AWFUL DEATH

Greymouth Evening Star, 30 November 1929, Page 10

AWFUL DEATH

PERILS OF FROZEN SOUTH. [By Ruesell Owen—Copyright by Sydney “Sun” and New York ‘ Times. ] LITTLE AMERICA (Antarctica), ; : . October 1. The trail south from Little America, to the fourth depot, the southern limit of the supporting party’s journey, is the most difficult part . of the long sledge trip over the ice barrier to the Queen Maud Mountains. It was the part on which Amundsen had his only difficulties while on the barrier and before reaching the terrific chasms of the glaciers leading to the Polar Plateau. ’ Over this part of the route the supporting party will break trail and mark a way for the following geological party, in addition to laying depots for their use. This trail was marked last autumn to a point forty-four miles south of Little America, and three caches of food made there, which will be consolidated into two, the furthest of which will be Depot No. 1. This is at Lat. 79 degrees 21 minutes S., and on a meridian which will be followed as closely as possible all the way, Long. 163 degrees 30 minutes W. The other three depots will be placed by the supporting party at Lat. 80 degrees 10 minutes S., 81 degrees S., and 81 degrees 45 minutes S. They are, roughly, about fifty miles apart. The supporting party will go south to Framheim, Amundsen’s old headquarters, either over the bay ice, or, if that is too much broken up by pressure, for it towers high in the air now, and there are bad fissures and crevasses over-the barrier'itself to Framheim. Even the later route is crevassed this spring because of pressure. ’ From Framheim the way lies up a slope at the foot Of which is a crevasse about twelve feet wide, which was crossed easily last year on a somewhat narrower place now marked with flags. Once up this slope, which will be a stiff pull, and where the dogs of the geological party may help, there is a level stretch over a terrace of ice to the foot of another steep slope. Once up that, and the top- of the barrier is reached, with no more hills until the mountains are reached, although the surface rises in gradual undulations from a height of 256 feet above sea level, as noted by Amundsen, just after the edge of the barrier is passed, to a height of 928 feet at Lt. 79 degrees 12 minutes. This is the highest point on the entire route to the mountains ,as at the last depot at 85 degrees, not far from Mount Nansen, the altitude is only 476 feet. And for forty miles befoue reaching that point the altitude of the barrier is less than 100 feet above sea level.

So it can be seen, that the elevation of more than 900 feet, so much further is significant as indicating the presence of land at that point. . The existence of land there is further shown by the heavily crevassed area just south of this elevated point, where the barrier drops from 900 feet down' to 364 feet above sea level in a few miles. And just beyond the crevasse is the cache which will serve this year as the first depot. This crevassed region will be avoided, as it was last year, by going somewhat to the east of the course and then turning back again. Amundsen got into this place of innumerable crevasses, which he called The Trap, on his depot journey, but got out of it by turning east. “There was no need,to look for crevasses,” he said in his book, “there was literally nothing else to be seen.” This place lies in a sort of hollow. After going round The Trap, the first depot will be established by adding dogfood to the stores already there, and covering them with snow, to form a big mound, surmounted by a flag. The entire route will be marked by these yellow flags, fastened to strips of bamboo, and stuck in the snow at halfmile intervals, and at every noonday halt a snow beacon with a flag on it will be erected.

The depots will be more elaboratelymarked, however, so that in storms or days of bad visibility on the return journey it will be easier to find them. In addition to the snow mound and the large flag on it, flags will be placed at quarter-mile intervals for a distance of five miles on each side of the depots. There will be twenty of these flags on each side, and each one Will be marked with the letter “E” or “W,” denoting east or west, and a number showing the distance out from the depot. So that if a returning party loses the trail and finds a flag marked “E-16” the members will know that they are four miles eas't of a depot.

GOOD ROUTE FOR FIRST PART. The travelling should be smooth and safe for some time after leaving the first depot, if conditions are still as Amundsen found them, until the third depot is laced at 81 psouth. The second depot is placed at 81 south. The second beyond Amundsen’s depot at 80 south, which was large, well filled with supplies, and well marked after his return trip. “It is not impossible that it will be found useful later on,” he wrote. But after the third depot is laid down, the supporting party will face the -vtorst part of the entire barrier trip. ’ On the first trips Amundspn made across this crevassed area, twice on a depot-laying journey and going south on his polar trip, he had little difficulty with crevasses. But on the way home after reaching the Pole he had a different story to tell. “Three times we had now gone over this stretch of the barrier without hav-

ing really clear weather,” Amundsen says in his book “This time we had it and were able to See what it actually looked like.

“The iregularities began in 81 degrees 12 minutes south, and did not extend very far' from north to south, possibly about five kilometres (three and a-quarter miles). How far they extend from east to west it is difficult to say, but at any rate as far/as the eye could reach.

Immense pieces of the surface had fallen away and opened'up the most horrible yawning gulfs, big enough to swallow many caravans />f the size of otirs.

From these open holes only wide cracks ran out in all directions, besides which mounds - and haycocks were everywhere seen. Perhaps the most remarkable thing of all was harrn^ 0 -- a PaMed ° W her 6 " n ‘

And yet for the I’eassurance of folks Sf, J h ° me ’ ] le did Pass ever this area Iy times ’ On three of which he was unable to see where he was going, so with ropes and bolts and bamboo poles and the other precautions

available there is no reason why these dog teams and their drivers should not get across safely, althoug hthey will have to watch their step. The remaining part of the trip to 81 degrees 45 minutes, and the last depot to be put down by the supporting party, the going should be smooth and easy, particularly as they will have dropped a good part of their loads. They may also be able to get a glimpse of the land which Amundsen saw far to the east, a sight of which would somewhat reward them for their difficult journey and at the same time tantalise them with the thought that they would see land and not be able to reach it.

The barier is heavily crevassed to the east, also indicating land, and last year the depot-laying party saw a pressure line to the west which ran parallel to their route at a distance of a few miles. Their work will have been done, however, and they will turn homeward over the crevasses and around huge holes fortunately much lighter than when they went out JDdrov Bstbfifls ko •