Wellington, N. %., Feb. 18, The captain of the ship Ele Bolling, which is on route to bring Rear-Admiral Byrd's expedition [from the Antarctic, has radioed that hho is encountering' gales and heavy, Jseas and that even with favourable conditions he cannot reach the ice pack before the week end. He gave his position as 440 miles. south of Otago Head. 4
Raymond Mercola, the supply officer to Rear Admiral Byrd's expedition, stated to-day that barely, a week remained before the ice pack was expected to freeze solid, possibly imprisoning the 70 members of the expedition.
Mercola said the scientists were eager to return to the United States to publish the data which they had New York, Feb. 19.
The New York "Times," the Ste Louis "Post-Dispatch" and affiliated newspapers to-day announced that Rear-Admiral Richard E, Byrd had broken his Little America exploration base camp in the Antarctic and had sailed for home on board the supply ship City of New York.
This concludes months of arduous exploratory and scientific work bot Jon foot and by aeroplane, and in-eluding a flight across the South Pole for which Byrd received thd frank of Rear-Admiral by act of Congress, The start for home was made at 19:80 o'clock this morning, Antarctic time.
Admiral Byrd and his men are bringing back essential papers and gear. They were forced, however, to leave behind them their acroplanes and much valuable other, material for which there was room on the ship—United Press.
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