NEW YEAR AT McMURDO

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28477, 6 January 1958, Page 5

NEW YEAR AT McMURDO

Toasts In Four Languages I From DENIS WEDERELL. “The Press” Correspondent with the U.S A ntarctic expedition. I McMURDO SOUND, Jan. 1. Men of six nations toasted each other in four languages and a Russian sang “Auld Lang Syne” in his native tongue to the accompaniment of an ocharina played by a Swedish-American as midnight brought the New Year in the Antarctic. But with the McMurdo Sound station on a 24-hour basis and men working 12-hour shifts, many Seabees and sailors saw the last hours of the old year under the brilliant midnight sun while they were working cargo winches, unloading slings or driving 35-ton crawler tractors hauling loaded sledges nearly four miles across the frozen sound from ships to the base.

A holiday routine was set on Christmas Day but today the base echoes with the rumble and clatter of tractors, ringing hammers against steel as a new stores building rises on the volcanic slopes and with the roar of helicopters on an airlift from ships to shore.

Movies, usually shown twice nightly—at 8 o’clock and a late show at 1 o’clock —have been cancelled as all efforts are bent to unloading important cargoes.

Ceiling Fire.— One unit from the St. Albans Fire Station attended a small ceiling fire at the Girls’ Training Centre, Burwood, at 11.12 a.m. on Saturday. Only slight damage was done.