Awaiting the Crozier Party
_Friday, June_ 23--_Saturday, June_ 24.--Two quiet, uneventful days
and a complete return to routine.
_Sunday, June_ 25.--I find I have made no mention of Cherry-Garrard's
first number of the revived _South Polar Times_, presented to me on
Midwinter Day.
It is a very good little volume, bound by Day in a really charming
cover of carved venesta wood and sealskin. The contributors are
anonymous, but I have succeeded in guessing the identity of the
greater number.
The Editor has taken a statistical paper of my own on the plans
for the Southern Journey and a well-written serious article on the
Geological History of our region by Taylor. Except for editorial and
meteorological notes the rest is conceived in the lighter vein. The
verse is mediocre except perhaps for a quaint play of words in an
amusing little skit on the sleeping-bag argument; but an article
entitled 'Valhalla' appears to me to be altogether on a different
level. It purports to describe the arrival of some of our party at the
gates proverbially guarded by St. Peter; the humour is really delicious
and nowhere at all forced. In the jokes of a small community it is
rare to recognise one which would appeal to an outsider, but some
of the happier witticisms of this article seem to me fit for wider
circulation than our journal enjoys at present. Above all there is
distinct literary merit in it--a polish which leaves you unable to
suggest the betterment of a word anywhere.
I unhesitatingly attribute this effort to Taylor, but Wilson and
Garrard make Meares responsible for it. If they are right I shall
have to own that my judgment of attributes is very much at fault. I
must find out. [25]
A quiet day. Read Church Service as usual; in afternoon walked up the
Ramp with Wilson to have a quiet talk before he departs. I wanted to
get his ideas as to the scientific work done.
We agreed as to the exceptionally happy organisation of our party.
I took the opportunity to warn Wilson concerning the desirability of
complete understanding with Ponting and Taylor with respect to their
photographs and records on their return to civilisation.
The weather has been very mysterious of late; on the 23rd and 24th
it continuously threatened a blizzard, but now the sky is clearing
again with all signs of fine weather.
_Monday, June_ 26.--With a clear sky it was quite twilighty at
noon to-day. Already such signs of day are inspiriting. In the
afternoon the wind arose with drift and again the prophets predicted
a blizzard. After an hour or two the wind fell and we had a calm,
clear evening and night. The blizzards proper seem to be always
preceded by an overcast sky in accordance with Simpson's theory.
Taylor gave a most interesting lecture on the physiographic features
of the region traversed by his party in the autumn. His mind is very
luminous and clear and he treated the subject with a breadth of view
which was delightful. The illustrative slides were made from Debenham's
photographs, and many of them were quite beautiful. Ponting tells me
that Debenham knows quite a lot about photography and goes to work
in quite the right way.
The lecture being a précis of Taylor's report there is no need to
recapitulate its matter. With the pictures it was startling to realise
the very different extent to which tributary glaciers have carved the
channels in which they lie. The Canadian Glacier lies dead, but at
'grade' it has cut a very deep channel. The 'double curtain' hangs
at an angle of 25°, with practically no channel. Mention was made of
the difference of water found in Lake Bonney by me in December 1903
and the Western Party in February 1911. It seems certain that water
must go on accumulating in the lake during the two or three summer
months, and it is hard to imagine that all can be lost again by the
winter's evaporation. If it does, 'evaporation' becomes a matter of
primary importance.
There was an excellent picture showing the find of sponges on the
Koettlitz Glacier. Heaps of large sponges were found containing
corals and some shells, all representative of present-day fauna. How
on earth did they get to the place where found? There was a good
deal of discussion on the point and no very satisfactory solution
offered. Cannot help thinking that there is something in the thought
that the glacier may have been weighted down with rubble which finally
disengaged itself and allowed the ice to rise. Such speculations
are interesting.
Preparations for the start of the Crozier Party are now completed,
and the people will have to drag 253 lbs. per man--a big weight.
Day has made an excellent little blubber lamp for lighting; it has
an annular wick and talc chimney; a small circular plate over the
wick conducts the heat down and raises the temperature of combustion,
so that the result is a clear white flame.
We are certainly within measurable distance of using blubber in the
most effective way for both heating and lighting, and this is an
advance which is of very high importance to the future of Antarctic
Exploration.
_Tuesday, June_ 27.--The Crozier Party departed this morning
in good spirits--their heavy load was distributed on two 9-feet
sledges. Ponting photographed them by flashlight and attempted to get a
cinematograph picture by means of a flash candle. But when the candle
was ignited it was evident that the light would not be sufficient
for the purpose and there was not much surprise when the film proved
a failure. The three travellers found they could pull their load
fairly easily on the sea ice when the rest of us stood aside for the
trial. I'm afraid they will find much more difficulty on the Barrier,
but there was nothing now to prevent them starting, and off they went.
With helping contingent I went round the Cape. Taylor and Nelson
left at the Razor Back Island and report all well. Simpson, Meares
and Gran continued and have not yet returned.
Gran just back on ski; left party at 5 1/4 miles. Says Meares and
Simpson are returning on foot. Reports a bad bit of surface between
Tent Island and Glacier Tongue. It was well that the party had
assistance to cross this.
This winter travel is a new and bold venture, but the right men have
gone to attempt it. All good luck go with them.
Coal Consumption
Bowers reports that present consumption (midwinter) = 4 blocks per day
(100 lbs.).
An occasional block is required for the absolute magnetic hut. He
reports 8 1/2 tons used since landing. This is in excess of 4 blocks
per day as follows:
8 1/2 tons in 150 days = 127 lbs. per diem.
= 889 lbs. per week, or nearly 8 cwt.
= 20 1/2 tons per year.
_Report August_ 4.
Used to date = 9 tons = 20,160 lbs.
Say 190 days at 106 lbs. per day.
Coal remaining 20 1/2 tons.
Estimate 8 tons to return of ship.
Total estimate for year, 17 tons. We should have 13 or 14 tons for
next year.
A FRESH MS. BOOK
_Quotations on the Flyleaf_
'Where the (Queen's) Law does not carry it is irrational to exact an
observance of other and weaker rules.'--RUDYARD KIPLING.
Confident of his good intentions but doubtful of his fortitude.
'So far as I can venture to offer an opinion on such a matter, the
purpose of our being in existence, the highest object that human
beings can set before themselves is not the pursuit of any such
chimera as the annihilation of the unknown; but it is simply the
unwearied endeavour to remove its boundaries a little further from
our little sphere of action.'--HUXLEY.
_Wednesday, June_ 28.--The temperature has been hovering around -30°
with a clear sky--at midday it was exceptionally light, and even two
hours after noon I was able to pick my way amongst the boulders of
the Ramp. We miss the Crozier Party. Lectures have ceased during its
absence, so that our life is very quiet.
_Thursday, June_ 29.--It seemed rather stuffy in the hut last night--I
found it difficult to sleep, and noticed a good many others in like
case. I found the temperature was only 50°, but that the small uptake
on the stove pipe was closed. I think it would be good to have a
renewal of air at bed time, but don't quite know how to manage this.
It was calm all night and when I left the hut at 8.30. At 9 the wind
suddenly rose to 40 m.p.h. and at the same moment the temperature rose
10°. The wind and temperature curves show this sudden simultaneous
change more clearly than usual. The curious circumstance is that
this blow comes out of a clear sky. This will be disturbing to our
theories unless the wind drops again very soon.
The wind fell within an hour almost as suddenly as it had arisen; the
temperature followed, only a little more gradually. One may well wonder
how such a phenomenon is possible. In the middle of a period of placid
calm and out of a clear sky there suddenly rushed upon one this volume
of comparatively warm air; it has come and gone like the whirlwind.
Whence comes it and whither goeth?
Went round the bergs after lunch on ski--splendid surface and quite
a good light.
We are now getting good records with the tide gauge after a great
deal of trouble. Day has given much of his time to the matter,
and after a good deal of discussion has pretty well mastered the
principles. We brought a self-recording instrument from New Zealand,
but this was passed over to Campbell. It has not been an easy matter
to manufacture one for our own use. The wire from the bottom weight
is led through a tube filled with paraffin as in _Discovery_ days,
and kept tight by a counter weight after passage through a block on
a stanchion rising 6 feet above the floe.
In his first instrument Day arranged for this wire to pass around a
pulley, the revolution of which actuated the pen of the recording
drum. This should have been successful but for the difficulty of
making good mechanical connection between the recorder and the
pulley. Backlash caused an unreliable record, and this arrangement
had to be abandoned. The motion of the wire was then made to actuate
the recorder through a hinged lever, and this arrangement holds, but
days and even weeks have been lost in grappling the difficulties of
adjustment between the limits of the tide and those of the recording
drum; then when all seemed well we found that the floe was not rising
uniformly with the water. It is hung up by the beach ice. When we
were considering the question of removing the whole apparatus to a
more distant point, a fresh crack appeared between it and the shore,
and on this 'hinge' the floe seems to be moving more freely.
_Friday, June_ 30, 1911.--The temperature is steadily falling; we are
descending the scale of negative thirties and to-day reached its limit,
-39°. Day has manufactured a current vane, a simple arrangement:
up to the present he has used this near the Cape. There is little
doubt, however, that the water movement is erratic and irregular
inside the islands, and I have been anxious to get observations which
will indicate the movement in the 'Strait.' I went with him to-day to
find a crack which I thought must run to the north from Inaccessible
Island. We discovered it about 2 to 2 1/2 miles out and found it to
be an ideal place for such work, a fracture in the ice sheet which is
constantly opening and therefore always edged with thin ice. Have told
Day that I think a bottle weighted so as to give it a small negative
buoyancy, and attached to a fine line, should give as good results as
his vane and would be much handier. He now proposes to go one better
and put an electric light in the bottle.
We found that our loose dogs had been attacking a seal, and then
came across a dead seal which had evidently been worried to death
some time ago. It appears Demetri saw more seal further to the north,
and this afternoon Meares has killed a large one as well as the one
which was worried this morning.
It is good to find the seals so close, but very annoying to find that
the dogs have discovered their resting-place.
The long spell of fine weather is very satisfactory.
_Saturday, July_ 1, 1911.--We have designed new ski boots and I
think they are going to be a success. My object is to stick to the
Huitfeldt binding for sledging if possible. One must wear finnesko on
the Barrier, and with finnesko alone a loose binding is necessary. For
this we brought 'Finon' bindings, consisting of leather toe straps
and thong heel binding. With this arrangement one does not have good
control of his ski and stands the chance of a chafe on the 'tendon
Achillis.' Owing to the last consideration many had decided to go
with toe strap alone as we did in the _Discovery_. This brought into
my mind the possibility of using the iron cross bar and snap heel
strap of the Huitfeldt on a suitable overshoe.
Evans, P.O., has arisen well to the occasion as a boot maker, and has
just completed a pair of shoes which are very nearly what we require.
The soles have two thicknesses of seal skin cured with alum, stiffened
at the foot with a layer of venesta board, and raised at the heel on
a block of wood. The upper part is large enough to contain a finnesko
and is secured by a simple strap. A shoe weighs 13 oz. against 2
lbs. for a single ski boot--so that shoe and finnesko together are
less weight than a boot.
If we can perfect this arrangement it should be of the greatest use
to us.
Wright has been swinging the pendulum in his cavern. Prodigious
trouble has been taken to keep the time, and this object has been
immensely helped by the telephone communication between the cavern,
the transit instrument, and the interior of the hut. The timekeeper is
perfectly placed. Wright tells me that his ice platform proves to be
five times as solid as the fixed piece of masonry used at Potsdam. The
only difficulty is the low temperature, which freezes his breath on
the glass window of the protecting dome. I feel sure these gravity
results are going to be very good.
The temperature has been hanging in the minus thirties all day with
calm and clear sky, but this evening a wind has sprung up without
rise of temperature. It is now -32°, with a wind of 25 m.p.h.--a
pretty stiff condition to face outside!
_Sunday, July_ 2.--There was wind last night, but this morning found
a settled calm again, with temperature as usual about -35°. The moon
is rising again; it came over the shoulder of Erebus about 5 P.M.,
in second quarter. It will cross the meridian at night, worse luck,
but such days as this will be pleasant even with a low moon; one is
very glad to think the Crozier Party are having such a peaceful time.
Sunday routine and nothing much to record.
_Monday, July_ 3.--Another quiet day, the sky more suspicious in
appearance. Thin stratus cloud forming and dissipating overhead,
curling stratus clouds over Erebus. Wind at Cape Crozier seemed
a possibility.
Our people have been far out on the floe. It is cheerful to see the
twinkling light of some worker at a water hole or hear the ring of
distant voices or swish of ski.
_Tuesday, July_ 4.--A day of blizzard and adventure.
The wind arose last night, and although the temperature advanced a
few degrees it remained at a very low point considering the strength
of the wind.
This forenoon it was blowing 40 to 45 m.p.h. with a temperature -25°
to -28°. No weather to be in the open.
In the afternoon the wind modified slightly. Taylor and Atkinson went
up to the Ramp thermometer screen. After this, entirely without my
knowledge, two adventurous spirits, Atkinson and Gran, decided to
start off over the floe, making respectively for the north and south
Bay thermometers, 'Archibald' and 'Clarence.' This was at 5.30; Gran
was back by dinner at 6.45, and it was only later that I learned that
he had gone no more than 200 or 300 yards from the land and that it
had taken him nearly an hour to get back again.
Atkinson's continued absence passed unnoticed until dinner was nearly
over at 7.15, although I had heard that the wind had dropped at the
beginning of dinner and that it remained very thick all round, with
light snow falling.
Although I felt somewhat annoyed, I had no serious anxiety at this
time, and as several members came out of the hut I despatched them
short distances to shout and show lanterns and arranged to have a
paraffin flare lit on Wind Vane Hill.
Evans, P.O., Crean and Keohane, being anxious for a walk, were sent
to the north with a lantern. Whilst this desultory search proceeded
the wind sprang up again from the south, but with no great force, and
meanwhile the sky showed signs of clearing and the moon appeared dimly
through the drifting clouds. With such a guide we momentarily looked
for the return of our wanderer, and with his continued absence our
anxiety grew. At 9.30 Evans, P.O., and his party returned without news
of him, and at last there was no denying the possibility of a serious
accident. Between 9.30 and 10 proper search parties were organised, and
I give the details to show the thoroughness which I thought necessary
to meet the gravity of the situation. I had by this time learnt that
Atkinson had left with comparatively light clothing and, still worse,
with leather ski boots on his feet; fortunately he had wind clothing.
P.O. Evans was away first with Crean, Keohane, and Demetri, a light
sledge, a sleeping-bag, and a flask of brandy. His orders were to
search the edge of the land and glacier through the sweep of the Bay to
the Barne Glacier and to Cape Barne beyond, then to turn east along an
open crack and follow it to Inaccessible Island. Evans (Lieut.), with
Nelson, Forde, and Hooper, left shortly after, similarly equipped,
to follow the shore of the South Bay in similar fashion, then turn
out to the Razor Back and search there. Next Wright, Gran, and Lashly
set out for the bergs to look thoroughly about them and from thence
pass round and examine Inaccessible Island. After these parties got
away, Meares and Debenham started with a lantern to search to and fro
over the surface of our promontory. Simpson and Oates went out in a
direct line over the Northern floe to the 'Archibald' thermometer,
whilst Ponting and Taylor re-examined the tide crack towards the
Barne Glacier. Meanwhile Day went to and fro Wind Vane Hill to light
at intervals upon its crest bundles of tow well soaked in petrol. At
length Clissold and I were left alone in the hut, and as the hours went
by I grew ever more alarmed. It was impossible for me to conceive how
an able man could have failed to return to the hut before this or by
any means found shelter in such clothing in such weather. Atkinson had
started for a point a little more than a mile away; at 10.30 he had
been five hours away; what conclusion could be drawn? And yet I felt
it most difficult to imagine an accident on open floe with no worse
pitfall than a shallow crack or steep-sided snow drift. At least I
could feel that every spot which was likely to be the scene of such an
accident would be searched. Thus 11 o'clock came without change, then
11.30 with its 6 hours of absence. But at 11.45 I heard voices from
the Cape, and presently the adventure ended to my extreme relief when
Meares and Debenham led our wanderer home. He was badly frostbitten
in the hand and less seriously on the face, and though a good deal
confused, as men always are on such occasions, he was otherwise well.
His tale is confused, but as far as one can gather he did not go more
than a quarter of a mile in the direction of the thermometer screen
before he decided to turn back. He then tried to walk with the wind
a little on one side on the bearing he had originally observed, and
after some time stumbled on an old fish trap hole, which he knew to
be 200 yards from the Cape. He made this 200 yards in the direction
he supposed correct, and found nothing. In such a situation had he
turned east he must have hit the land somewhere close to the hut and
so found his way to it. The fact that he did not, but attempted to
wander straight on, is clear evidence of the mental condition caused
by that situation. There can be no doubt that in a blizzard a man has
not only to safeguard the circulation in his limbs, but must struggle
with a sluggishness of brain and an absence of reasoning power which
is far more likely to undo him.
In fact Atkinson has really no very clear idea of what happened to him
after he missed the Cape. He seems to have wandered aimlessly up wind
till he hit an island; he walked all round this; says he couldn't
see a yard at this time; fell often into the tide crack; finally
stopped under the lee of some rocks; here got his hand frostbitten
owing to difficulty of getting frozen mit on again, finally got it on;
started to dig a hole to wait in. Saw something of the moon and left
the island; lost the moon and wanted to go back; could find nothing;
finally stumbled on another island, perhaps the same one; waited
again, again saw the moon, now clearing; shaped some sort of course
by it--then saw flare on Cape and came on rapidly--says he shouted to
someone on Cape quite close to him, greatly surprised not to get an
answer. It is a rambling tale to-night and a half thawed brain. It is
impossible to listen to such a tale without appreciating that it has
been a close escape or that there would have been no escape had the
blizzard continued. The thought that it would return after a short
lull was amongst the worst with me during the hours of waiting.
2 A.M.--The search parties have returned and all is well again, but
we must have no more of these very unnecessary escapades. Yet it is
impossible not to realise that this bit of experience has done more
than all the talking I could have ever accomplished to bring home to
our people the dangers of a blizzard.
_Wednesday, July_ 5.--Atkinson has a bad hand to-day, immense blisters
on every finger giving them the appearance of sausages. To-night
Ponting has photographed the hand.
As I expected, some amendment of Atkinson's tale as written last
night is necessary, partly due to some lack of coherency in the tale
as first told and partly a reconsideration of the circumstances by
Atkinson himself.
It appears he first hit Inaccessible Island, and got his hand
frostbitten before he reached it. It was only on arrival in its lee
that he discovered the frostbite. He must have waited there some
time, then groped his way to the western end thinking he was near
the Ramp. Then wandering away in a swirl of drift to clear some
irregularities at the ice foot, he completely lost the island when
he could only have been a few yards from it.
He seems in this predicament to have clung to the old idea of walking
up wind, and it must be considered wholly providential that on this
course he next struck Tent Island. It was round this island that he
walked, finally digging himself a shelter on its lee side under the
impression that it was Inaccessible Island. When the moon appeared he
seems to have judged its bearing well, and as he travelled homeward
he was much surprised to see the real Inaccessible Island appear on
his left. The distance of Tent Island, 4 to 5 miles, partly accounts
for the time he took in returning. Everything goes to confirm the
fact that he had a very close shave of being lost altogether.
For some time past some of the ponies have had great irritation of
the skin. I felt sure it was due to some parasite, though the Soldier
thought the food responsible and changed it.
To-day a tiny body louse was revealed under Atkinson's microscope
after capture from 'Snatcher's' coat. A dilute solution of carbolic is
expected to rid the poor beasts of their pests, but meanwhile one or
two of them have rubbed off patches of hair which they can ill afford
to spare in this climate. I hope we shall get over the trouble quickly.
The day has been gloriously fine again, with bright moonlight all the
afternoon. It was a wondrous sight to see Erebus emerge from soft filmy
clouds of mist as though some thin veiling had been withdrawn with
infinite delicacy to reveal the pure outline of this moonlit mountain.
_Thursday, July_ 6, _continued_.--The temperature has taken a
plunge--to -46° last night. It is now -45°, with a ten-mile breeze
from the south. Frostbiting weather!
Went for a short run on foot this forenoon and a longer one on ski
this afternoon. The surface is bad after the recent snowfall. A new
pair of sealskin overshoes for ski made by Evans seem to be a complete
success. He has modified the shape of the toe to fit the ski irons
better. I am very pleased with this arrangement.
I find it exceedingly difficult to settle down to solid work just at
present and keep putting off the tasks which I have set myself.
The sun has not yet risen a degree of the eleven degrees below our
horizon which it was at noon on Midwinter Day, and yet to-day there
was a distinct red in the northern sky. Perhaps such sunset colours
have something to do with this cold snap.
_Friday, July_ 7.--The temperature fell to -49° last night--our record
so far, and likely to remain so, one would think. This morning it was
fine and calm, temperature -45°. But this afternoon a 30-mile wind
sprang up from the S.E., and the temperature only gradually rose
to -30°, never passing above that point. I thought it a little too
strenuous and so was robbed of my walk.
The dogs' coats are getting pretty thick, and they seem to take
matters pretty comfortably. The ponies are better, I think, but I
shall be glad when we are sure of having rid them of their pest.
I was the victim of a very curious illusion to-day. On our small
heating stove stands a cylindrical ice melter which keeps up the
supply of water necessary for the dark room and other scientific
instruments. This iron container naturally becomes warm if it is not
fed with ice, and it is generally hung around with socks and mits which
require drying. I put my hand on the cylindrical vessel this afternoon
and withdrew it sharply with the sensation of heat. To verify the
impression I repeated the action two or three times, when it became
so strong that I loudly warned the owners of the socks, &c., of the
peril of burning to which they were exposed. Upon this Meares said,
'But they filled the melter with ice a few minutes ago,' and then,
coming over to feel the surface himself, added, 'Why, it's cold,
sir.' And indeed so it was. The slightly damp chilled surface of the
iron had conveyed to me the impression of excessive heat.
There is nothing intrinsically new in this observation; it has often
been noticed that metal surfaces at low temperatures give a sensation
of burning to the bare touch, but none the less it is an interesting
variant of the common fact.
Apropos. Atkinson is suffering a good deal from his hand: the frostbite
was deeper than I thought; fortunately he can now feel all his fingers,
though it was twenty-four hours before sensation returned to one
of them.
_Monday, July_ 10.--We have had the worst gale I have ever known in
these regions and have not yet done with it.
The wind started at about mid-day on Friday, and increasing in
violence reached an average of 60 miles for one hour on Saturday, the
gusts at this time exceeding 70 m.p.h. This force of wind, although
exceptional, has not been without parallel earlier in the year, but
the extraordinary feature of this gale was the long continuance of
a very cold temperature. On Friday night the thermometer registered
-39°. Throughout Saturday and the greater part of Sunday it did
not rise above -35°. Late yesterday it was in the minus twenties,
and to-day at length it has risen to zero.
Needless to say no one has been far from the hut. It was my turn for
duty on Saturday night, and on the occasions when I had to step out of
doors I was struck with the impossibility of enduring such conditions
for any length of time. One seemed to be robbed of breath as they
burst on one--the fine snow beat in behind the wind guard, and ten
paces against the wind were sufficient to reduce one's face to the
verge of frostbite. To clear the anemometer vane it is necessary to go
to the other end of the hut and climb a ladder. Twice whilst engaged
in this task I had literally to lean against the wind with head bent
and face averted and so stagger crab-like on my course. In those two
days of really terrible weather our thoughts often turned to absentees
at Cape Crozier with the devout hope that they may be safely housed.
They are certain to have been caught by this gale, but I trust
before it reached them they had managed to get up some sort of
shelter. Sometimes I have imagined them getting much more wind than
we do, yet at others it seems difficult to believe that the Emperor
penguins have chosen an excessively wind-swept area for their rookery.
To-day with the temperature at zero one can walk about outside without
inconvenience in spite of a 50-mile wind. Although I am loath to
believe it there must be some measure of acclimatisation, for it
is certain we should have felt to-day's wind severely when we first
arrived in McMurdo Sound.
_Tuesday, July_ 11.--Never was such persistent bad weather. To-day the
temperature is up to 5° to 7°, the wind 40 to 50 m.p.h., the air
thick with snow, and the moon a vague blue. This is the fourth day
of gale; if one reflects on the quantity of transported air (nearly
4,000 miles) one gets a conception of the transference which such a
gale effects and must conclude that potentially warm upper currents
are pouring into our polar area from more temperate sources.
The dogs are very gay and happy in the comparative warmth. I have been
going to and fro on the home beach and about the rocky knolls in its
environment--in spite of the wind it was very warm. I dug myself a
hole in a drift in the shelter of a large boulder and lay down in it,
and covered my legs with loose snow. It was so warm that I could have
slept very comfortably.
I have been amused and pleased lately in observing the manners
and customs of the persons in charge of our stores; quite a number
of secret caches exist in which articles of value are hidden from
public knowledge so that they may escape use until a real necessity
arises. The policy of every storekeeper is to have something up his
sleeve for a rainy day. For instance, Evans (P.O.), after thoroughly
examining the purpose of some individual who is pleading for a piece
of canvas, will admit that he may have a small piece somewhere which
could be used for it, when, as a matter of fact, he possesses quite
a number of rolls of that material.
Tools, metal material, leather, straps and dozens of items are
administered with the same spirit of jealous guardianship by Day,
Lashly, Oates and Meares, while our main storekeeper Bowers even
affects to bemoan imaginary shortages. Such parsimony is the best
guarantee that we are prepared to face any serious call.
_Wednesday, July_ 12.--All night and to-day wild gusts of wind shaking
the hut; long, ragged, twisted wind-cloud in the middle heights. A
watery moon shining through a filmy cirrostratus--the outlook
wonderfully desolate with its ghostly illumination and patchy clouds
of flying snow drift. It would be hardly possible for a tearing, raging
wind to make itself more visible. At Wind Vane Hill the anemometer has
registered 68 miles between 9 and 10 A.M.--a record. The gusts at the
hut frequently exceed 70 m.p.h.--luckily the temperature is up to 5°,
so that there is no hardship for the workers outside.
_Thursday, July_ 13.--The wind continued to blow throughout the night,
with squalls of even greater violence than before; a new record was
created by a gust of 77 m.p.h. shown by the anemometer.
The snow is so hard blown that only the fiercest gusts raise the
drifting particles--it is interesting to note the balance of nature
whereby one evil is eliminated by the excess of another.
For an hour after lunch yesterday the gale showed signs of moderation
and the ponies had a short walk over the floe. Out for exercise at this
time I was obliged to lean against the wind, my light overall clothes
flapping wildly and almost dragged from me; later when the wind rose
again it was quite an effort to stagger back to the hut against it.
This morning the gale still rages, but the sky is much clearer;
the only definite clouds are those which hang to the southward of
Erebus summit, but the moon, though bright, still exhibits a watery
appearance, showing that there is still a thin stratus above us.
The work goes on very steadily--the men are making crampons and
ski boots of the new style. Evans is constructing plans of the Dry
Valley and Koettlitz Glacier with the help of the Western Party. The
physicists are busy always, Meares is making dog harness, Oates ridding
the ponies of their parasites, and Ponting printing from his negatives.
Science cannot be served by 'dilettante' methods, but demands a mind
spurred by ambition or the satisfaction of ideals.
Our most popular game for evening recreation is chess; so many players
have developed that our two sets of chessmen are inadequate.
_Friday, July_ 14.--We have had a horrible fright and are not yet
out of the wood.
At noon yesterday one of the best ponies, 'Bones,' suddenly went off
his feed--soon after it was evident that he was distressed and there
could be no doubt that he was suffering from colic. Oates called my
attention to it, but we were neither much alarmed, remembering the
speedy recovery of 'Jimmy Pigg' under similar circumstances. Later
the pony was sent out for exercise with Crean. I passed him twice
and seemed to gather that things were well, but Crean afterwards told
me that he had had considerable trouble. Every few minutes the poor
beast had been seized with a spasm of pain, had first dashed forward
as though to escape it and then endeavoured to lie down. Crean had
had much difficulty in keeping him in, and on his legs, for he is
a powerful beast. When he returned to the stable he was evidently
worse, and Oates and Anton patiently dragged a sack to and fro
under his stomach. Every now and again he attempted to lie down,
and Oates eventually thought it wiser to let him do so. Once down,
his head gradually drooped until he lay at length, every now and again
twitching very horribly with the pain and from time to time raising
his head and even scrambling to his legs when it grew intense. I don't
think I ever realised before how pathetic a horse could be under such
conditions; no sound escapes him, his misery can only be indicated by
those distressing spasms and by dumb movements of the head turned with
a patient expression always suggestive of appeal. Although alarmed
by this time, remembering the care with which the animals are being
fed I could not picture anything but a passing indisposition. But as
hour after hour passed without improvement, it was impossible not to
realise that the poor beast was dangerously ill. Oates administered
an opium pill and later on a second, sacks were heated in the oven and
placed on the poor beast; beyond this nothing could be done except to
watch--Oates and Crean never left the patient. As the evening wore
on I visited the stable again and again, but only to hear the same
tale--no improvement. Towards midnight I felt very downcast. It is so
very certain that we cannot afford to lose a single pony--the margin
of safety has already been far overstepped, we are reduced to face
the circumstance that we must keep all the animals alive or greatly
risk failure.
So far everything has gone so well with them that my fears of a loss
had been lulled in a growing hope that all would be well--therefore
at midnight, when poor 'Bones' had continued in pain for twelve hours
and showed little sign of improvement, I felt my fleeting sense of
security rudely shattered.
It was shortly after midnight when I was told that the animal seemed
a little easier. At 2.30 I was again in the stable and found the
improvement had been maintained; the horse still lay on its side
with outstretched head, but the spasms had ceased, its eye looked
less distressed, and its ears pricked to occasional noises. As I
stood looking it suddenly raised its head and rose without effort to
its legs; then in a moment, as though some bad dream had passed, it
began to nose at some hay and at its neighbour. Within three minutes
it had drunk a bucket of water and had started to feed.
I went to bed at 3 with much relief. At noon to-day the immediate
cause of the trouble and an indication that there is still risk were
disclosed in a small ball of semi-fermented hay covered with mucus
and containing tape worms; so far not very serious, but unfortunately
attached to this mass was a strip of the lining of the intestine.
Atkinson, from a humanly comparative point of view, does not think
this is serious if great care is taken with the food for a week or so,
and so one can hope for the best.
Meanwhile we have had much discussion as to the first cause of the
difficulty. The circumstances possibly contributing are as follows:
fermentation of the hay, insufficiency of water, overheated stable,
a chill from exercise after the gale--I think all these may have had
a bearing on the case. It can scarcely be coincidence that the two
ponies which have suffered so far are those which are nearest the stove
end of the stable. In future the stove will be used more sparingly,
a large ventilating hole is to be made near it and an allowance of
water is to be added to the snow hitherto given to the animals. In
the food line we can only exercise such precautions as are possible,
but one way or another we ought to be able to prevent any more danger
of this description.
_Saturday, July_ 15.--There was strong wind with snow this morning
and the wind remained keen and cold in the afternoon, but to-night
it has fallen calm with a promising clear sky outlook. Have been
up the Ramp, clambering about in my sealskin overshoes, which seem
extraordinarily satisfactory.
Oates thinks a good few of the ponies have got worms and we are
considering means of ridding them. 'Bones' seems to be getting on
well, though not yet quite so buckish as he was before his trouble. A
good big ventilator has been fitted in the stable. It is not easy
to get over the alarm of Thursday night--the situation is altogether
too critical.
_Sunday, July_ 16.--Another slight alarm this morning. The pony
'China' went off his feed at breakfast time and lay down twice. He
was up and well again in half an hour; but what on earth is it that
is disturbing these poor beasts?
Usual Sunday routine. Quiet day except for a good deal of wind off
and on. The Crozier Party must be having a wretched time.
_Monday, July_ 17.--The weather still very unsettled--the wind comes
up with a rush to fade in an hour or two. Clouds chase over the sky
in similar fashion: the moon has dipped during daylight hours, and
so one way and another there is little to attract one out of doors.
Yet we are only nine days off the 'light value' of the day when we
left off football--I hope we shall be able to recommence the game in
that time.
I am glad that the light is coming for more than one reason. The gale
and consequent inaction not only affected the ponies, Ponting is not
very fit as a consequence--his nervous temperament is of the quality
to take this wintering experience badly--Atkinson has some difficulty
in persuading him to take exercise--he managed only by dragging him
out to his own work, digging holes in the ice. Taylor is another
backslider in the exercise line and is not looking well. If we can
get these people to run about at football all will be well. Anyway
the return of the light should cure all ailments physical and mental.
_Tuesday, July_ 18.--A very brilliant red sky at noon to-day and
enough light to see one's way about.
This fleeting hour of light is very pleasant, but of course dependent
on a clear sky, very rare. Went round the outer berg in the afternoon;
it was all I could do to keep up with 'Snatcher' on the homeward
round--speaking well for his walking powers.
_Wednesday, July_ 19.--Again calm and pleasant. The temperature is
gradually falling down to -35°. Went out to the old working crack
[26] north of Inaccessible Island--Nelson and Evans had had great
difficulty in rescuing their sounding sledge, which had been left
near here before the gale. The course of events is not very clear,
but it looks as though the gale pressed up the crack, raising broken
pieces of the thin ice formed after recent opening movements. These
raised pieces had become nuclei of heavy snow drifts, which in turn
weighing down the floe had allowed water to flow in over the sledge
level. It is surprising to find such a big disturbance from what
appears to be a simple cause. This crack is now joined, and the
contraction is taking on a new one which has opened much nearer to
us and seems to run to C. Barne.
We have noticed a very curious appearance of heavenly bodies when
setting in a north-westerly direction. About the time of midwinter the
moon observed in this position appeared in a much distorted shape of
blood red colour. It might have been a red flare or distant bonfire,
but could not have been guessed for the moon. Yesterday the planet
Venus appeared under similar circumstances as a ship's side-light
or Japanese lantern. In both cases there was a flickering in the
light and a change of colour from deep orange yellow to blood red,
but the latter was dominant.
_Thursday, July_ 20, _Friday_ 21, _Saturday_ 22.--There is very little
to record--the horses are going on well, all are in good form, at
least for the moment. They drink a good deal of water in the morning.
_Saturday, July_ 22, _continued_.--This and the better ventilation
of the stable make for improvement we think--perhaps the increase of
salt allowance is also beneficial.
To-day we have another raging blizzard--the wind running up to 72
m.p.h. in gusts--one way and another the Crozier Party must have had
a pretty poor time. [27] I am thankful to remember that the light
will be coming on apace now.
_Monday, July_ 24.--The blizzard continued throughout yesterday
(Sunday), in the evening reaching a record force of 82 m.p.h. The
vane of our anemometer is somewhat sheltered: Simpson finds the hill
readings 20 per cent. higher. Hence in such gusts as this the free
wind must reach nearly 100 m.p.h.--a hurricane force. To-day Nelson
found that his sounding sledge had been turned over. We passed a quiet
Sunday with the usual Service to break the week-day routine. During
my night watch last night I could observe the rapid falling of the
wind, which on dying away left a still atmosphere almost oppressively
warm at 7°. The temperature has remained comparatively high to-day. I
went to see the crack at which soundings were taken a week ago--then
it was several feet open with thin ice between--now it is pressed up
into a sharp ridge 3 to 4 feet high: the edge pressed up shows an 18
inch thickness--this is of course an effect of the warm weather.
_Tuesday, July_ 25, _Wednesday, July_ 26.--There is really very little
to be recorded in these days, life proceeds very calmly if somewhat
monotonously. Everyone seems fit, there is no sign of depression. To
all outward appearance the ponies are in better form than they have
ever been; the same may be said of the dogs with one or two exceptions.
The light comes on apace. To-day (Wednesday) it was very beautiful at
noon: the air was very clear and the detail of the Western Mountains
was revealed in infinitely delicate contrasts of light.
_Thursday, July_ 27, _Friday, July_ 28.--Calmer days: the sky rosier:
the light visibly advancing. We have never suffered from low spirits,
so that the presence of day raises us above a normal cheerfulness to
the realm of high spirits.
The light, merry humour of our company has never been eclipsed, the
good-natured, kindly chaff has never ceased since those early days
of enthusiasm which inspired them--they have survived the winter days
of stress and already renew themselves with the coming of spring. If
pessimistic moments had foreseen the growth of rifts in the bond forged
by these amenities, they stand prophetically falsified; there is no
longer room for doubt that we shall come to our work with a unity of
purpose and a disposition for mutual support which have never been
equalled in these paths of activity. Such a spirit should tide us
[over] all minor difficulties. It is a good omen.
_Saturday, July_ 29, _Sunday, July_ 30.--Two quiet days, temperature
low in the minus thirties--an occasional rush of wind lasting for
but a few minutes.
One of our best sledge dogs, 'Julick,' has disappeared. I'm afraid
he's been set on by the others at some distant spot and we shall see
nothing more but his stiffened carcass when the light returns. Meares
thinks the others would not have attacked him and imagines he has
fallen into the water in some seal hole or crack. In either case I'm
afraid we must be resigned to another loss. It's an awful nuisance.
Gran went to C. Royds to-day. I asked him to report on the open
water, and so he went on past the Cape. As far as I can gather he
got half-way to C. Bird before he came to thin ice; for at least 5
or 6 miles past C. Royds the ice is old and covered with wind-swept
snow. This is very unexpected. In the _Discovery_ first year the ice
continually broke back to the Glacier Tongue: in the second year it
must have gone out to C. Royds very early in the spring if it did
not go out in the winter, and in the _Nimrod_ year it was rarely fast
beyond C. Royds. It is very strange, especially as this has been the
windiest year recorded so far. Simpson says the average has exceeded
20 m.p.h. since the instruments were set up, and this figure has for
comparison 9 and 12 m.p.h. for the two _Discovery_ years. There remains
a possibility that we have chosen an especially wind-swept spot for
our station. Yet I can scarcely believe that there is generally more
wind here than at Hut Point.
I was out for two hours this morning--it was amazingly pleasant
to be able to see the inequalities of one's path, and the familiar
landmarks bathed in violet light. An hour after noon the northern
sky was intensely red.
_Monday, July_ 31.--It was overcast to-day and the light not quite
so good, but this is the last day of another month, and August means
the sun.
One begins to wonder what the Crozier Party is doing. It has been
away five weeks.
The ponies are getting buckish. Chinaman squeals and kicks in the
stable, Nobby kicks without squealing, but with even more purpose--last
night he knocked down a part of his stall. The noise of these animals
is rather trying at night--one imagines all sorts of dreadful things
happening, but when the watchman visits the stables its occupants
blink at him with a sleepy air as though the disturbance could not
possibly have been there!
There was a glorious northern sky to-day; the horizon was clear and the
flood of red light illuminated the under side of the broken stratus
cloud above, producing very beautiful bands of violet light. Simpson
predicts a blizzard within twenty-four hours--we are interested to
watch results.
_Tuesday, August_ 1.--The month has opened with a very beautiful
day. This morning I took a circuitous walk over our land 'estate,'
winding to and fro in gulleys filled with smooth ice patches or loose
sandy soil, with a twofold object. I thought I might find the remains
of poor Julick--in this I was unsuccessful; but I wished further to
test our new crampons, and with these I am immensely pleased--they
possess every virtue in a footwear designed for marching over smooth
ice--lightness, warmth, comfort, and ease in the putting on and off.
The light was especially good to-day; the sun was directly reflected
by a single twisted iridescent cloud in the north, a brilliant and
most beautiful object. The air was still, and it was very pleasant to
hear the crisp sounds of our workers abroad. The tones of voices, the
swish of ski or the chipping of an ice pick carry two or three miles
on such days--more than once to-day we could hear the notes of some
blithe singer--happily signalling the coming of the spring and the sun.
This afternoon as I sit in the hut I find it worthy of record that two
telephones are in use: the one keeping time for Wright who works at
the transit instrument, and the other bringing messages from Nelson
at his ice hole three-quarters of a mile away. This last connection
is made with a bare aluminium wire and earth return, and shows that
we should have little difficulty in completing our circuit to Hut
Point as is contemplated.
Account of the Winter Journey
_Wednesday, August_ 2.--The Crozier Party returned last night after
enduring for five weeks the hardest conditions on record. They looked
more weather-worn than anyone I have yet seen. Their faces were scarred
and wrinkled, their eyes dull, their hands whitened and creased with
the constant exposure to damp and cold, yet the scars of frostbite
were very few and this evil had never seriously assailed them. The
main part of their afflictions arose, and very obviously arose, from
sheer lack of sleep, and to-day after a night's rest our travellers
are very different in appearance and mental capacity.
The story of a very wonderful performance must be told by the
actors. It is for me now to give but an outline of the journey and
to note more particularly the effects of the strain which they have
imposed on themselves and the lessons which their experiences teach
for our future guidance.
Wilson is very thin, but this morning very much his keen, wiry
self--Bowers is quite himself to-day. Cherry-Garrard is slightly
puffy in the face and still looks worn. It is evident that he has
suffered most severely--but Wilson tells me that his spirit never
wavered for a moment. Bowers has come through best, all things
considered, and I believe he is the hardest traveller that ever
undertook a Polar journey, as well as one of the most undaunted;
more by hint than direct statement I gather his value to the party,
his untiring energy and the astonishing physique which enables him
to continue to work under conditions which are absolutely paralysing
to others. Never was such a sturdy, active, undefeatable little man.
So far as one can gather, the story of this journey in brief is much
as follows: The party reached the Barrier two days after leaving
C. Evans, still pulling their full load of 250 lbs. per man; the
snow surface then changed completely and grew worse and worse as they
advanced. For one day they struggled on as before, covering 4 miles,
but from this onward they were forced to relay, and found the half
load heavier than the whole one had been on the sea ice. Meanwhile
the temperature had been falling, and now for more than a week the
thermometer fell below -60°. On one night the minimum showed -71°,
and on the next -77°, 109° of frost. Although in this truly fearful
cold the air was comparatively still, every now and again little puffs
of wind came eddying across the snow plain with blighting effect. No
civilised being has ever encountered such conditions before with only
a tent of thin canvas to rely on for shelter. We have been looking
up the records to-day and find that Amundsen on a journey to the
N. magnetic pole in March encountered temperatures similar in degree
and recorded a minimum of 79°; but he was with Esquimaux who built
him an igloo shelter nightly; he had a good measure of daylight;
the temperatures given are probably 'unscreened' from radiation, and
finally, he turned homeward and regained his ship after five days'
absence. Our party went outward and remained absent for _five weeks_.
It took the best part of a fortnight to cross the coldest region,
and then rounding C. Mackay they entered the wind-swept area. Blizzard
followed blizzard, the sky was constantly overcast and they staggered
on in a light which was little better than complete darkness;
sometimes they found themselves high on the slopes of Terror on the
left of their track, and sometimes diving into the pressure ridges
on the right amidst crevasses and confused ice disturbance. Reaching
the foothills near C. Crozier, they ascended 800 feet, then packed
their belongings over a moraine ridge and started to build a hut. It
took three days to build the stone walls and complete the roof with
the canvas brought for the purpose. Then at last they could attend
to the object of the journey.
The scant twilight at midday was so short that they must start in the
dark and be prepared for the risk of missing their way in returning
without light. On the first day in which they set forth under these
conditions it took them two hours to reach the pressure ridges, and to
clamber over them roped together occupied nearly the same time; finally
they reached a place above the rookery where they could hear the
birds squawking, but from which they were quite unable to find a way
down. The poor light was failing and they returned to camp. Starting
again on the following day they wound their way through frightful ice
disturbances under the high basalt cliffs; in places the rock overhung,
and at one spot they had to creep through a small channel hollowed in
the ice. At last they reached the sea ice, but now the light was so
far spent they were obliged to rush everything. Instead of the 2000
or 3000 nesting birds which had been seen here in _Discovery_ days,
they could now only count about 100; they hastily killed and skinned
three to get blubber for their stove, and collecting six eggs, three
of which alone survived, they dashed for camp.
It is possible the birds are deserting this rookery, but it is also
possible that this early date found only a small minority of the
birds which will be collected at a later one. The eggs, which have not
yet been examined, should throw light on this point. Wilson observed
yet another proof of the strength of the nursing instinct in these
birds. In searching for eggs both he and Bowers picked up rounded
pieces of ice which these ridiculous creatures had been cherishing
with fond hope.
The light had failed entirely by the time the party were clear of
the pressure ridges on their return, and it was only by good luck
they regained their camp.
That night a blizzard commenced, increasing in fury from moment to
moment. They now found that the place chosen for the hut for shelter
was worse than useless. They had far better have built in the open,
for the fierce wind, instead of striking them directly, was deflected
on to them in furious whirling gusts. Heavy blocks of snow and rock
placed on the roof were whirled away and the canvas ballooned up,
tearing and straining at its securings--its disappearance could only
be a question of time. They had erected their tent with some valuables
inside close to the hut; it had been well spread and more than amply
secured with snow and boulders, but one terrific gust tore it up and
whirled it away. Inside the hut they waited for the roof to vanish,
wondering what they could do if it went, and vainly endeavouring to
make it secure. After fourteen hours it went, as they were trying
to pin down one corner. The smother of snow was on them, and they
could only dive for their sleeping-bags with a gasp. Bowers put his
head out once and said, 'We're all right,' in as near his ordinary
tones as he could compass. The others replied 'Yes, we're all right,'
and all were silent for a night and half a day whilst the wind howled
on; the snow entered every chink and crevasse of the sleeping-bags,
and the occupants shivered and wondered how it would all end.
This gale was the same (July 23) in which we registered our maximum
wind force, and it seems probable that it fell on C. Crozier even
more violently than on us.
The wind fell at noon the following day; the forlorn travellers crept
from their icy nests, made shift to spread their floor-cloth overhead,
and lit their primus. They tasted their first food for forty-eight
hours and began to plan a means to build a shelter on the homeward
route. They decided that they must dig a large pit nightly and cover
it as best they could with their floorcloth. But now fortune befriended
them; a search to the north revealed the tent lying amongst boulders a
quarter of a mile away, and, strange to relate, practically uninjured,
a fine testimonial for the material used in its construction. On the
following day they started homeward, and immediately another blizzard
fell on them, holding them prisoners for two days. By this time the
miserable condition of their effects was beyond description. The
sleeping-bags were far too stiff to be rolled up, in fact they were
so hard frozen that attempts to bend them actually split the skins;
the eiderdown bags inside Wilson's and C.-G.'s reindeer covers served
but to fitfully stop the gaps made by such rents. All socks, finnesko,
and mits had long been coated with ice; placed in breast pockets or
inside vests at night they did not even show signs of thawing, much
less of drying. It sometimes took C.-G. three-quarters of an hour to
get into his sleeping-bag, so flat did it freeze and so difficult was
it to open. It is scarcely possible to realise the horrible discomforts
of the forlorn travellers as they plodded back across the Barrier
with the temperature again constantly below -60°. In this fashion
they reached Hut Point and on the following night our home quarters.
Wilson is disappointed at seeing so little of the penguins, but to me
and to everyone who has remained here the result of this effort is the
appeal it makes to our imagination as one of the most gallant stories
in Polar History. That men should wander forth in the depth of a Polar
night to face the most dismal cold and the fiercest gales in darkness
is something new; that they should have persisted in this effort in
spite of every adversity for five full weeks is heroic. It makes a
tale for our generation which I hope may not be lost in the telling.
Moreover the material results are by no means despicable. We shall
know now when that extraordinary bird the Emperor penguin lays its
eggs, and under what conditions; but even if our information remains
meagre concerning its embryology, our party has shown the nature of
the conditions which exist on the Great Barrier in winter. Hitherto we
have only imagined their severity; now we have proof, and a positive
light is thrown on the local climatology of our Strait.
Experience of Sledging Rations and Equipment
For our future sledge work several points have been most satisfactorily
settled. The party went on a very simple food ration in different
and extreme proportions; they took pemmican, butter, biscuit and
tea only. After a short experience they found that Wilson, who had
arranged for the greatest quantity of fat, had too much of it, and
C.-G., who had gone for biscuit, had more than he could eat. A middle
course was struck which gave a general proportion agreeable to all, and
at the same time suited the total quantities of the various articles
carried. In this way we have arrived at a simple and suitable ration
for the inland plateau. The only change suggested is the addition
of cocoa for the evening meal. The party contented themselves with
hot water, deeming that tea might rob them of their slender chance
of sleep.
On sleeping-bags little new can be said--the eiderdown bag may be a
useful addition for a short time on a spring journey, but they soon
get iced up.
Bowers did not use an eiderdown bag throughout, and in some miraculous
manner he managed to turn his reindeer bag two or three times during
the journey. The following are the weights of sleeping-bags before
and after:
Starting Weight. Final Weight.
Wilson, reindeer and eiderdown 17 40
Bowers, reindeer only 17 33
C.-Garrard, reindeer and
eiderdown 18 45
This gives some idea of the ice collected.
The double tent has been reported an immense success. It weighed about
35 lbs. at starting and 60 lbs. on return: the ice mainly collected
on the inner tent.
The crampons are much praised, except by Bowers, who has an eccentric
attachment to our older form. We have discovered a hundred details
of clothes, mits, and footwear: there seems no solution to the
difficulties which attach to these articles in extreme cold; all Wilson
can say, speaking broadly, is 'the gear is excellent, excellent.' One
continues to wonder as to the possibilities of fur clothing as made by
the Esquimaux, with a sneaking feeling that it may outclass our more
civilised garb. For us this can only be a matter of speculation, as it
would have been quite impossible to have obtained such articles. With
the exception of this radically different alternative, I feel sure
we are as near perfection as experience can direct.
At any rate we can now hold that our system of clothing has come
through a severer test than any other, fur included.
_Effect of Journey_.--Wilson lost 3 1/2 lbs.; Bowers lost 2 1/2 lbs.;
C.-Garrard lost 1 lb.