Evening star., 1929-06-30

I base, as was Amundsen's Fran, the New
York was at times IL miles from the
base. This distance was gradually de-
creased but never became less than S
miles. The trip back was. of course,
without load, but the dogs trotted ali
the way and had no time to rest. The
drivers ran beside the Sleds when they
were loaded and rode when they were
empty. Despite the heavy work all the
in perfect condition.
There were 225 tons Of materials
hauled from the New York to the base
and 440 tons from the Boiling, a total
,, of 665 tons. The sleds averaged 80
statute miles a day from the New York,
making in all total of $500 statute
miles, and the mileage in hauling the
Bolling's cargo was 5000 miles, prob
ably an underestimate. The total
mileage Of the sleds Is 12,500 miles, or
more than two round trips for one sled
between New York and San Fran
cisco.
An average OF seven tons q day was
hauled. The heaviest load was 2,200
pounds on two sleds hitched together
| and pulled by nine dogs, an average of
245 pounds per dog. Most of the ileavy
work was done with two double -ended
freight sleds Joined by chains. The
average load per dog was $50 pounds
There was 10 teams operating, using
from five to nine dogs, and the average
number Of dogs In use during the en-
tire period was 76.
The mileage on two trail journeys
| for laying the first bases, one to the
south and the other to the east, was
225 statute miles, and the average
! load on the trail was $50 pounds To
team, making an average of about
| 100 pounds per dog, a comparatively
light load. 1t was on the return trip
from the eastern base-laying trip that
the teams made SO statute miles in
lSla hours.
Careful Check on Loads.
The work of unloading began on
December 81. When the trail was at
its best the teams were making two
round trips, or travelling more than
80 miles a day. sled-hauling loads up
| to ton. Boxes and barrels were slid
| down planks from the rail to the snow
and piled on sleds, and with a crack
OF the whip and cries from the drivers
the teams would start off inland and
disappear long before they reached
the cape, behind which they turned
into the inlet where the base was
| located.
A careful check was in effect as
soon as the unloading began. Every
thing was checked out of the ship
and checked in again at Little America
| When a sled left the ships, its load
the name of the driver, the number OF
dogs, the weather conditions and the
time 1t left we're recorded. A man
in the crows nest kept watch. until
they disappeared, and the arrival al
camp was reported by radio. This
same check was made on the return
trip.
In this way it was known not only
just what the load had and how much
1t weighed, but, if a sudden storm,
came up, as is only too common here
1t would be known who were on the
ice and about where they were, and o
search would be made for them
Pieces OF the bay ice were continually
breaking off. and there was some dan
ger of man getting on one of these
in storm and drifting out to sea
during the first part of the Sledging
and when storms did come the drivers
were so familiar with the trail thai
they seldom got lost and were alway.
able to find their way either to the
ship or the base. It is interesting that
half OF these drivers had never driver
dogs before coming down here.
Soft Ice, SIushy Snow. II
AS the work progressed, the ice BE-
came softer and was often covered with
slushy snow. Men broke through some-
times up to their shoulders and sledges
sank with their loads. 1t often occurred
that the ship would be moved to a new
berth and there was hardly q placs
along the face of the bay ice between
the two Barrier walls where the shir
was not at some time made fast. The
last berths were far to the east in Q
sort of blight between the bay Ice and
the Barrier. where the ice had gone out
faster than anywhere else and where
the sledging distance was cut down to
about miles.
When the unloading there had prac-
tically been finished the Boiling arrived
after a dangerous trip through tbs
broken pack. The day she came In q
way was cut by the ships up to Low
place at the barrier, making q sort ot
dock, and the Boiling tied up there
J with the New York outside OF ner