CHAPTER V
FIRST DAYS IN ADELIE LAND
The overcrowded whale-boat disgorged its cargo at 1O P.M.
on the ice-quay at Cape Denison. The only shelter was a cluster of four
tents and the Benzine Hut, so the first consideration was the erection of
a commodious living-hut.
While the majority retired to rest to be ready for a fresh burst of work
on the morrow, a few of us discussed the preliminary details, and struck
the first blows in the laying of the foundations.
A site for the living-hut was finally approved. This was a nearly flat piece
of rocky ground of just sufficient size, partially sheltered on the southern
side by a large upstanding rock. Other points to recommend it were, proximity
to the boat harbour and to a good sledging surface; the ice of the glacier
extending to the ``front door'' on the western side. Several large rocks
had to be shifted, and difficulty was anticipated in the firm setting of
the stumps. The latter were blocks of wood, three feet in length, embedded
in the ground, forming the foundation of the structure. Unfortunately, no
such thing as earth or gravel existed in which to
sink these posts, and the rock being of the variety known as gneiss, was
more than ordinarily tough.
Since two parties had combined, there were two huts available, and these
were to be erected so that the smaller adjoined and was in the lee of the
larger. The latter was to be the living-room; the former serving as a vestibule,
a workshop and an engine-room for the wireless plant. Slight modifications
were made in the construction of both huts, but these did not affect the
framework. After the completion of the living-hut, regular scientific observations
were to commence, and the smaller hut was then to be built as opportunity
offered.
Nothing has so far been said about the type of hut adopted by our Antarctic
stations. As the subject is important, and we had expended much thought
thereon before coming to a final decision, a few remarks
will not be out of place.
Strength to resist hurricanes, simplicity of construction, portability and
resistance to external cold were fundamental. My first idea was to have
the huts in the form of pyramids on a square base, to ensure stability in
heavy winds and with a large floor-area to reduce the amount of timber used.
The final type was designed at the expense of floor-space, which would have
been of little use because of the low roof in the parts thus eliminated.
In this form, the pyramid extended to within five feet of the ground on
the three windward sides so as to include an outside veranda. That veranda,
like the motor-launch, was a wonderful convenience, and another of the many
things of which we made full use. It lent stability to the structure, assisted
to keep the hut warm, served as a store-house, physical laboratory and a
dogshelter.
Round the outside of the three veranda walls boxes of stores were stacked,
so as to continue the roof-slope to the ground. Thus, the wind striking
the hut met no vertical face, but was partly deflected; the other force-component
tending to pin the building to the ground.
All three huts were essentially of the same construction. The largest, on
account of its breadth, had four special supporting posts, symmetrically
placed near the centre, stretching from the ground to the roof framework.
The only subdivisions inside were a small vestibule, a photographic darkroom
and my own room. This rough idea I had handed over to Hodgeman, leaving
him to complete the details and to draw up the plans. The frame timbers
he employed were stronger than usual in a building of the size, and were
all securely bolted together. The walls and roof, both inside and outside,
were of tongued and grooved pine-boards, made extra wind-proof by two courses
of tarred paper. As rain was not expected, this roofing was sufficient.
There were four windows in the roof, one on each side of the pyramid. We
should thereby get light even though almost buried in snow.
Plan of the hut, Adelie Land
The largest hut was presented by the timber merchants of
Sydney, and proved its astonishing strength during the winter hurricanes.
The smallest was purchased in Adelaide, the third was built and presented
by Messrs. Anthony of Melbourne.
On the morning of January 20 all were at work betimes. As we were securely
isolated from a trades hall, our hours of labour ranged from 7 A.M. till
11 P.M.
Dynamite was to be used for blasting out the holes for the reception of
the stumps, and so the steel rock-drills were unpacked and boring commenced.
This was easier than it appeared, because the rock was much traversed by
cracks. By the end of the day a good deal of damage had been done to the
rock, at the expense of a few sore fingers and wrists caused by the sledge-hammers
missing the drills. The work was tedious, for water introduced into the
holes had a habit of freezing. The metal drills, too, tended to be brittle
in the cold and
required to be tempered softer than usual. Hannam operated the forge, and
picks and drills were sent along for pointing; an outcrop of gneiss serving
as an anvil.
Among other things it was found difficult to fire the charges,
for, when frozen, dynamite is not readily exploded. This was overcome by
carrying the sticks inside one's pocket until the last moment. In the absence
of earth or clay, we had no tamping material until some one suggested guano
from the penguin rookeries, which proved a great success.
Next day the stumps were in place; most of them being fixed
by wedges and other devices. Cement was tried, but it is doubtful if any
good came of it, for the low temperature did not encourage it to set well.
By the evening, the bottom plates were laid on and bolted to the tops of
the stumps, and everything was ready for the superstructure.
On January 22, while some were busy with the floor-joists and wall-frames,
others carried boulders from the neighbouring moraine, filling in the whole
space between the stumps. These were eventually embedded in a mass of boulders,
as much as three feet deep in places. By the time both huts were erected,
nearly fifty tons of stones had been used in the foundations--a circumstance
we did not regret at a later date.
Hodgeman was appointed clerk of works on the construction, and was kept
unusually busy selecting timber, patrolling among the workmen, and searching
for his foot-rule which had an unaccountable trick of
vanishing in thin air.
Hannam had various occupations, but one was to attend to the needs of the
inner man, until the completion of the hut. There is no doubt that he was
regarded at this time as the most important and popular member of the party,
for our appetites were abnormally good. About an hour before meals he was
to be seen rummaging amongst the cases of provisions, selecting tins of
various brands and hues from the great confusion. However remote their source
or diverse their colour, experience taught us that only one preparation
would emerge from the tent-kitchen. It was a multifarious stew. Its good
quality was undoubted, for a few minutes after the ``dinner-bell rang''
there was not a particle left. The ``dinner-bell'' was a lusty shout from
the master cook, which was re-echoed by the brawny mob who rushed madly
to the Benzine Hut. Plates and mugs were seized and portions measured out,
while the diners distributed themselves on odd boxes lying about on the
ice. Many who were accustomed to restaurants built tables of kerosene cases
and dined al fresco. After the limited stew, the company fared on cocoa,
biscuits--``hard tack''--and jam, all ad libitum.
On those rare summer days, the sun blazed down on the blue ice; skua gulls
nestled in groups on the snow; sly penguins waddled along to inspect the
building operations; seals basked in torpid slumber on the shore; out on
the sapphire bay the milk-white bergs floated in the swell. We can all paint
our own picture of the good times round the Benzine Hut. We worked hard,
ate heartily and enjoyed life.
By the evening of January 24 the floor and outside walls were finished,
and the roof-frame was in position. Work on the roof was the coldest job
of all, for now there was rarely an hour free from a cold breeze, at times
reaching the velocity of a gale. This came directly down from the plateau,
and to sit with exposed fingers handling hammer and nails was not an enviable
job. To add to our troubles, the boards were all badly warped from being
continually wet with sea-water on the voyage. However, by judicious ``gadgetting,''
as the phrase went, they were got into place.
Sections across the hut, Adelie Land
The windward roof was up on January 25, and several of us
camped in sleeping-bags under its shelter. Already Hannam had unpacked the
large range and put the parts together in the kitchen. Henceforth the cooking
operations were simplified, for previously a sledging-cooker had been used.
Mention of the stove recalls a very cold episode. It happened that while
our goods were being lifted from the boats to the landing-stage, a case
had fallen into the harbour. When the parts of the stove were being assembled,
several important items were found to be missing, and it was thought that
they might compose the contents of the unknown case lying in the kelp at
the bottom of the bay.
Laseron and I went on board the whale-boat one day at low water, and located
the box with a pole, but though we used several devices with hooks, we were
unable to get hold of it. At last I went in, and, standing on tip-toe, could
just reach it and keep my head above water. It took some time to extricate
from the kelp, following which I established a new record for myself in
dressing. The case turned out to be full of jam, and we had to make a new
search for the missing parts. I do not think I looked very exhilarated after
that bath, but strange to say, a few days later Correll tried an early morning
swim which was the last voluntary dip attempted by any one.
The enthusiasm of the builders rose to its highest pitch as the roof neared
completion, and we came in sight of a firm and solid habitation, secure
from the winds which harassed us daily. A dozen hammers worked at once,
each concentrated upon a specific job. The ardour with which those engaged
upon the ceiling inside the hut plied their nails resulted in several minor
casualties to those sitting on the roof, deeply intent on the outer lining.
A climax was reached when McLean, working on the steeply inclined roof,
lost his footing and, in passing, seized hold of the wire-stay of the chimney
as a last hope. Alas, that was the only stay, and as he proceeded over the
end of the roof into a bank of snow, Ninnis, within the hut, convinced that
nothing less than a cyclone had struck the building, gallantly held on to
the lower hot section amidst a shower of soot.
Everybody was in the best of spirits, and things went ahead merrily. On
January 30 the main building was almost completed, and all slept under its
roof. Bunks had been constructed, forming a double tier around three sides
of the room. For the first time since coming ashore we retired to sleep
in blankets; fur sleeping-bags had been previously used. That night the
sky which had been clear for a fortnight banked up with nimbus cloud, and
Murphy, who was sleeping under a gap in the roof, woke up next morning to
find over him a fine counterpane of snow. He received hearty congratulations
all round.
Regular meteorological observations began on February 1. The various instruments
had been unpacked as soon as the outer shell of the Hut was completed. The
barometer and barograph were kept running inside. Outside there were two
large screens for the reception of a number of the instruments. It was important
to erect these as near the Hut as possible. The standard thermometer, thermograph
and hygrograph were to occupy one of the screens, a convenient site for
which was chosen about twenty yards to the east. Close by there was also
a nephoscope for determining the motion of clouds. The immediate vicinity
of the Hut, being a gully-like depression, was unsuitable for the wind and
sunshine recorders. A more distant site, on a rocky
ridge to the east, was chosen for these. There were set up a recording anemometer
(wind-velocity meter), a sunshine-meter and the second screen containing
the anemograph (wind-direction recorder).
Madigan was to take charge of the meteorological observations and he, assisted
by Ninnis and Mertz, erected the two screens and mounted the instruments.
Special care was taken to secure the screens against violent winds. Phosphor-bronze
wire-stays, with a breaking strength of one ton, were used, attached to
billets of wood driven into fissures in the rock. Strong as these wires
were, several breakages had to be replaced during the year.
Webb was busy with the magnetic work. For this two huts were to be erected;
the first for ``absolute'' determinations, the second for housing the recording
instruments--the magnetographs. Distant sites, away from the magnetic disturbances
of the Hut, were chosen. Webb and Stillwell immediately set to work as soon
as they could be spared from the main building. For the ``absolute hut''
there were only scrap materials available; the ``magnetograph house,'' alone,
had been brought complete. They had a chilly job, for as the days went by
the weather steadily became worse. Yet in a little over a week there were
only the finishing touches to make, and the first observations were started.
It was now necessary to institute a routine of nightwatchmen, cooks and
messmen. The night-watchman's duties included periodic meteorological observations,
attention to the fire in the range, and other miscellaneous duties arising
between the hours of 8 P.M. and 8 A. M. The cook prepared the meals, and
the messman of the day rendered any assistance necessary. A rotation was
adopted, so arranged that those most actively engaged in scientific observations
were least saddled with domestic duties. Thus each contributed his equivalent
share of work.
Whilst others were occupied finishing off the interior of the hut, Whetter
and Close sledged the cases of stores across from the landing-stage, classified
them and stacked them against the veranda walls. An additional barricade
was constructed of flour cases, in the form of a wall, which increased the
breadth of the rocky break-wind on the southern side.
Murphy, who was in charge of all the stores, saw that a good stock of food
was accessible in the veranda. Here he put up shelves and unpacked cases,
so that samples of everything were at hand on the shortest notice. Liquids
liable to freeze and burst their bottles were taken into the Hut.
The vicinity of the main base, Adelie Land
Already we had several times seized the opportunity of a
calm hour to take out the whale-boat and assist Hunter to set traps and
make a few hauls with the hand-dredge. Even in five fathoms, bright red
and brown star-fish had been caught in the trap, as well as numerous specimens
of a common Antarctic fish known as `Notothenia'. In ten fathoms and over
the results were better, though in no case was the catch so abundant as
one would expect from the amount of life in the water. The luxuriant kelp
probably interfered with the proper
working of the traps. Fish of the same species as the above were caught
on a hand-line.
Hunter, our biologist, was very unfortunate in crushing some of his fingers
while carrying a heavy case. This accident came at a time when he had just
recovered from a severe strain of the knee-joint which he suffered during
our activities in the Queen's Wharf shed at Hobart. Several of us were just
going out to the traps one afternoon when the casualty occurred. Hunter
was very anxious to go, so we waited until McLean had sewn up a couple of
his fingertips.
Weddell, and with them occasional crab-eater seals, were at this time always
to be found in numbers sleeping on the ice-foot around the boat harbour.
It appeared as if we would have plenty of meat throughout the year, so I
waited until the building was completed before laying in a stock. The penguins,
however, were diminishing in numbers fast and the young birds in the rookeries
had grown very large and were beginning to migrate to warmer regions. Several
parties, therefore, raided them and secured some hundreds for the winter.
Giant petrels and skua gulls swarmed in flocks round the seals' and penguins'
carcases. These scavengers demolish an incredible amount of meat and blubber
in a short time. It is a diabolical sight to witness a group of birds tearing
out the viscera of a seal, dancing the while with wings outspread.
During the afternoon of February 11 Webb came in with the news that a sea
elephant was making its way over the rocks near the shore. We rushed out
in time to see it standing over Johnson, one of the dogs, who, true to his
name, did not look abashed. Attracted by more formidable antagonists, the
monster left Johnson and came towards us. He was a fair-sized male with
a good skin, so we shot him before he had time to get back into the sea.
His measurements were seventeen feet six inches in length and twelve feet
in maximum circumference.
With the temperature well below freezing-point, skinning is cold work in
the wind, and must be done before the animal has time to freeze stiff. A
number of us set to work flaying. In order to move the mountain of flesh
a Westing purchase and a ``handy-billy'' (rope and block purchase) had to
be rigged. It was several hours before everything was disposed of; the skin
and skull for the biological collection and the meat and blubber for
the dogs. Ninnis and Mertz, who were the wardens of the dogs, cut up about
one ton of meat and blubber, and stored it as a winter reserve for their
charges.
It may be mentioned that sea elephants are sub-antarctic in distribution,
and only rarely have these animals been observed on the shores of the Antarctic
continent. As far as I am aware, the only other occasion of such an occurrence
was noted by Captain Scott in MacMurdo Sound. Wilkes reported many of them
on the pack-ice to the north of the Balleny Islands, so possibly they have
a stronghold in that vicinity.
The dogs, ever since their arrival ashore, had been chained up on the rocks
be]ow the Hut. The continuous wind worried them a good deal, but they had
a substantial offset to the cold in a plentiful supply of seal-meat. On
the whole, they were in a much better condition then when they left the
`Aurora'. Nineteen in all, they had an odd assemblage of names, which seemed
to grow into them until nothing else was so suitable: Basilisk, Betli, Caruso,
Castor, Franklin, Fusilier, Gadget, George, Ginger, Ginger Bitch, Grandmother,
Haldane, Jappy, John Bull, Johnson, Mary, Pavlova, Scott and Shackleton.
Grandmother would have been better known as Grandfather. He was said to
have a grandmotherly appearance; that is why he received the former name.
The head dog was Basilisk, and next to him came Shackleton.
Early in February, after having experienced nothing but a succession of
gales for nearly a month, I was driven to conclude that the average local
weather must be much more windy than in any other part of Antarctica. The
conditions were not at all favourable for sledging, which I had hoped to
commence as soon as the Hut was completed. Now that the time had arrived
and the weather was still adverse, it seemed clear that our first duty was
to see everything snug for the winter before making an attempt.
Hannam, assisted by Bickerton, Madigan and others, had laid heavy and firm
foundations for the petrol-motor and generator. The floor of the smaller
room was then built around these bed-plates, and last of all came the walls
and roof. Murphy, Bage and Hodgeman were chiefly responsible for the last-named,
which was practically completed by February 10. Minor additions and modifications
were added after that date. Meanwhile, Hannam continued to unpack and mount
the instruments forming the wireless plants. Along one wall and portion
of another, in the outer hut, a bench was built for mechanical work and
for scientific purposes. This was in future to be the work-room.
Our home had attained to a stage of complex perfection. To penetrate to
the inside hut, the stranger reverently steps through a hole in the snow
to the veranda, then by way of a vestibule with an inner and outer door
he has invaded the privacy of the work-room, from which with fear and trembling
he passes by a third door into the sanctum sanctorum. Later, when the snow-tunnel
system came into vogue, the place became another Labyrinth of Minos.
The three doors were fitted with springs to keep them shut unless they were
jammed open for ventilation, which was at once obtained by opening an aperture
in the cooking-range flue. A current of air would then circulate through
the open doors. The roof windows were immovable and sealed on the inside
by a thick accumulation of ice. An officer of public health, unacquainted
with the climate of Adelie Land, would be inclined to regard the absence
of more adequate ventilation as a serious omission. It would enlighten him
to know that much of our spare time, for a month after the completion of
the building, was spent in plugging off draughts which found their way through
most unexpected places, urged by a wind-pressure from without
of many pounds to the square foot.
Excepting the small portion used as an entrance-porch, the verandas were
left without any better flooring than well-trodden snow. In the boarded
floor of the porch was a trap-door which led down into a shallow cellar
extending under a portion of the work-room. The cellar was a refrigerating
chamber for fresh meat and contained fifteen carcases of mutton, besides
piles of seal-meat and penguins.
In preparation for our contemplated sledging, masts, spars
and sails were fitted to some of the sledges, rations were prepared and
alterations made to harness and clothing. Soon a sledge stood packed,
ready to set out on the first fine day.
For several days in succession, about the middle of February, the otherwise
continuous wind fell off to a calm for several hours in the evening. On
those occasions Mertz gave us some fine exhibitions of skiing, of which
art he was a consummate master. Skis had been provided for every one, in
case we should have to traverse a country where the snow lay soft and deep.
From the outset, there was little chance of that being the case in wind-scoured
Adelie Land. Nevertheless, most of the men seized the few opportunities
we had to become more practiced in their use. My final opinion, however,
was that if we had all been experts like Mertz, we could have used them
with advantage from time to time.
The end of February approached. We were fully prepared for sledging, and
were looking forward to it with great expectation. The wind still continued,
often rising to the force of a hurricane, and was mostly accompanied by
snow.
One evening, when we were all at dinner, there was a sudden noise which
drowned the rush of the blizzard. It was found that several sledges had
been blown away from their position to the south of the Hut, striking the
building as they passed. They were all rescued except one, which had already
reached the sea and was travelling rapidly toward Australia.
Mertz, Bage and I had taken advantage of a lull to ascend the ice-slope
to the south, and to erect a flag-pole at a distance of two miles. Besides
being a beacon for sledging parties, it was used for ablation measurements.
These were determinations of the annual wasting of the ice-surface, whether
by evaporation, melting, or wind-abrasion.
Webb and Stillwell, assisted by others, had commenced to build the Magnetograph
House. Dr. Chree, of the British National Physical Laboratory, had arranged
that the German Antarctic Expedition, several observatories in low latitudes
and our own Expedition, should take special ``quick runs,'' synchronously,
twice each month. A ``quick run'' was a continuous, careful observation
made over a period of two hours, on a more searching time-scale then usual.
Until the Magnetograph House was established this could not be done
efficiently, and so the construction of this hut was pushed on as quickly
as possible.
Many other schemes required our attention, and there was not a spare moment
for any one. Though we chafed at the delay in sledging, there was some consolation
in the {act that the scientific programme was daily becoming more and more
complete.
CHAPTER VI - AUTUMN PROSPECTS
