The Washington herald., 1912-04-02

morning they found that the sea Ice had
broken all around and that the camp
was moving under a heavy sea swell
One pony vanished In a crack. from the
line where they had been picketed- With
| infinite ditficulty we dragged the ponies.
4 jumping from foe TO noe toward the
barrier, but found that II was impossible
to climb that ice wall.
Used Alpine Ropes.
THE swell was churning up the ice
and crushing the heaviest foes against
the face OF the barrier. One Of the
party eventually hoisted himself up the
barriers surface by wedging his ski
| stick in a crack"
After relating this remarkable ad-
venture, Capt. Scott goes on to describe
how he rejoined the party when the
drifting ice packs stopped temporarily
and the men on II were rescued with
out much difficulty by means of Alpine
ropes But three of the strongest
ponies were lost before the party was
finally housed at Hut Point He goes
| on:
"on March Is the geological party
returned. bringing our number up TO
sixteen. The western party had passed
six weeks in the close survey Of the
dry valley of the lower Ferrar and
Kettlitz glacier regions. Meantime the
| depot arrangements for the coming
season had been completed. The tenn
perature on the barrier had fallen TO
minus 40. Ice had again formed over
the sea, but strong winds drove II
north. Huge land-ice falls on the
slopes of Mount Erebus prevented pos
sIbility of returning to Cape Evans,
| but because the bays were freezing 1
decided to reach that station over the
| sea ice.
with eight companions I started
| April II and reached Cape Evans April
Is. All the news given me by the men I
had left there was good except that we
had lost the nine remaining ponies"
The party then returned to Hutpoint
and decided to settle down there for the
four winter months in the temperature
Capt. scott's graphic recital continues:
Men Played Football.
Everyone was fully occupied with the
duties OF the station, with scientific work.
and In exercising the animals that were
left to us. However. I organized a series
of lectures. To divert ourselves we play
ed football, a rather frigid sport. The
remaining animals improved in condition
steadily. In June. which is midwinter,
several OF us started on a sledge journey
to Cape Crozier to observe the incuba-
tIon OF the Emperor penguins at their
rookery. The temperature was then
minus 20.
The party spent three days in a snow
hut behind a land ridge on the slopes OF
Mount Terror TO avoid a storm and eS-
perienced 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 en-
bryology CT birds
We left Hut Point November .,
marched the night. resting in the day
time. and gave the ponies the benefit OF
the warmer day temperature. We fol-
lowed the track OF the motors sixty miles.
and found the machines abandoned on ac-
count of the heavy surfaces. decided to
march fifteen miles only every night and
maintained this pace for eight nights.
when We found the motor party which
had gone before waiting for us in lati-
tude 50. 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 sur
face and crossed several crevasses. Con-
sidering the inadequate trial given 10
them, their success has been remark
able. With the experience we have gain
ed, reliable traction cars could be con-
structed which could travel anywhere in
this region. and thus save the sacrifice
OF so many animals.
"On December TO- we were in latitude
S3ST south. As we proceeded the weather
grew worse. The snovstorms were fire.
quent. and land was rarely visible.
II was difficult to keep a straight course
and maintain steady marches. We came
within twenty miles Of Mount Hope on
December 4: then We were delayed for
four days by a gale. during which we
were occupied continually in digging the
ponies out OF the snow. To my knowl-
edge, no such long storm has ever been
recorded in December in 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.
II took fourteen hours for US TO do eight
miles.
Then we came through the pass and
descended on Bedmare Glacier, the men
sinking to their knees in the soft snow.
1 send these facts by a party returning
TO the base. They are in good condition.
but they cannot keep up with the hours
that We have been working.
Five Miles n Day.
"on December q. in latitude ST., we
were four miles west OF Mount Darwin.
II was very difficult to proceed because
Of the soft snow. The runner surface
OF the sledges was inadequate. Often
they sank to the cross bars. For four
days We struggled through this icy mo-
rass at the rate OF five miles a day. 1t
was difficult even TO pitch a camp or
to load the sledges on such a surface.
This portion of the glacier contains more
crevasses than any other.
"On January 3. latitude S.32, after leav-
ing the upper glacier depot. south from
Mount Darwin. we started southwest, 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 II, and Of the
arrangement of the ice falls. Since then
we have averaged fifteen miles a day.
Has Five Men.
"On Christmas day We were close 70
the eighty-sixth parallel. On New Years
eve we were in latitude ss.5s. There we
fitted our sledges with new. short run
ners. This remarkable piece OF work
was performed by the seamen Of the
party under the most adverse circum-
stances.
I'VE are now within 15o miles of the
pole. am going forward with five men,
sending three back under Lieut.. Evans
with these data.
naw41 - T@lNR