WESTERN GEOLOGICAL PARTY'S REPORT.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 80, 3 April 1912, Page 3

WESTERN GEOLOGICAL PARTY'S REPORT.

OVEECOMING DIFFICULTIES. ' PART I. The -western geological party, consisting of Debenham, Wright, and Petty-officer Evans, in charge of Griffith and Taylor, landed at Butter Point below the Ferrar Glacier, on 27th January, 1911. A depot was made at Cathedral Rockt> on 31st January. They then sledged west fifteen miles and .down a glacier, entering a dry valley, where a snug camp was made in an alcove 30ft deep, excavated by the sun. This alcove shows the tremendous melting power of the sun in these regions, being 2400 ft above the glacier. Debenham discovered an extinct crater of the late giacier age; also late baealt flows 80ft thick. On 4th February a sledge and cooker iv ore sent to the depot, and the party portaged five days' food and gear down -the enow-free, dry valley to the sea. They had lived on cold food without great discomfort for this period. A deep, fresh-water lake, four miles long, was the only surface frozen. This was full of algae and traversed by gravels below, promising a region of limestones, which were washed for gold, but only magnetite was found. They returned down the Ferrar Glacier on 15th February. While crossing the new harbour ico whereon they were sledging it suddenly commenced to float out. A quick rurii. across a mile of the cracking floe jusfc brought tho sledges to the fact ir.-o in time. They then Peered' south for the Koettlitii Glacier. The route up the middle of the glacier lay over a most difficult surface. They were constantly falling through thin ico into pools of water two feet Deiow. On 24th February they reached the ■w«st of the LCoetoluz H lacier, near Heald Island, through a fringe of ice monoliths. A week was spent in this vicinity. A large subterranean stream originated here. It flowed under the moraine- and glacier for twenty-five miles to sea and formed a well-used route for numerous scab. Their blowholes occurred at intervals along it. Along its course were several caves encrusted with beautiful ice crystals which were investigated by Mr. Wright. They returned from the Koettlitz tlacler along the edge 'of almost iai-

penetrable pinnacle ice. North-east of Dailey Isles on Slh March they suddenly emerged on ;w open water bay oil which wag newly-formed thin ice which forced them to enter the pinnacles. It tooic two days to negotiate six miles of thk surface, bui> afterwards they were able to sledge on the iea ke again. A violent blizzard lasting fortyeiglit hours kept thftui canipsd on. the 1 edge of the barrier just where the ice had broken out witn Bowers a week before. At the first lull they made for Castle Rock, and crossing the promontory descended to Discovery Hut on 14th March, having been out six weeks. A remarkable feature was that this party encountered very little strong "wind, whilo On the western ftliores, though to Cape Evaiis very bad weather had been experienced during the same period PART IL Tht. western geological part/ in charge of Griffith and Taylor, with Debenham, Gran, and Forde, again left headquarters on 7th/ November, 1911, for Granite Harbour. The sledging _, loads \vere exceptionally heavy, totalling 14001b, and necessitated relaying. A speed of five miles per day brought them to their destination on Ist December. At Cape Nine Miles, inside- Granite Har bour, a stone hut -was built and a blubber stove installed. For over two months seal meat was the staple food, blubber being almost the only fuel used when on the coast. The first week was devoted to exploring the northern shores. A furious blizzard resulting in two feet of snow prevented them sledging farther north. During the next fortnight they sledged around West Harbour, finding masses of marble remarkably large and interesting, and contact minerals, such as topaz. At headquarters thousands of wingless insects of two different species were found, clustering, half-frozen, under almost every pebble. In exploring western highlands they passed tremendous icefalls on the Mackay Glacier. By portaging the sledge and gear up a lOOOft granite cliff and over steep boulder-covered slopes Point Nunatak was reached. Here they found numerous well-preserved fqssilK, probably crustacean. Debenham discovered also spf>cimen6 of bituminous coal. At Nunatak beautiful polished pavements and perched blocks characterised the vicinity, forming the most remarkable examples of glacial action, hitherto seen in Victoria Land. The work done last summer by the geological party in conjunction with this season's work ha* resulted in the survey, with some detail both geological and topographical, of the whole coast north of Mount Morning to Granite Harbour, including what appears to be a good new route to the inland plateau behind Granite Harbour. On Bth January they returned to the etone hut to await the ship's arrival. But over thirty miles of fast sea ice remained between them and the edge of the open water. After waiting for weeks until only ten days' available sledging food- remained they decided to retreat over the Piedmont Glacier to Discovery Hut, via Butter Point. No specimens or personal gear could be carried. Some 20ft crevasses were crossed the first day, but then a route was found at the 1000 ft level which, avoided the larger crevasses. They found that all the sea ice had broken out south, ctf Dunlop Island. After coasting around open water for the next ten days the party were crossing Blue Glacier, when, they were picked up by the ship. It is highly probable the Terra Nova will be able to obtain the specimens from Granite Harbour in 1913.