Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-19

LITTLE AMERICA, Antarctlca, May
1S.-Our whole existence has changed
with the coming of Winter. We of the
Byrd Expedition have become a family
of moles who scuttle through glittering
snow tunnels with lanterns and flash
lights, live all day by the light of lamps
and only emerge into the dusk OF out
doors for a short walk In the bitter
cold or for some task which must be
done, temperature Notwithstanding
What is our life in this lonely spot
separated by 1000 miles of stormy sea
and ice from the nearest civilization,
whereby day a glow in the northern
sky tells of the lost sun and the moon
brilliantly In band of purple, and at
night the stars bleam with unnatural
brilliance and the mysterious aurora
undulates overhead in streams OF col
ored light? Try to imagine one OF
our days.
It is o'clock in the morning and
a faint light from the moon outlines
the windows of the mess hall. Only
an uneasy sleeper stirring In his bunk
or a snore breaks the silence. door
opens as the clock strikes high
pitched note, the temperature so af-
fects the bell, and the yellow rays
from a lantern carried by the night
Waterman throw sudden illumination
into the long room. There Is row
of double wooden hunks, their ends hung
with clothes and boots, each holding a
small huddled figure in sleeping bag,
heads drawn under like turtles.
The Morning Fires.
The Waterman, clothed in furs, his
parka hood over his head, throws some
kindling into the kitchen Stove-a long
black stove on the side Of the room OPP
posite the bunks-lights 1t and puts on
coal. Silently he sits and watches 1t.
In the gloom back of him figures stir
restleSsly, and one or two turn over,
with many thumps and signs. Then
there is silence once more, except Tor
the cracking of the flames and the
roar Of the draft.
The Waterman has been up all night,
huddled near the stove in the library OF
the other house, reading by the light
of his lantern and going out every half
hour to see If the aurora is flashing its
messages ACROSS the sky, to mark the
clouds and look in at the thermometers
and thermograph, to make sure that
the cold has not stopped the clockwork
mechanism. It is a cold, lonely. eery
job.
The kitchen fire going well, he pokes
George, the cook, in the ribs and goes
back outside, If the weather is good,
through the tunnel II the wind is blow
ing hard, to the big house, which, al
though named after Edgar Barratt, has
been dubbed the country club" A
look at his instruments and he lights
the stove in the bunk room. 1t Is soon
sending q CHEEKY roar up the pipe lead
ing along under the peak to the outlet
in the roof. The only light Is that Of
his lantern, and 1t Is difficult to distin-
guish the outlines of the hunks and the
corridor between them leading to the
far end of the building, past the hos
pital room and the radio experimental
room, dark and cold and uninviting.
Early Rising in Antarctica.
When o'clock comes the Waterman
wakes Larry Gould, second In command
here, who Is nicknamed Simon Legree,
for the reasons which will become ap-
parent presently. Larry leaps into his
clothes with a speed which would shame
q fireman going to q three-alarm fire,
for as the door Of our house Is kept
open at night 1t is cold. There is a
pink glow around the sides Of the stove.
but it takes long time to warm the
house. There is a significant silence.
Heads burrow little deeper.
Everybody out" yells Simon. Get
up, O'Brien, you lazy, good-for-nothing
Irishmanl Hey, Cyclone, do you think
this is a day off for a weather man?
Hop to it! Capt. Parker, would you
mind arising? There Is food for you,
Joe, Van, Taffy! Russ, do you think
you can run that fire from your sleep
ing bag? This Is no remote control
stove. oh, Taffy, I said get up!"
III get EN- up for you, Simon" says
o'Brien, budding down In his bag in
much alarm. "Taffy, get up! Don't
you hear Simon calling youP Dana, /"
he whispers loudly to Doc Conan across
the way, Dana, let's get up. All to-
gether now! One, two, three" And
he and Doc roll over on the other side.
Isn't that fine, Simon?"
"Confound you'll" laughs Larry with
o show of great wrath, and seizes a
coal shovel. O'Brien disappears into
yanked him by the foot, bowling while
Larry belabors him with the shovel
IN get up, Simon; yes, will And
then Larry starts for the door and
breakfast. O'Brien signs a long sigh
and relaxes again, murmuring as he
goes to sleep, Its all right, Taffy; ST.
mons gone"
But In few minutes figures shuffie
out of the gloom and gather around the
stove and lantern, for the gasoline light
is not turned on at first. They group
elbow to elbow near the comfortable
red glow Of the fire, warming their
hands and pulling on the socks and
boots which they could not put on in
their bags.
Every one has to get up for break
fast, a routine must be maintained
and nobody IS permitted to lie abed
just because he wants to. That way
lies breakdown and insanity. Normal
life Is difficult at best under conf1ne-
ment and lack of sunlight, and we have
four months Of darkness ahead.
One by one the men pull on their
parkas and go quietly out of the door,
subdued as men are the world over
before breakfast. The moon is shining
in a weird-looking sky. 1t is light
colored over the gray snow line OF the
horizon, and above purple or magenta.
In the north is yellow glow, which
shows that the sun is shining some
where. We slip down the outside pas
sage to the mess hall, and pun OF
vapor rushes in as the door is opened
News From the World.
Those who live in the mess hall have
finished their breakfast and are stand
ing or smoking or lying on hunks en-
joying the relaxation that follows a
good meal and tobacco. There is talk
of the far-away world, news that came
In the night before over the radio. and
wonder at all the awful things which
happen there-fioods and tornadoes and
airplane wrecks and murders and
burglaries. 1t must be q tough place
to live in, that world; not quiet and
peaceful like ours, with only the Barrier
and scurvy to worry about But this
breakfast Is a serious affair. for we
have only two meals day. and needed
immediate attention.
Sometimes we have stewed prunes
but usually the first dish is cereal
excellent cereal. on which is milk made
from milk powder or canned milk
HLar,, mod too We have almost for