The searchlight. [volume] (Culbertson, Mont.) 1902-current, 1912-04-05

were confirmed when Wilson, who had
Travelled out over land. reported nav
/ ing seen with glasses ponies adrift on
sea ice. An hour later Cream ana
| set on Immediately to the west WORK
ing around the bay We approached the
barrier edge. and at p. IN, by good
| fortune discovered the missing party
| on a pack which had been drifting
| slowly northwest and had temporarily
| With Alpine ropes the men were res
cued with difficulty.
| Working on through the night we
| succeeded in saving the sledges and
their loads. but could do nothing for
the ponies. which were only thirty
| Yards away. At a. m. the PACK be
ponies with full nose bags and rested
till $ a. M. when the pack was again
| TO save them. Bowers and oats risked
| a long detour over the pack and led
the animals over many jumps. while
| the remainder Of US dug trench to
| the lower part OF the barrier.
The edges of the foes were high
above water and very uneven. Killer
| The ponies failing at the jump were
| irretrievablv lost. One pony only won
as we left i and drifted clear to the
north. ON March we assembled hills
east "f Castle Rock. and on the 9th
the pariy, NTH Wit the two remaining
housed at Hut Point. BY this incident
we lost three OF our strongest ponies.
rms was "A severe DlOw To tue eNpeIl-
tion, hut not enough to wreck its plans
! IL the remaining animals could be pre-
served.
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 unchanged since discovery
/ In 1902. The hut was found almost
| completely filled with hard snow, the
| windows broken and the door unhinged
Ia m NKssa los rod "a -
| paired H.. 1t then afforded good shell
| ter. While forced to wait for the sea
breeze Z" blow over we settled ia DOWN ,,na
and discarded fragments OF metal we
constructed an excellent blubber stove
and several blub6er lamps; We fed
could only be obtained at "A distance
over hills and were sometimes scarce,
but the supply never failed entirely.
companions in improvising arrange
| ments with the slenderest resources.
| With splendid health we were quite
| comfortable and enjoyed the luxury OF
! "A box of old magazines.
| on March -, the Western Geological
party returned. bringing our total to
| sixteen persons, This party had spent
| six weeks, making close survey OF
! the dry valley. lower ferrar. and
! koettlitz glacier regions, thus complet-
| the geological survey for the coast.
! Preparing for the Winter.
| ON March u. Lieutenant Evans led
| party to Corner Camp. completing
| the depot arrangements for the coming
| season. The temperature at the barrier
| had already fallen to minus 40 degrees.
| Throughout the month ice continually
| formed over the sea but strong winds
| quickly drove IL out After March 20,
the ice remained fast in the sheltered
/ bays but continued to drive out of the
! sound. Huge land-ice falls On the
| southwest slopes OF Mount Erebus pre-
| vented any possibility OF returning TO
/ "A l.Na l4n nd IA
| freezing Of the bay ! decided to make
an attempt To reach the station. partly
by land and partly by sea ice.
| with eight companions I started on
| April u. and, although caught by a
| storm ON sea Ice. We reached cape
! Evans early on the 18th. We found
| simpsons charge. in excellent order
aud arrangements for comfort remark
ably perfect. Numerous self-recording
instruments were In full swing: and
all records complete To date. All the
! news Nas good except the loss OF one
Of the nine remaining ponies and one
dog. During our absence there had
! been much wind. the mean velocity for
| two months being twenty-four miles
the whole time. the wind had been
over gale strength. All observations
pointed tn an exceptionally severe sea-
Z son,
ON April ~ 7 returned to Hut Poln,
with a fresh sledge party carrying sup
I plies aud stores. As II was impossible
/ lbF dtltllAlS 10 lIdNtl Oh tllt route thk-
en-. LEFT Mears and five others In
chnrg" nf those at Hut Point and again
returned t. cape Evans on April 80
Sea lee continued to drive out of tn,
Sound until the first week in May. II
was not until May II. three weeks aft,
"r tn" sun had gone that the men ant
animals left Hut Point and safely re.
turned To the main station. The Sound
! trOZe solid IN May and later I'm winter
pack ice extended to an unapprehendet
diStanc" northward. After the return
of ahsentccs we settled down very com.
fortably I'm our winter hut. its arrange
mcnts for lighting. heating. cookinl
isfactory. \ comfortable stable hat
been built for the ponies and som,
shelter improvls"d for the dogs dur
| ing the four winter months.
| The temperature at the station wa
rarely below minus 10 degrees. at low
est minus so degrees. The wind aver
times blew hard with the temperature
minus 80 degrees. Everyone was YER,
fully occupied with station and scien
tihc work, exercising animals, etc.
series Of lectures was organized an,
football was played To within a montl
OF midwtntcr. Frequent visits wer,
The animals steadily improved In con
dltion ON June %. middle winter
Wilson. Bowers; Cherry and Gerrar'
started on sledge Journey to Cap
; Crozier TO observe the incubation o
; Emperor henguins at their rookery
; Very heavy surface on the barrie
the main part and a fortnight wa
: taken on the outward journey. Tn
temperature was seldom above minu
90 degrees and often below minus :
degrees. the lowest observed with
I sling thermometer being minus "a de
, grees. Behind land ridge on tn
slopes of Mount Terror the party Spen
three days in building a stone hu
: which they rooted with canvas fror
. this camp. The men had great diff
Guilty in crossing the huge barrier pres
sure ridges in the dim noon twiligh
|, to reach the Fookery. They We're sue
, cessful at second attempt. The
4 found comparatively few birds at tn
, ro0kery. but these had began to Ia
! at even this early date Fortunatel
some eggs at different stages of de
: velopment were secured which shoul
! give considerable information concern
, ing the embryology Of this interestin
: bird.
! The same night a violent gale com
: menced and the ridge proved made
quate shelter from the hurricane gust
-. which whirled down on the hut.
, tent and other carefully secured ar
: ticies were blown away, and afte
, | straining for fourteen hours the roc
OF the hut flew to ribbons. For thirt
= hours more the travellers were confne
| I'm their frozen sleeping beds, hal