The Mobridge news. [volume] (Mobridge, Walworth Co., S.D.) 190?-1917, 1912-04-05

40 O0h thO a We aPpIOdShCo NiC
barrier edge. and at 6 p. IN. by good
fortune discovered the missing party
on a pack which had been drifting
stopped, owing to swell subsiding.
With Alpine ropes the men were res
cued with difficulty.
Working on through the night we
succeeded in saving the sledges and
the ponies, which were only thirty
yards away; At a. m. the pack be
ponies with full nose bags and rested
till 8 "a. m, when the pack was again
stationary. We made desperate efforts
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 a trench to
The edges Of the foes were high
above water and very uneven. Killer
whales hung about within a few yards.
The ponies failing at the jump were
as 'S we len h it a max dr M Z mean" elenr to as she
north. on March 4 we assembled hills
east OF Castle Rock. and on the 5th
the party with the two remaining
ponies and the dog teams was safely
housed at Hut Point. BY this incident
This vas a severe blow to the expedi-
ton. but not enough to wreck its plans
II the remaining animals could be pre-
served.
The heavy swell which caused this
disaster, broke more than ten miles
or 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 filed with hard snow. the
windows broken and the door u~nhinged.
with much labor we cleared and re-
paired it,. 1t then afforded good shell
ter. While forced to wait for the sea
breeze to blow over we settled down
and discarded fragments of metal we
constructed an excellent blubber stove
and several blubber lamps. We fed
could only be obtained at a distance
over hills and were sometimes scarce,
but the supply never failed entirely,
thanks to the ingenuity shown by my
companions in improvising
ments with the slenderest resources.
With splendid health we were quite
comfortable and enjoyed the luxury of
a box of old magazines.
On March Is, the Western Geological
party returned. bringing our total to
sixteen persons; This party had spent
six weeks, making a close survey OF
Koettlitz glacier regions. thus complet-
ing an important part of our plan for
the geological survey for the coast.
Preparing for the Winter.
on March II, Lieutenant Evans led
a party to Corner Camp, completing
the depot arrangements for the coming
season. Inc temperature at the DdTrleT
had already fallen to minus 40 degrees.
throughout the month ice continually
formed over the sea but strong winds
quickly drove it out. After March 20.
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
Cape Evans by land, but with the
freezing of the bay | 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 arrangements for comfort remark
ably perfect. Numerous self-recording
instruments were in full swing, and
all records complete to date. All the
news was 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
per hour. For nineteen per cent of
the whole time, the wind had been
over gale strength. All observations
pointed to an exceptionally severe sea-
son.
on April II I returned to Hut Point
with a fresh sledge party carrying sup
plies and stores. AS it was impossible
for animals to travel on the route TAX
en-. l left Mears and five others in
charge Of those at Hut Point and again
returned to Cape Evan on April 30.
Sea ice continued to drive out of the
Sound until the first week in May. 1t
was not until May 10, three weeks aft
animals left Hut Point and safely re-
turned to the main station. The Sound
froze solid IN May and later in winter
pack ice extended 10 an unapprehended
of absentees we settled down very COM
fortably in our winter hut, it's ang
ments for lighting, heating. cooking
isfactory. 4 comfortable stable had
been built for the ponies and some
shelter improvised for the dogs dur
ing the four winter months.
The temperature at the station was
rarely below minus 40 degrees, at low
est minus SO degrees. The wind aver
aged fifteen miles an hour, but some
minus 80 degrees. Everyone was very
fully occupied with station and scien-
tific work. exercising animals, etc. A
series of lectures was organized and
football was played to within a month
of midwinter. Frequent visits were
made to Cape Royds and Hut Point.
The animals steadily improved in con-
Wilson, Bowers, Cherry and Gerard
started on sledge journey to Cape
Crozier to observe the incubation of
Very heavy Surface on the barrier
forced the party to relay work during
the main part and a fortnight was
taken on the outward journey. The
temperature was seldom above minus
so degrees and often below minus 20
degrees. the lowest observed with a
sling thermometer being minus IT de-
slopes Of Noun Terror the party spent
three days in building a stone hut
which they rooted with canva from
this camp. The men had great diff
Guilty In crossing the huge barrier pres
sure ridges in the dim noon twilight
to reach the rookery. They were sue
cessful at a second attempt. They
rookery, but these had began to lay
at even this early date. Fortunately
some eggs at different stages Of de-
velopment were secured which should
give considerable information concern
ing the e~mbryology of this interesting
bird.
The same night a violent gale com
menced and the ridge proved made
quate shelter from the hurricane gusts
tent and other carefully secured ar
ticles were blown away, and after
straining for fourteen hours the roof
Of the hut flew to ribbons. For thirty
hours more the travellers were confined
In their frozen sleeping beds. half
buried beneath snow and rock debris.
Forty-eight hours elapsed before the
get a meal. Searching for lost articles
missing tent between some morainic
boulders. practically uninjured. The
state of their equipment now forced
them to turn homeward. On the return
journey they were held for two days
by another storm after which the tenn