Warmer Temperatures Melt Snow At McMurdo

Press, Volume XCIV, Issue 28130, 20 November 1956, Page 10

Warmer Temperatures Melt Snow At McMurdo

[From BRIAN O’NEILL, “The Press” correspondent with the United States Navy Task Force 43 in the Antarctic}

McMURDO SOUND, November 18. Men ambling from sleeping barracks to ablution blocks in underwear and sandals at 6 o’clock in the is a sure sign of . mild summer weather, but when they can be seen doing this in the Antarctic, 750 miles from the South Pole, it is really summer. A heat wave has hit the United States Navy’s base in McMurdo Sound, and maximum, polar clothing worn through the winter is being discarded layer by layer. The thermometer has soared above zero this week, and temperatures have been between 12 and 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Burke boulevard and Forrestal avenue—the two main streets in the 35—building base—are puddled and slushy, and big bulldozers have pushed away more than 2ft 6in of snow to keep the place from becoming a quagmire. The surrounding hills on Ross Island where the base is situated are practically bare of snow. The black volcanic soil stands out starkly against what snow there is left. Skiers complain that their downhill runs are disappearing and non-skiers look dismal as the gentle slopes they have been used to sliding down on the seats of their Waterproof pants, melt. • More serious is the shrinking of the snow-field above the base used for the camp water supply. All day long and throughout the sunny night hours loader dozers rumble up the mountainside. They return to the camp with shovels of snow to be melted into water for drinking, cooking, washing and laundry. One American movie cameraman who has spent some time in the area says scornfully: “The place looks so unlike the Antarctic I have not shot a foot of film in two weeks.” The ice is also melting out on the

bay, where the Williams air strip is located. South Pole airlift operations will have to be gone ahead with quickly if they are to be completed before the strip becomes unusable. Already there has been a delay of three weeks, and parties out on the iceshelf after seals and fish have reported new crevasses. The vicinity of the United States base on the west side of the island in many parts looks like an enormous junk yard. As the snow and ice retreats rubbish and debris appears where it was thrown years, or only months, ago. Broken boxes, reels of cable, packing material, heaps of metal, marker flags, empty cans and broken vehicle parts are all becoming visible as the ice surface drops. Valuable finds and novel souvenirs can be picked up. One man found a sleeping bag out on the shelf beside a pipeline; another a small parachute and radiosonde equipment. Canned goods, unopened and in perfect condition, and toilet gear are found all over the *place. Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s hul at Cape Armitage is surrounded by rubbish. The hut and things left about it by the British explorer 44 years ago are considered inviolate by the Americans and no effort has been made by them or other expedi tions to clean the mess up. The Rut at present five feet deep in snow, is surrounded by smashed cases spilling water biscuits, old rope, pieces of metal, a board-like penguin skin and other trash. A modern note is given by an empty beer can nearby. The labei on the outside of the can reads: “Schiltz, the Beer that Made Milwaukee Famous.”