Doing Housework In The Antarctic

Press, Volume C, Issue 29514, 16 May 1961, Page 17

Doing Housework In The Antarctic

More time was spent doing housework in the Antarctic than many realised. Dr. B. Stonehouse, senior lecturer in zoology at the University of Canterbury, told a public meeting last evening. Dr. Stonehouse was one of a panel of four speakers who discussed living in the Antarctic. at the conclusion of an Antarctic study course arranged by the Adult Education Department of the University of Canterbury. Dr. Stonehouse said the long winter night went very quickly because there was so much work to do. However, life could be very comfortable in the Antarctic. Mr A. Roberts, who spent the summer of 1959-60 at Scott Base, said that at the base there was a roster system by which each man was, for a time, '‘house-mouse." The ‘'house-mouse" swept floors, collected snow for water, laid the tables, assisted the cook, and generally did chores around the base. The food at Scott Base was as good as a person received at home, said Mr Roberts. Water was obtained by melting snow, and many were always employed on this task. The snow had to be brought from about half a mile away to the base. In summer there were sometimes about 50 men at the base and this meant that a considerable amount of water was consumed. Transport Speaking about transport, Dr. Stonehouse said the main mode of transport was by sledge. A sledge and dog team could travel to places that tractors and sno-cats could not. The dogs were good animals and easy to handle. In addition to sledges, tractors fitted with tracks, weasels, and sno-cats were widely used, but travel in the Antarctic had been revolutionised bv the aircraft. Mr R Wheeler, leader of the Victoria University expedition to the dry-valley areas last season described the rations used in the field. He said that breakfast usually consisted of porridge and bacon and eggs. When the bacon was fried, the fat was usually ea’en too, as it was found that the men had a craving for fat. Lunch was usually a meat bar and biscuits, and dinner was a stew made from meat bars, potato powder, and onion powder. Drinks were tea. coffee, cocoa and fruit drinks. The fruit drinks were of the concentra'ed type, and were always made as strong as possible. "We sometimes dank them so strong they nearly made our teeth fizz with the acid,” he said.

Speaking of the tents used on field trips. Dr. Stonehouse said they were a pyramid shape, about seven feet high, and with a floor area of about 6ft square. The fabric was very fine and waterproofed, and the tent walls were of two layers of fabric. As a result, air was trapped in the tent walls and the tents were very warm. Clothing Mr Roberts said that the clothing used by the New Zealand expeditions had been developed from clothing used for climbing in New Zealand. It was excellent for the job. He said it was designed with a view to keeping the warmth in. rather than keeping the cold out. Dr. J. F. Gabites, director of climatological research for the Meteorological Service, spoke briefly on the opportunities Antarctica offered for study of weather in the high latitudes and its relationship to the Southern Hemisphere. He said that, in future, this work would assist in long-range forecasting.