Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1912-04-10

mails that were left to US. However.
organized a series Of lectures. To
divert ourselves we played football.
rather frigid sport, The remaining
animals improved in condition stead.
lily. In June, which is mid-winter,
several Of US started on sledge
journey, to Cape Crozier to observe
the incubation of the emperor pen
gums at their rookery. The tempera-
ture was then minus 20. The party
spent three days in a snow hut behind
land ridge on the slopes OF Mount
Terror to avoid a storm and expert
enced great difficulty in reaching the
rookery as the twilight was very dim.
Few birds were found there but they
had begun to lay eggs, which should
give considerable information about
the ambryology of birds.
Engines Got Too Hot.
I'VE left Hut Point on November 2,
marched the night, resting in the day
time and gave the ponies the benefit
of the warmer day temperature. We
followed the track Of the motors 60
miles, then found the machines aban-
doned on account of the heavy sur
faces. I decided to march Is miles
only every night and maintained this
pace for eight nights, when We found
the motor party which had gone be-
fore waiting for us in latitude 80.
They disabused my mind as to the
cause of abandoning the motors. The
only cause was the overheating Of
the air cooled engines
'"The machines dragged heavy loads
over the worst part Of the barriers
surfaces and crossed several crew
asses. Considering the inadequate
trial given to them their success has
been remarkable. With the expert
ence we have gained reliable traction
cars could be constructed which could
travel anywhere in this region and
thus save the sacrifice OF SO many
animals.
"On December 10 we were in lati-
tude 1887 south. AS we proceeded
the weather grew worse. The snow
storms were frequent. Land was rare
" visible. 1T was difficult to keep
a straight course and maintain steady
marches. We scame within twenty
miles of Mount Hope on December 4,
then we. were delayed for four days
by a gale during which we were oc-
cupied continually In digging the
ponies out ,of the snow To my knowl-
edge no such long storm has ever
been recorded in December IL these
regions. We could not have advanced
at all had not the leading pony worn
snow shoes and been hauled along by
men on skis. It took IA hours for
us to do eight miles. &a
ION December 81 In latitude 85.7
we were four miles west of Mount
Darwin. It was very difficult to pro-
coed because Of the soft snow. The
runner surface Of the sledges was In
adequate. Otter they sank to the
cross bars. For four days we strug-
gled through this icy morass at the
rate of FIVE miles day. 1t was If
,ficult even to pitch camp or to lead
the sledges on such surface. This
portion Of the glacier contains more
crevasses than any other.
10 Pushing Forward.
ION January 8. latitude S7.32, after
leaving the upper glacier depot south
from Mount Darwin, We started south
west, but could not clear the crevasses.
But on the fourth day, because we
were at such an altitude, we got a
splendid view of the distribution OF
the land and of the masses OF ice that
fringed It and OF the ARRANGEMENT Of
the ice falls. Since then we have av-
eraged Is miles a day..
"On Christmas day we were close to
the eighty-sixth parallel. On New
Years eve We were in latitude 1856.
There we fitted our sledges with new,
short runners. This remarkable piece
Of work was performed by the seamen
of the party, under the most adverse
conditions.
I'VE were now within $50 miles OF
the pole.
II am going forward with five men,
sending three back under Lieutenant
Evans with this data.
1.-THE advance party consists OF my
self, DR.. Wilson, the chief OF the sci.
entif1c staff; Captain Oates Of the IN
niskilling dragons, in charge OF the
ponies and mules; Lieutenant Bowers
of the Royal Indian marines. the COM
missiarat officer and Petty Officer
Evans Of the Royal navy. in charge Of
the sledges.
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