POLAR DRAMA OF SIX BRITONS.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 661, 14 January 1933, Page 17 (Supplement)

POLAR DRAMA OF SIX BRITONS.

Will Spend Winter in One of World’s Coldest Spots. SIX YOUNG SCIENTISTS, members of the British Polar Year Expedition, snow and ice bound in one of the world’s coldest spots, will spend the winter there cut off' completelv from civilisation—and in the last despatch they will be able to send till the ice breaks they say: “ All six of us look forward to the experience with pleasant anticipation.”

A vivid story of their adventures I told by Mr J. M. Stagg, the leader f the expedition, in his despatch from brt Rae, Great Slave Lake, in the far Orth of Canada, to the British Air Gnistry. Red Indians, who regard the party $ super-medicine men, instrument-

carrying balloons, which are regarded at Fort Rae as magic, moose and bear meat—what finer ingredients for a schoolboy’s thriller? First there is a graphic picture of the party pitching their camp at Fort Rae, on the most northern arm of the i Great Slave Lake: • |

“ Our instrumental and food equipment accompanied us in 600 odd cases, each of which, because of the difficulties and cost of transport, had been specially packed. “ Our recollection of the bustle of the early days at Rae is full of packingcases, curious Indian onlookers, and swarms of hard-sucking mosquitoes, which, taking advantage of our occupation along other lines, had ample opportunity to feast on the fresh English blood they seem to relish so much.” The expedition is one of the series of international expeditions which are encamped in a circle round the North Pole making observations which it is i hoped will lead to wireless and meteoroI logical discoveries.

It is for carrying out observations in the upper atmosphere that the instru- : ment-carrying balloons are being used. Mr Stagg writes: “ From our early days here the Indians have been amused spectators of our activities. The balloons we send off daily specially interest them. They; feel sure that the unusually long, rainless period we had in August had some connection with the ultimate purpose and fate of the balloons in the high atmosphere and attribute to us a specialised form of super-medicine-man technique. “ A thunderstorm with one lightning flash to ground near the settlement, nearer than they cared to recollect they had ever seen one before, confirmed them in this belief.” Life is complicated for the scientists by the fact that they are daily using three different times —Zonal Mean time for meteorological work, Greenwich time for magnetic work, and Canadian Mountain time for meals. As Fort Rae is in the Indian reserve ■ the scientists are not allowed to shoot or buy fresh meat, but by giving presents to the Indians they get moose ; and bear meat as a relief to their : tinned foods. Aeroplanes carrying prospecting .parties to the recent finds of pitch-; • Iblende, gold and silver on the Bear! I Lake h %ve been passing over the ex-J

pedition, but now the aeroplane visits have ceased. The lake is now frozen over and the little party is isolated from the rest of the world. Mr Stagg ends his despatch with the cheery note: “ The prospects of wintering in one of the reputed ‘ cold poles ’ of the earth becomes daily more alluring,” and adds: “ All six of us look forward, to the experience with pleasant anticipation.” In addition to Mr Stagg (who comes from Scotland) the members of the expedition are Mr W. R. Morgans (Wales), Mr P. A. Sheppard (Bath), Mr A. Stephenson (Norwich), Mr W. A. Grinsted (Leeds) and Mr J. L. Kennedy (Twickenham). The curtain of snow and ice is drawn —next spring it will be raised—and , what an epic story those six young Britons may then have to tell!