The Kenna record. (Kenna, Roosevelt County, N.M.) 190?-1924, 1912-04-12


walls and the animals had suffered
very badly, so / decided to retire to
Hut Point without delay.
A Close Call.
There at a. M, on March i, the
tired condition of the ponies obliged
the party to camp at 4:30. Bowers,
awakened by a noise, found the Ice
broken all around the camp, and NOV
ing with the heavy swell One pony
had disappeared from the picketing
line and was not seen again. Hastily
packing their sledges, the party decid-
ed to try and work southwest over
the packed ice. With infinite diff
Guilty the sledges were dragged, the
ponies jumping from zoe to foe to-
ward the barrier. About noon the
party neared the barrier but found
its ice wall unclimbable and the swell
churning and breaking heavy foes
against 1t. In this dilemma Cream
was allowed to attempt to obtain
help. He travelled east over the NOV
ing pack to find a break in the ice
wall and eventually hoisted himself
to the barrier surface by wedging his
ski stick in crack.
More Ponies Lost.
On March we assembled hills east
OF Castle Rock, and on the fifth the
party with the two remaining ponies
and the dog teams was safely housed
at Hut Point. BY this incident we
lost three of our strongest ponies.
This was a severe blow to the expe-
dition, but not enough to wreck its
plans II the remaining animals could
be preserved. The heavy swell
which caused this disaster broke
more than ten miles of sea ice, large
fragments from the barrier, and two
miles of glacier tongue-a feature
which had remained otherwise IN
changed since discovery, in 1902. The
Hut was found almost completely fill
ed with hard snow, the windows
broken and the door unhinged. With
much labor we cleared and repaired
it. 1t then afforded good shelter.
Preparing For the Winter.
On March II Lieutenant Evans led
party to Corner Camp, completing
the depot arrangements for the COM
ing season. The temperature at the
barrier had already fallen to minus
40 degrees. Throughout the month
ice continually formed over the sea
but the strong winds quickly drove it
out. After March % the ice remain
ed fast in the sheltered bays but
continued to drive out of the sound.
Huge land ice falls on the southwest
slopes of Mount Erebus prevented any
possibility of returning to Cape Evans
by land, but with the freezing OF the
bays decided to make an attempt
to reach the station, partly by land
and partly by sea ice. With eight
companions started. on April IL, and
although caught by a storm on sea
ice, we reached Cape Evans early on
the 18th. We found the station,
which had been left in Simpsons
charge, in excellent order, and ar
rangements for comfort remarkably
perfect,
On April II l returned to Hut Point
with a fresh Sledge party carrying
supplies and stores. AS 1t was i'm.
possible for animals to travel on the
route taken, left Meares and five
others in charge of those at Hut Point
and again returned to Cape Evans on
April 80. Sea ice continued to drive
out of sounds until the first week in
May. 1t was not until May 10, three
weeks after the -sun had gone that
the men and animals left Hut Point
and safely returned to the main sta
| ha t. Ne
and later in winter packed ice ex
tended to an unprecedented distance
northward, despite numerous gales
After the return from the absenteeE
we settled down very comfortably
in our winter hut, it's arrangements
for lighting, heating, cooking and
ventilation proved eminently satisfac
tory
Behind a land ridge on the slopes o.
Mount Terror, the party spent three
4 days building a stone hut on which
q they rooted with canvas from thii
/. camp. The men had great difficulty
in crossing the huge barrier pressure
4 ridges in the dim noon twilight t
@ reach the rookery. They were sue
i. cessful at second attempt. They
found comparatively few birds at the
I rookery, but these had begun to lay
a even at this early date. Fortunatel!
a some eggs at different stages of de
. velopment were secured which SHOULD
!. give considerable information con
n corning the embryology of this inter
+ esting bird. The same night violen
q gale commenced and the ridge proved
!. inadeouate shelter from the hnrri