IN ANTARCTICA

Hokitika Guardian, 3 April 1929, Page 6

IN ANTARCTICA

IN WINTER QUARTERS

HOUSES OF SNOW

(By Russell Owen —Copyrighted 1929 by the New York Times Company, and St. Louis Post Dispatch. All rights for publication reserved throughout the world. Wire'ess to New Yoik Times.)

(United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright).

(Received this dav at 0.25. a.m.) BAY OF WHALES, April 1. Down went the thermometer with a thump to 47 below zero, but the sun is shining and shovelling and digging proceed just the same, despite frosted toes and noses, to the time of: “ Poor little snowpile don’t you worry, you’ll he a big hole by and by, grunt and heave, saw and shovel.” Eyebrows, whiskers and edges of parka hoods are covered with rime, the breath mounting in big clouds -in the still, biting air, toes congealing, and mittens so stiff with frozen perspiration that they are ’curve?! like iron grooves round the shovel handles. Tt is a ease of shovel and heave, then halt while a frost-bitten cheek is rubbed hack to normal.

Just now we are building a series of tunnels that would be a mode! for the subway system that Sydney is talking about. When they are finished it will he possible to walk to the houses and obtain supplies without going outside. There will be a quarter of a mile ol glistening channels of communication. While one group are working thus, the aviation party was putting the big Ford plane to bed for the winter. The men made a huge' hole ten feet deep, and with the help of the entire siang, pushed the huge fuselage in there, with the centre section and wing motors mounted. Then they erected a wall of snow blacks around it. This building was the beginning of a new method of construction which is now adopted by the subway constructors. With the aid of ice-saws such as are used to cut ice in ponds at home they saw down and across, then lift chunks of hard snow. This snow is so firm that it can he quarried like stone. Tt Was a labour of two days getting this hole ready and mechanics and pilot* did most of it—mechanics who have kept the planes going without failure in all ‘ these cold weather flights. Rubier. Roth and Dennis have the most disreputable parkas in the camp, t'-'o penalty of working where there is hot oil. They lifted blocks until thenarms ached and when they finished the big ship was stored away in a hangar of snow, roofed ove- ””th snow, covered tarpaulin and with room enough inside to permit them to work on gas and oil lines and motors and other parts during the winter night. There is no wind in Antarctica which can get hold of enough of that structure to budge it, it is so carefully designed. The next problem was to care for the dogs, so that they would he protected in the low temperatures. The dog drivers are the mainstay ol this work, although the aviation men help them because to get enough kennels to hold eighty dogs is a tremendous task. Trenches similar to those used to connect the houses are being dug. radiating from the seal pile, which is the fond supply. When the trench is finished, hnW ire cut in'the side for the dog crates and then the whole thing is covered over with snow blocks, nuking a perfect hotel corridor.

The dogs will bo chained just far enough apart so that they cannot fight, and will he turned loose under the cv** of their driver for a certain time each day 'for exercise.