THROUGH THE LONG NIGHT

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8355, 15 February 1913, Page 6

THROUGH THE LONG NIGHT

HOW NORTHERN PARTY FARED. WONDERFUL FORTITUDE IN FACE OF GRAYS PERILS. Further particulars of the experiences of Lieutenant Campbell’s north ern party are as follows: While awaiting the ship in February cold blizzards from the plateau were experienced, which caused the seals to take to tho sea earlier than usual, seals objecting to tho cold autumn gales. Thus, on March Ist. when Lieutenant Campbell decided tbat tho winter would have to bo faced and that it would bo necessary to prepar® for winter 1 , very few seals wero to bo seen. THE HOME IN THE SNOW. By March 20th tho igloo, although unfinished, afforded shelter. Tho

igloo was constructed by digging a deep trench and with ice axes cutting out a chamber at the' end of this measuring 13 feet by 9. The trench was afterwards roofed in with sealskins and snow, forming a long passage. Doors were formed by sacks, and by having three of these they were able to keep the temperature in the living room above zero. The igloo afforded shelter just in time, for Dr. Lovick’s tent in a terrific gale had collapsed on the 19th. three of the poles breaking and the tent blowing to ribbons. After lying under the ruins all day bis party made their way to Lieutenant Campbell’s camp, about a mile away, arriving there in a frost-bitten and exhausted condition. They were revived with hoosh and slept that night two in a sleeping hag—a most uncomfortable experience. SHORT COMMONS. By the time winter had set in, in spite of killing everything seen, only sixteen seals and eighty Adelie penguins had been secured. The rations, which had previously consisted of two pannikins of seal hoosh and one biscuit per man per day, bad now to be cut down to half that amount, and not having any salt, the food had always to be" cooked in salt water. Seaweed ■was sometimes used as a ration, but certain members of the party could never got used to this. One lucky find was thirty-six fish in the stomach of a seal, which, fried in blubber, proved excellent. ‘ ‘ALWAYS" HUNGRY. ’ ’ Until the middle of July, when three more seals were captured, the party were always hungry. For cooking and lighting purposes a blubber stove and lamp were constructed, the fuel for the stove being old seal bones and blubber. The lamps wore simply old tins filled with melted blubber, with rope yarn for wicks. On two occasions "in blizzards the ventilation got blocked witli snow, and the party wore almost asphyxiated, the lamps and stove refusing to burn until a passage was dug out. “LUXURIES.” Of luxuries there was enough sugar to give each man twelve lumps every Sunday and one stick of chocolate every Saturday, with half a pannikin of tea on Sunday, the leaves being reboiled for Monday and then being kept for smoking, the tobacco having run out. Each man had half a pannikin of cocoa on five nights a week. The recreations consisted of lectures and the reading aloud of their two books, “David Copperfleld’ and the “Life of Stevenson.” They had conoerts every Saturday night, and owedisb exercises were compulsory during the latter part of the winter. On Sunday evenings Divine service was held. SICKNESS AND FROSTBITE. The party suffered much from enteritis. Petty-Officer Browning was very bad the whole winter, but this never affected his spirits, and to his great credit ho was cheery and willing through it all. The condition of the party’s clothes and footgear caused a lot of frostbites, but luckily none were serious. , , With the return' of the sun enough seals were procured to allow a return to full rations of meat and blubber, and the saving of enough for sledging purposes. Sufficient oil had been saved to cook breakfast and supper, but lunch had to consist of raw seal and penguin. START FOR CAPE EVANS. A start was made for Cape Evans on September 30th. Progress was slow, the party being weak, and Browning too ill to pull. Terra Nova Bay remained open, and they were forced to cross the rough ice on the Drygalski Barrier tongue, so ably described by Professor David in Shackloton’s “Heart of the Antarctic.” NEARLY CAME TO GRIEF. Daring this part of the journey they experienced cold blizzards with drift, and on two occasions nearly came to grief over ice-cliffs. They successfully negotiated the Drygalski by the evening of October 10th, thus taking ten days to make his passage. During that time an enormous crevasse had to bo crossed by a snow bridge which measured 175 paces. Lieutenant Campbell found the Drygalski cut by barrancas, but most of the crevasses were well bridged. Descending on to the sea ice the party encountered a bad screw pack, the pressure ridges at times being so bad that a road had to be cut with iceaxes. The next barrier across their track was the Nordeuskiold Glacier tongue. No crevasses were found on this, and the passage proved quite easy; but returning to the sea ice screw pack was again found. OLD DEPOTS FOUND. Lieutenant Campbell examined the coast very closely for signs of Professor David’s geological depot, first examining Tripp Island, where a geological collection was obtained, and then proceeding to Depot Island (which ia not shown on the Admiralty chart). Hero Professor David’s depot of geological specimens and letters was found and taken along. Generally better surfaces were met with after leaving Depot Island, and Browning had to -be carried on the sledge when the ice was smooth, his condition being critical. LEAVES FROM A DIARY. The following extract is inserted from Lieutenant Campbell’s diary. It begins: October 29th—Turned out at 4.30 a.m. Fine day but bank of clouds to southward. A cold westerly wind. A two hours’ march brought us to Cape Roberts, where I saw through my glasses a bamboo _ stuck on the top of the cape. Leaving the sledges Priestly and 1 climbed the * cape, where we found a record left by the western parly the previous year before they were picked up, giving their movements; also near by a depot of provisions they had left behind. We gave such a yell the others came up the slope TREASURE TROVE. It seemed almost too good to be true—one ana three-quarter tins of biscuits, a small bag of raisins, ditto of sugar, tea, cocoa, butter and lard, some clothes, diaries and specimens from Granite harbour. I decided to camp and have a day off. Dividing the provisions between the two tents wo soon had hoosh going and such a feed of biscuit, butter, and lard as we had not had for nine months, followed up with thick sweet cocoa. After this we killed and cut up a seal, as we are getting short of meat and there is every prospect of a blizzard coming on. “HAPPIEST DAY IN A YEAR.” Another hoosh and more biscuits and lard in the evening; then we turned into our bags and, quite torpid with food, discussed our plans on arriving at Cape Evans, as wo

had quite decided we should find no one there. [Note. —Lieutenant Campbell and his companions always imagined that the chip had picked up Captain Scott and obe main party, and had been blotvn north, adverse circumstances or shortige of coal preventing her from relieviig them.] The diary continues: Still discussing plans we fell asleep. What with news from the main party and found—although both were a year old—it was the happiest day since we last saw the ship. I awoke in the ’night, finished my share of butter and most of my lard; then dozed off again.