ice to shift again or take a chance on swimming under it and finding a way out. This latter procedure would be dangerous, for a whale of this type can stay submerged only from seven to ten minutes. |
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 144 |
Dr. Cuman Conducted A Baby Clinic For
Weddell Seals Assisted by Paul Siple, Boy Scout member of the expedition (left), the medical officer weighed, measured, and tagged numerous seal pups, and carefully recorded their growth and habits. The was possibly the first "Baby Clinic" held in Antarctica. |
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 145 |
Mrs. Seal Looks On While Her Offspring Is
Examined The pups offered no resistance save a few feeble growls, and while mother was evidently not in accord with this child welfare movement, her objections too were purely vocal. |
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 146 |
Raw Material For The Great Ice Pack
Drifting Out To Sea In The Spring The photograph was taken from a mile altitude and each of the pieces of ice, which resemble bit of confetti, is in reality from 10 to 20 feet across, and nearly as think. |
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 147 |
Countless Hours Of Careful Calculation
And Planning Lay Back Of The Successful Polar Flight Perhaps the outstanding feature of Admiral Byrd's exploring expeditions and adventures is the painstaking and efficient preparation that has been made for them. Here he is discussing plans for the great flight with his fellow pilots. From left to right: Dean Smith, Capt. Alton Parker, Admiral Byrd, Berst Balchen, and Harold June, gathered in the camp library at Little America. |
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 148 |
There Will Soon Be One Less Penguin In Camp | |||
 149 |
Whiskers Soon Become Icicle At Fifty
Below The temperatures at Little America were frequently so low that a man's breath froze and transformed his beard and mustache into an icy mass. The amber goggles were necessary to prevent snow blindness. This is Jim Fenry who drove the first ever motorized snowmobile in Antarctica! |
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 150 |
"Ciggy Ante" Replaced "Penny Ante" Among
The Explorers Money was a useless encumbrance in Antarctica, so cigarettes were used as stakes in this poker game. (note the banker's cans of cigarettes on the corner of the table - cigarette were packed in cans for freshness then) Admiral Byrd finished 30,000 points ahead in a single night of bridge, but of course the night was four months long! |
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 151 |
Jack Frost Tries His Hand As An Interior
Decorator The roof of the sledge repair shop was hung thickly with beautiful frost crystals, and whenever a member of the expedition struck his head against one of these he received a frost spray down his collar! |
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 152 |
A Young Crab-Eater Seal Visits The
Explorers The species is not so common as the Weddell Seals. This youngster was kept in captivity for some time and studied carefully. He often entertained his captors by rolling over on his side and emulating a canary with his shrill whistling tones. He is not a fur seal, but like all his tribe, is a graceful and efficient swimmer. |
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 153 |
Blizzards Did Not Worry The Eskimo Dogs Covered with snow and ice, they slept out in the open at subzero temperatures, sometimes throughout a blizzard, with only their noses showing. A heavy outer coat of hair and a furry inner lining almost as thick as felt makes this possible. |
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 154 |
Slow And Awkward Ashore, Seals Are Grace
Itself In The Water Nature has provided well for these Antarctic creatures, for they have no enemies ashore, and therefore no special need for speed or fighting equipment. However, when in the sea the price of survival is their ability, through wonderful speed and agility, the elude the savage Killer Whales and Sea Leopards! |
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 155 |
A Snow Petrel Takes Captivity
Philosophically Only a few varieties of sea birds brave the frigid blasts of the far southern continent, even in summer. In addition to this and other kinds of Petrel, the Byrd party saw numbers of Penguins and Skua Gulls. |
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 156 |
Raising Old Glory Over Antarctica The Return Of The Sun Was Occasion For A Celebration The long night was extremely monotonous and there was great rejoicing at Little America upon returning daylight! |
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 157 |
Climbing The Radio Towers To Get A
Preview Of The Returning Sun Having said goodbye on April 18th, the Sun did not reappear on the horizon until August 20th. |
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 159 |
Aerial Conqueror Of The Ends Of Earth Admiral Richard E. Byrd, accompanied by the late Floyd Bennett, flew to the North Pole from Spitzbergen in 1926. On November 29th, 1929, with three companions he succeeded in flying over the Earth's most southerly point. The explorer is dressed in the Caribou skin suit which he wore on his South Polar flight. Igloo, a pet Terrier, accompanied him on both expeditions and has thus spent much of his life in the regions of ice and snow. |
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