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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (April 26, 1960)
The Bellingshausen-Amundsen Sea Venture .cebireakers': Rendezvous; Reach Antarctica Life Aboard Ship Told; Expedition Moves Into Unknown (Editor's note: Thii It another in the icriet of article! by Herb Grey on hit impressioni of a 70-day trip to Ant arctica recently. Today's article deale with life aboard hip, the rendeivoui with the Burton Iiland, and reaching the Antarctica.) . By HERB GREY Mail Tribune Advertising Manager The first icebergs made their appearance on Thursday, Feb. 11. One rising 100 feet into the air like a giant marble cube was especially impressive as it passed on our port side. Quickly they multiplied in numbers, slipping silently by like snow-white floats in a parade. jestic castles, others appeared as great floating plateaus. Bob Starr's "Oceanographic Atlas of the Polar Seas" ex plains that Antarctic icebergs do not originate from narrow glacial tongues like those in Greenland and Spitsbergen, but are pushed into the sea along a broad front ice shelf. They may be as much as 100 miles in length and 200 feet above the waterline,' box-like or tabular in form as opposed to the craggy forms of Arctic icebergs. Movies Shows as Usual Even though seas were heavy and the motion picture projector more than once fell over during the evening show, movies were shown as usual in the officers' wardroom and the crew's messroom. The higher the waves rolled, the lower was the attendance. Commodore McDonald and Capt. Porter were present, as usual, and popcorn from the Commodore's mess was munched as the audience cheered the hero and hissed the villian. While scientists poured over prodigious volumes, officers, newsmen and crew members spent spare time puzzling along with Perry Mason over the problems of criminal law with an assist from Earl Stanley Gardner. Entomologist Robin Reed's large insect nets whipped in the wind from the Glacier's rigging and occasionally notes would be slipped into one of them by a crew member. Most of those on board had, in fact, become so exposed to scientists that amateur geologists, entomologists, oceanographers and ornithologists were numerous. The storm increased in fury the following day; it became a full time job to eat without having food spread across the floor, and sleep in the nar row bunks while the ship rolled and pitched. It was Saturday, Feb. 13, however, before the storm reached its climax. Although cargo was well batted down, several drums of aviation gasoline broke loose in the morning's early hours and five were lost be fore the balance could be se cured. There were injuries among officers and men, but only one was recorded on the bin nacle list by Lieut. John Dal co, ship's physician. He was Seaman Elmer R. Tidd, store keeper of Dayton, Ohio, who lost his footing while swab bing the mess deck and struck a hatch. X-rays indicated a fractured hip bone. "For about one hour," the Glacier's captain, Comdr. Por ter, said, "all hell was break ing loose, including the ship's pickup truck trying to skid off the flight deck, breaking several cables ordinarily suf ficient to hold a vehicle much larger." Climax of Storm The climax of the storm was reached at 11:45 a.m. when the clinometer Indica tor showed a maximum roll of 47 degrees. Some loomed high like ma Then came the lull that al ways comes with ice-filled seas. At 1845 (6:45 p.m.) San Francisco time, the Glacier entered Amundsen sea pack ice at 129 degrees, 15 min utes West, 69 degrees, 47 min utes South. That was Satur day, Feb. 13; we were nearing our rendezvous with the USS Burton Island southwest of Peter I Island. Rumors, from time to time, spread through the small com munity which made up the Glacier's expedition group. As the Amundsen tea was en tered, word spread that the big USSR icebreaker- was nearing the heretofore unap proached Eights coast and Thurston peninsula. If true, it would probably be a friend ly race between the Lenin and the rumored Russian aux illiary craft Ob, and the two American icebreakers, the Glacier and Burton Island. Cold War Warmest Strange as it seems, in this coldest of all countries and the cold war between the USSR and the US seems warmer than elsewhere. Amory Waite described his visit with an official U.S. party to the Russian base in Antarctica back in 1953, at IGY party, with complete freedom, examined and eval uated the scientific equip- Q '" ! - i coesfrom Kant I Mr r, i1le finest of t w T' ' MATI0NAI DISTILLERS PROQUCTX COMPANY, NEW TOM Section B MEDFORDIilWTRIBUNE MEDFORD, 'SVSaU.je". -r WJ . . .1 ON EXPEDITION The two U. S. icebreak erswhich penetrated the heavy ice packs of the unknown Bellingshausen sea during Op eration Deep Freeze 60. The larger ship, the USS Glacier, has 21,000 horsepower diesel electric engines, the smaller USS Burton ta rn e n t, physical properties, food, cold weather clothing, vehicles and tractors. Warmest hospitality was ac corded the U.S. visitors at that time; friendly coopera tion has continued since, es pecially throughout the Inter national Geophysical Year. The name of this Russian station was borrowed from PORTER'S PINNACLES One of the hazards encountered by the two icebreakers, USS Glacier and USS Burton Island, when they penetrated the unknown Bellingshausen sea, An tarctica, during Operation Deep Freeze 60 is shown here. This rock in the uncharted waters was unofficially named "Porter's Pinnacles" after the skipper of the Glacier. Near this point the sea reached a depth of more than 700 fathoms (about 4,200 feet). (Official Navy Photo) KENTUCKY STRAIGKI BOURBON WHISKY, li PROOF OREGON, TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 1960 Ovri -y.L.2r land has 10.000 horsepower. Both ships car ried scientists for oceanographic, geological, meterological and topographic studies in the new area of Antarctica. ' (Official Navy Photo) Capt. Bellingshausen's ship, Mirny, which entered the sea, named for the famous Russian explorer, in company with the Vostok. Anything But Summery On Sunday, Feb. 14, the sea looked anything but sum mery. Ice swirled past the Glacier, the sleet swept down from darkening skies, and oc casionally seals floated by on Pages 1-6 chunks of smooth ice to cast their sad, inquiring eyes upon this intruder. Church services that day were conducted by En. Doug las Richards, the ship s com munications officer, and the Lord's Prayer was punctuated by jolting, jarring thuds as growlers," solid ice chunks, collided with the Glacier's prow. The "Glazzette," the ship's newspaper edited by Jim Gallo, J03, made its first appearance on this day with the first printed news of the outside world." Those who roamed the flight deck for exercise had to break out their long Arctic underwear and other cold weather gear as the Antarctic air crept in. 'High on the Hawg' It was roast chicken in the Commodore's mess that day. Actually, we had been living high on the hawg." One eve ning it was lobster, prepared to perfection by Cunningham and his galley boys. The lob ster had been personally se lected by Commodore Mc Donald; the next night it was delicious venison, personally shot by Capt. Roy Champion, popular harbor pilot at Lyt- telton. Penguins, the strange "geese" reported by Magel lan as he voyaged near the Patagonian coast in 1520, floated along majestically on great cakes of ice. These were emperor penguins,, largest of the "little people" who, in formal attire, so closely and comically resemble humans. Because of their amazing ability to withstand up to 70 degrees below zero blizzards, they are the undisputed rulers of six million square miles of Antarctica's land and coast. Almost the entire crew of the Glacier was from the New England states as the ship it based in Boston. The only other Oregon representative was Ernest Dunmire, aviation machinist mate third class, from Dallas, Ore. This hand some young Oregonian, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Dunmire of Dallas, and husband of the former Miss Rhoda Peak of Valsetz, Ore., helped to keep the Glacier's two helicopters in peak condition. Pleasure to Roam It was always a pleasure to roam the ship's flight deck with Ernie and Indulge in a little Oregon talk," since most conversation and gossip on board dealt with the east ern states. Since Commodore McDon ald's self-taught hobby is playing the accordion, the "music lovers" in his flag mess frequently gathered for pre-dinner concerts. His rep ertoire included many old time favorites that brought pleasant memories of nice people and nice places. On Tuesday, Feb. 18, the Glacier and Burton Island rendezvoued near Peter I Is land at 104 degrees West, 71 degrees South. The two ships were moored together at tea Capt. John Cadwallader, Chief of Staff for Admiral Tyree and Antarctic Projects officer, and Comdr. Griffith Evans, skipper of the Burton Island, came over to confer with Commodore McDonald, Comdr. Porter, and Phil OU "GOOF" It Your Orovyl BE A K-BOY Blooptr-Snooper Smith, and to map the assault upon the Thurston peninsula and Bellingshausen sea. The' expedition passed inside Capt. James Cook's track of 185 years ago just before noon. It was to be an historic day! Approach Was Dramatic And the approach to the loneliest and least known sea coast in the world was dra matic. Amazingly, open water off the ice shelf, sprinkled with brash ice and massive ice bergs, confirmed reports that ice conditions here at the mo ment were the best in 200 years. On the Glacier's bridge, Capt. Porter found the waters off this uncharted and un known coast both tricky and treacherous. Nervously, the ship, with the' Burton Island close astern, weaved through sharp and jagged pinnacles of rock as cautiously as slipping through a mine field. It was just as deadly! On the Glacier's bridge continuous recordings of the s o n a r-sounding Fathometer were called; when clearance seemed precarious all engines were stopped while cautious checks were made. Profile of Bottom The profile of the bottom of the sea in these waters ap peared like the Grand Can yon. Jagged pinnacles and snags reached up from " the ocean's depth. Readings went from 700 fathoms to 200 feet within the short distance of a few ship's lengths. When deeper, safer waters were finally reached and ten sion lessened, the men on the bridge laughingly and unoffi cially christened these peril ous crags "Porter's Pinnacles" as a gesture to the ship's skipper. 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VACATION STORK HIW HOMI TAX IDUCATION - INSURANCt NIW CAR ALt.URPOI RUMBLING PAVEMENT Tallahassee, Fla. - IUP0 - A traffic engineer for the Flor ida Road Department re ported Thursday engineers are experimenting with a rumbling pavement in hopes the noise will keep drivers from becoming victims of "highway hypnosis." HUBBY LOSES OUT Westford, Vt. - (UPD - Mrs. Elizabeth Grow was elected town school director, defeat ing her husband, James, 40-16. Quality Service ff
