TWO CRUSOES IN THE ANTARCTIC.

Dunstan Times, Issue 3132, 28 August 1922, Page 8

TWO CRUSOES IN THE ANTARCTIC.

In a previous issue we gave an ac count of two youths who for twelve months were marooned on an island in the Antarctic. 3lr T. W. Bagshawe to-day continues his account of the rigours- and dangers of a winter spent amid the eternal ice of the Antarctic, and tells how, after all hope of rescue had been practically abandoned, he and his companion, Mr M. C. Lester, R.N.R., were dramatically brought back to civilisation by a Norwegian whaler. Winter came down upon us rapidly, said Mr Bagshawe, in continuation of his narrative to the Central News, but fortunately we had practically completed our preparations for the cold, dark days when raging blizzards and roaring winds swept the locality. The daysgrew shorter and shorter, and tho cold more and more intense. Behind our nut, on the shore side, the sea was frozen, and huge chunks of ice and small bergs rose from what a i'ew days before had been blue water. Still a little farther away, across the narrow stretch of ice, the huge mountains, always covered with glaciers, rose till their crests were hidden in the clouds, black as night. Qui' eight dogs, in their kennels close to the hut. set up a constant howl, and the penguins deserted us. No more did we have the amusing little birds to study, and now our attention was devoted to the keeping of meteorological observations and a study of the ice conditions. But there was plenty to keep us occupied. Naturally our own safety and the safety of the dogs was of paramount importance. Every day we had to dig our way out of tlie hut; often we were completely buried in the snow—a factor which we both think added to our security from the fearful weather. The hut. buried as it often was. was completely protected from the winds which swept the island, and our fear was lest the structure would collapse from the weight often resting upon it during a singlo hour's snowfall. Then the dogs had to be continually exevated from beneath the snow: often we found' them lying in their kennels half frozen beneath sft and 6ft of frozen snow, which had to be attacked with axes. Hut when the snow held off our night troubles and worries were increased. Few people in England can imagine the terrific force of an Antarctic gale. The icy wind comes roaring down from flic mountains direct from the South Pole, and sweeps all before it. Our hut would rock and tremble Ihreatoiung every moment to fall before the gathering force of the storm. We had hmll the place as strongly as possible, and! reinforced the walls with all Ihe coal we had. in addition to a few frozen seals stacked up. Happily the little si ruetore stood linn, and each morning we carefully examined the wire "guys" and other supports which we had placed in position : always we fried to improve the strength and resisting power against ihe winds. Seated in Ihe hut during the blizzards we were compelled' to shout at tbe top of our voices in order that we might carry on a conversation in the roar of the wind. If our hul collapsed, we should have been frozen to. death. This we readily recognised, but we both determined lo make a light for life, even though we were left without our hut. In the most sheltered part of the island we placed our tent and a few provisions, and made up our minds that if the but were carried away we could start rebuilding our hut. There was always ihe danger of ihe ice being brought up on to tho island at the spot where ouv hut was built, and naturally wo watched the progress of the pack now frozen hard with feelings of anxiety. I,ile in thf hut was by no mef>us i picnic during that long winter, when everything was frozen solid. Our worst trouble was experienced in our "bedroom." Our breath, striking the low ceiling just above our heads as we lay in the sleeping bags, would freeze, forming hoar frost, which clung to the ceiling in groat patches, till finally the whole would be covered. Then, as the temperature in tho hut rose, the boar \rest would thaw, and in thawing water in great splashes would fall on our lace- iust as we were dozing. Our furlined sleeping bags, damp with perspiration from our bodies, would quickly freeze once we left them in the morning, with the result that when we sought them at night all the fur would be matted and frozen in sharp pricking spikes, and after a \'v\v nights we discovered masses of ice in the bags which had to be melted. I found a miniature lake in the bottom of my bag one night alter I had been tucked in about) an hour or so. the ice having thawed and I Ire water run to the foot of the bag owing to the slope of the boat. During the winter we each rose at 7.110

a.m.. and whichever one of Us was cook- we took the duty in turnwould attempt lo light the coal lire in the grate we had constructed out of old kerosene cans, while the other man would make his way to the meteorological screen and take observations, and on returning chip the ice from the floor of the "lounge" and kitchen, and while breakfast w,-,s preparing would chip coal from tbe ice in readiness for the time when he would have to act cook on the following day. Usually the dogs had to be excavated from beneath the snow, and after an hour's work in this direction axes would be used to attack the store of frozen seal meat, which was usually buried under oft or 6ft of frozen snow. Ice and snow had to be collected to melt for drinking water, the dogs exercised, and every two hours the readings had to bo taken The evenings were devoted to writing up the day's events, readling. ami tunes fM , the gramophone. Usually we sought our sleeping bags at nine o'clock. Roth Lester and I enjoyed an unbroken record of good health. :l headaches and occasional toothache be excepted. This we are both convinced can be attributed to the very simple tood we ate. with abundance of fresh meat provided by seals and penguins.

line! more important than all-total ib-tinence.

One morning during December I was Slathering penguin eggs when away in tho distance 1 saw what 1 at first took lo be a small iceberg. The "berg" dvew nearer, and I distinguished her to be. one of the whalers making for the island. I called lo Lister, and we watched the ship approaching. wondering whether she was to be'the vessel in which we should voyage to Hope Bay and, .start the work we bad set out to do. Our I'uioii .lack, which we had

usually hoisted, was mil Hying thai morning, and as the ship approached she sounded her syren. She was the Norwegian whale catcher Graham, and one beard here were Captains O. Anderson. V. Hansen, and SkcdslllO, with the British Government whaling magistrate' from Port San ley. Mr A. G. Rennet I. At lirsl they did not see us on tbe island, and then only one of us was seen through the glasses. Captain Skedsino. who. b\ (ho way, was the whaling captain to whom the late Sir

Krncsf Shaeklelon applied for aid al South Georgia, and who went to the rescue of i be members of that exuedition. told me that they approached the island with fear and trembling. "We had all given von up for dead." he

said. "We were sure you would never survive flic winter. When we could not sec the flag flying and there was no sign of life on the island our s-us-

pieions seemed confirmed." At this point Mr Bennett, the magistrate, intervened. "Yes," he said, pulling a Church of England Prayer Book from his pocket, "we were so sure that we should find you hoth dead that I brought this with me to read the burial service. No one at Port Stanley thinks you to be alive." In conclusion Mr Bagshawe declared his readiness to take part in another expedition. "My one regret is," he said, "that T have not been able to see Hope Bay and explore that unknown territory, where there remains untold work to he accomplished.