Morgan County republican. (Versailles, Mo.) 1906-1914, 1912-04-11

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very badly. SO | decided to retire to
Hut Point without delay.
A Close Call.
There at 2 a. m, on March /, 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 din.
Guilty the sledges were dragged. the
ponies jumping from noe to foe to.
ward the barrier. About noon the
party neared the barrier but found
its Ice wall u~nclimbable anc the swell
churning and breaking heavy foes
against Il. 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 a crack.
More Ponies Lost.
On March 4 We ascended 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 w
lost three OF oUr strongest ponies.
This was a severe blow to the expe.
dition. but not enough to wreck its
plans IL 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 un.
changed since discovery, in 1902. The
Hut was found almost completely All.
ed with hard STOW. the windows
broken and the door unhinged. With
much labor We cleared and repaired
It. II then afforded good shelter.
Preparing For the Winter.
On March Il ia%eutenant Evans led
a 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
hut the strong winds quickly drove 1:
out. After Marca % the ice remain.
ed fast in the sheltered bays but
continued TO dive 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, bat with the freezing OF the
bays | decided 70 mako an attempt
TO reach the station, partly by land
companions ] started. on April II. 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 ! returned to Hut Point
with a fresh sledge party carrying
supplies and stores. As it was i'm.
possible for animals 10 travel on the
rou,e taken, | left Meares and five
others in charge OF those AZ Hut Point
aud again returned 10 Cape Evans on
April 30. Sea ice continued to drive
ont 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
md safely returned 10 the main sta.
ton. The sound frozs solid in May
and ,a'er in winter packed ice eX-
tended TO an unprecedented distance
northwaId, despite numerous gales.
After the return from the absentaes
We settled down very comfortably
in our winter hut, lis arrangements
for lighting, heating. cooking and
ventilation proved eminently satisfac.
tors
Mount Terror, the party spent three
days building a stone hut on which
they rooted with canvas from this
camp. The men had great difficulty
in crossing the huge barrier pressure
ridges in the dim moor twilight 10
reach he rookery. They were sue
cessful at a second attempt. They
found comparatively few birds at the
rookery, but these had begun to lay
ever at this early date. Fortunately
some eggs at different stages OF de-
velopment were secured which should
give considerable information con.
corning the embryology OF this inter.
esting bird. The same night a violent
gale commenced and the ridge proved
inadequate shelter from the hurri.
cane gusts which whirled down or
tho hut l. ,ent and other carefully