AWFUL DEATH

Hokitika Guardian, 29 November 1929, Page 2

AWFUL DEATH

YAWNING TKE ‘ OREVASSES THREATEN BYRD. PERILS OF FROZEN SOUTH.

Yawning crevasses, whose dark depths spell awful death if or men and dog teams alike/ are the chief dangers confronting .Byrd’s men in their trek south' from Harrier this

spring. , {i The following article describes the safety methods adopted "by the Commander to minimise these dangers. LITTLE AMERICA (Antarctica),

Ist .October

The trail south from Little America to the fourth depot, the southern limit of the supporting party’s journey, is the most difficult part of the long sledge trip over the ice barrier to the Queen Maud Mountains. It was the part on which Amundsen had his only difficulties while on the barrier and before reaching the terrific chasms’ of the glaciers leading to the Polar Plateau.

Over this part blf the route the pupporting party will break trail and mark a way for the following geological party, in addition to laying depots for their use. ” ■

This trail was : -marked last autumn to a point fortyffbur miles south of Little America, and three caches of food made there, "which will be consolidated into two, the furthest of which will be Depot No/I. ' This is, at Lat. 79 degrees 21 minutes S„ and on n meridian which will be folowed as close* ly os possible all. the way, Long, 168 degrees 80 minutes W. The other; three depots, will.be placed by the supporting party at Lat. 80 degrees 10 minutes S., 81 degrees ,S.; and 81 degrees;,4s; minutes S. They are,, roughly, about fifty miles apart. WILL GO FIRST TO FRAMHEIM. The supporting' party wall go south to Framheim, Amundsen’s Told headquarters, either over the bay ace, or, itf that is too much .iaroken up by pressure, for it towers, high in the air now, and there are bad fissures and crevasses, over the barrier itself to Framheim. Even the,Jitter route ,is crevassed this spring because of pressure. From Framheim. the way lies up a slope at the which is a crevasse about twelve/get .wide, which was crossed easily last, year on a somewhat narrower place noyi( marked with flags Once up this'slopp, which will' be a stiff pull, and'where the dogs of the geological party may bqlp, There is a level stretch over a terface ‘of ice to the foot qf another steep slope. Once up that,' ahd the top of the barrier is reached, with no more hills until the'' mountain's are reached, although the surface rises in gradual undulations Iffom a' height of ,256 feet above sea level, as noted by Amundsen, just after the edge of the barrier is passed, to'a Height' Of 928 feet'at Lt. 79 degrees l2'ihlmltesl ■ ' 'T I " '

This is the highest point on ifie entire route to the mountains, ns at the last depot at 85 degrees, not far from Mount Nansen, the altitude is only 476 feet. And for forty miles before reaching that point the altitude- of the barrier is less' than!-100 feet above sea level.

■So it can be seen tlnvl' ihe elevation of more thaA' 900 fejet so rmuch further is significant as indicating the presence of land at that point. The existence of land there is further shown by the heavily crevassed area just south of,tßis point, where "the barrier drops'rfom 900 feet down to 364 feet above sea level in a few miles. And just beyond the crevasse is the cache which will serve this year as the first depot.

TO AVOID CREVASSED REGION. This crevassed region will be avoided, as it was last year, by going somewhat to the east of the course and then turning hack again. , . Amundsen got into this place of’ innumerable crevasses, which he called The Trap, on his depot journey, anc}, later on the Polar journey, but got out of it by turning east. . ‘ i

“ There was,no need to look for crevasses,” he said in"his book, “there was literally nothing else to he seen.” This place lies in a sort of hollow After going round The Trap, the first depot will he established by adding dog food to the stores already there, and covering them with snow, to form a big mound, surmounted ! by a flag.

The entire route will be marked by these yellow flags, fastened to strips of bamboo, and stuck in the snow at halfmile intervals, and at every noonday halt a snow beacon with a flag on it will he erected. r

The depots -will be more elaborately marked, however', so that in storms or days of bad visibility on the return journey it will be easier to find them. In addition to the snow mound and the large flag on it, flags will be placed at quarter-mile intervals for a distance of five miles on each side of th'e depots. There will be twenty of these flags on each side, and each one will be marked with the letter “ E” or “ W,” denoting east or west, and a number showing the distance out from the depot. So that if a returning party loses the trail and finds a flag marked “E-16” the members will..know that they are four miles east ofta 'depot;

GOOD ROUTE FOR FIRST PART. The travelling should he smooth and safe for some time after leaving the first depot, if conditions are still ns Amundsen found therhj until the third depot is placed at 81 south. The second depot at 8(1 degrees JO minutes is just beyond Amundsen’s depot at 80 south, which was large, well filled with' supplies, and well marked after his return trip. “It is not 1 impossible that it will he found useful later on,” he wrote.

But after the third depot is laid down, the supporting party will face the worst part of the entire barrier trip.

On the first trips Amundsen made across this crevassed area, twice on a depot-laying journey and going south on his polar trip, he had little difficulty with crevasses. But on the way home after reaching the Pole he had a different story to tell. “ Three times we had now gone over this stretch of the barrier without having really clear weather,” Amundsen says in his book. “This time we had it and were able to see what it actually looked like. “The irregularities begin in 81 degrees' 12 minutes south, and did not extend very far from north to south, possibly about five kilometres (three and a quarter miles). How far they extend from east to west it is difficult to say, lint at any rate, as far as the eve could reach.

“ Immense pieces of the surface Had fallen away and opened up the most horrible yawning gulfs, big enough to swallow many caravans of the size of ours.

“ From these open holes only wide cracks ran out in all directions, besides which mounds and haycocks were everywhere to be seen. Perhaps the most remarkable thing of all was that we had passed over here unharmed.” And yet ifor the reassurance ef folks back home, lie did pass over this* area safely four times, on tliree or which Ke was unable to see where he was going, so with ropes and belts and bamboo poles and the other precautions available there is no reason why these dog teams and their drivers should not get across; safely, although they will have to watch their step. The remaining part of the trip to 81 .degrees 45 minutes, and the last depot to be put down by the supporting party., the going should be smooth and easy, particularly, as they ' will have dropped a good part of their loads. They may also be able to get a glimpse of the land wlycli Amundsen saw far to the east, a sight of which would somewhat reward them for their difficult journey and at the same time tantalise them with the thought that they would see land and not be able to reach it.

The barrier is heavily crevassed to the east, also indicating land, and last year the depot-laying party saw a pressure line to the west which ran parallel to their route at a distance of a few miles. Their work will have been done, however, and they will turn homeward over the.icrevasses. and. around huge holes fortunately ; much lighter than "when they, went out.