The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1912-05-10

hopeful for better weather conditions.
A second pony was destroyed at lati-
tude 50 degrees 10 minutes, third at
latitude 80 degrees as minutes and two
more near the SD parallel, None of
these animals was exhausted, but were
sacrificed on account of tightening
loads and as food for dogs.
/ AS we approached the weather grew
worse, snowstorms we're frequent, the
sky continually overcast and land
very rarely visible. Under these cir
cumstances it was most difficult to
keep straight course and maintain
steady marches. The ponies continued
! to pull splendidly. The excellent con-
dition they retained under severe work
attribute entirely to the manage
ment of Capt. Oates. In spite of de-
lays we reached latitude S3 degrees "a
minutes within twelve miles of Mount
! reached the glacier with five ponies
on the following day but for the inter
vention of a southerly gale which
lasted four days, during which we did
not sight land, although only a few
miles away. The wind was very vio-
lent at times, prodigious amount of
SNOW fell and we had continually to
dig out the ponies and tents. The
temperature rose to plus 8, the snow
melting on our equipment and COM
pletely soaking everything with wa
err No such prolonged storm has
hitherto been recorded in these re-
gions in December
Slow Progress in the Deep Snow.
, The 9th, after the storm, eighteen
, inches of wet snow covered the
: originally soft surface. We could not
have advanced at all had not the lead
ing pony worn snow shoes. The men
, hauled on skis. 1t took fourteen hours
without a meal to do eight miles. At
=, the first halt the ponies, were destroy
ed, as we had no more forage for
them Today we have come through
the pass and descended on Beard
, more glacier, but only with infinite
difficulty and after twelve hours work.
The soft snow brought by the storm
, continued over the pass. Men on
foot sank to their knees, and sledges
sank to their crossbars continually.
: The dogs have given some help, but
, could only be lightly laden on such a
surface.
send this note by returning teams.
The party is very fit, but cannot keep
up the hours which we have been
, working The storm has already cost
, us five days. It's effect may yet de-
!, lay us further, which would be a seri-
GUS matter Otherwise everything
has worked as planned. We hope to
find better conditions as we advance
up the glacier. We are necessarily
: dependent on the weather, and the
season thus far has been very I'M
promising
| SONCl "
December 21, latitude IS degrees Z
minutes SOUTH longitude 1853 degrees
-, minutes east, height about $500 feet,
four miles south, thirty west, of Mount
Darwin. Largely as a result of the
storm reported in my last dispatch,
the lower reaches of the glacier were
filled with terrible soft snow. Men on
foot sank to the knee at each step.
1t would have been quite impossible to
advance had We not pulled on skis.
AS it was, the runner surface of
sledges proved inadequate. They fire.
quently sank to the crossbars,, requir-
= ing to be extracted with standing
pulls. For four days we struggled in
: this morass, scarcely advancing five
miles day, although working ten
to eleven hours. It is difficult to
pitch camp and load sledges on such
surface. On the fifth day the sur
face grew little harder and we were
able to push on, still pulling on skis.
We did not get abreast of Cloud
breaker mountain until the 18th, so
that the snow cost us weeks ad-
vance.
Since the 10th we have been able
to make very good marches, working
:, up from thirteen to twenty-three sta,
, tute miles per day. BY program ]
arranged to push on from the eighty
fifth parallel with eight men and
twelve units of provisions, but l hop
ed to reserve a margin over this. AS
we stand we are only half a days
food short on program and should
= nave good chance of getting through.
5 The weather continues unsatisfactory
!, We had to march without sight of land