The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1909-03-01
AN ANTARCTIC STORM
Drawing the PerIIs Of a South
Polar Winters Night.
FIERCE FURY or THE GALE.

Adventures u Party Of Explorers IN
q Journey Over the Broken Pack
Ies--The solid Wall Of Wind That
Thanked q Friendly iceberg.
The srctic explorer has always had
hardship and danger enough, but the
antarctic discoverer has far more ter
rible conditions to meet Luckily ne
meets them with all the equipment
and method that arctic exploration has
taught mankind. Yet they are most
dangerous. as tho story Of those who
have lived through the south polar
winter night can testify. One Of the
experiences OF Bernacchi on the cruise
Of the Southern Gross some years
ago shows what an antarctic gale
means.
He and comrade, EIlifsen, started
out on short sledge Journey to carry
provisions from one camp to another.
IL was In September, and the broken
Zoe pack over which they must travel
was but a foot and half thick and
likely to break IN pieces afresh or pile
up in deadly masses at the mercy Of
the sea and wind. The two men had
three sledees and eighteen dogs. They
had hardly started before the wind
rose and a gale threatened. Halfway
to their destination there was an tee
borg Embedded IN the pack ice. and
they FASTENED 10 reach this before the
storm should break.
For five hours they tofled over the
fee, the wind gradually rising. The
gale broke IA fury Just as they reach
ed the iceberg, under whose lee they
pitched a tiny silk tent. into which
they crawsed after having fed their
dogs As best they could. Hour after
hour the wind ragged, and the Their
nometer went to 0 degrees below zero.
The snow drffted over and into the
tent. sleep was impossible
The explorers, who had met typhoons
In the China seas and cyclones in the
tropics, found by the aneroid az wen
as by theix own sensations that this
gale surpassed them all. Worst Of all,
II seemed as II the fee was beginning
to crack. They knew well that the
iceberg which protected them from the
full force Of the storm was the most
dangerous place possible IN other
ways. as the ice was sure to separate
first immediately round the berg,
throwing tent, men and dogs into the
Icy seas. The cracking Of Ice was now
to be heard above the roar OF the
wind They dared not stay In their
shelter.
A little to the east. Bernacchi re-
membered, was cave In the body of
the iceberg. Once 10 that, they would
not st least be precipitated into the
sea. even II they were carried away,
iceberg ana ST. 1t was 20 dark that
the wan OF the berg could not be seen
even when the hands touched It. The
two explorers CROPPED as best they
could along the slippery walls, both
hands on the ice and their bodies
pressed against It. Hallway around
they left the lee side and met the
gale. It came like solid thing. bear
Ing them back and down Not one
inch could they move against 1t, and
further exposure meant death. They
CROPPED back, blinded, deafened and |
almost paraiyxed with cold. to shelter.
Then they commenced toilsome hunt |
for foofhold on the Ice side some
where Toward morning they found a
low spur or projection. upon which
they scrambled and lay down perfect |
y exhausted In the snowdrifts, which |
grew each moment. To this they owed |
their lives, for the snow soon covered |
them and kept IN the warmth Of their |
bodies.
They dared not sleep for fear Of |
never waking, so they reused each |
other alternately. At last day broke,
md the gale abated- Crawling over
he snow, their garments frozen stir
ls boards, their boards solid Jumps Of
&c, they managed to reach their tent.
The ice had not broken. though It was
cracked here and there. They took
bod, slept, fed their dogs. who were
ieep In the drifts. but alive, and then
went ahead, mot caring
% be beaten" as Bernacchi expressed
/. 1t was o'clock at night before
hey reached camp, but the next day
hey were exploring and taking photo
yraphs and observations just as usual.
Ifan may seem puny against nature,
,ut he conquers her from the arctic to
he antarctic by his unconquerabie
soul. - william Rittenhouse in For
yard.