THE HOME OF THE BLIZZARD.* To the "soaring human boy"
there is something less thrilling in peril undertaken for an exclusively scientific cause than in peril undertaken to beat some "record." Thus a merely emotional estimate of an Antarctic expedition to the Pole would find only failure in the adventure if the Pole had not been reached. Perhaps we all have a little in us of the soaring human boy, and it is on the assumption that we have that we feel best able to praise Sir Douglas Mawson's book ; for we can affirm that we have been as much thrilled by it as by the narratives of those who were out to "beat a record." The Alawson Antarctic Expedition of 1911-14 had a circumscribed scientific scope—to map and chart as much as possible of the great Antarctic Continent; to study its geology, its biology, its magnetic attractions, and its winds ; to ascertain the character of the tides which sway the great ice-packs, and so on. In the course of his investigations Sir Douglas Mawaou made a sledge journey which has an exact counterpart in the journeys of Captain Scott and Sir Ernest Shackleton. What strikes us at once in the narratives of all three men is that no amount of forethought and preparation can eliminate the risk of disaster. The luck was with Sir Ernest Shackleton; it was against Scott; in Sir Douglas Mawson's case it was, one might say, nentraL After Sir Douglas Idawson had suffered the supreme misfortune of losing both his companions, he made a truly marvellous return journey to his base, for a large part of the way alone. If he had been less resourceful and less stout.hearted, he could not possibly have come through alive.
One's fancy plays with the thought what the world would be like if the great Antarctic Continent were habitable, so that agriculture could be conducted there and nations rise and prosper. This great continent is half as large again as Australia, but Providence has ruled it out by a kind of Monroe doctrine of Nature in favour of seals and penguins. The coast of this continent, with its impressive mountains and almost unceasing blizzard., is a sheer wall. The photographs of parts of the wall show one of the strangest sights in the world; the almost perpendicular rock is covered with ice, and above these frowning but majestic ramparts lies a vast plateau. This plateau—this plateau-continent—of which the average height is ten thousand feet, is broken here and there by monntain ranges. The Mawson Expedition explored the continent in the unknown places west of Cape Adare. The coast-line woe followed and charted for some fifteen hundred miles, and the land parties explored large tracts of the continent along this line. The chief exploring bases were at the east and west ends of the line, and a main base was planted at Macquarie Island and kept in touoh with the explorers by means of wireless telegraphy. No ship could stay by the explorers during the winter with any chance of surviving. When Sir Douglas Mawson failed to return to his base by the appointed time, after his first summer's exploration, the steam yacht ' Aurora ' could not wait for him. She had also to try to pick up the members of the other exploring base, and it was a question of days whether she would be able to do it. Thus Sir Douglas Mawson and some of his companions spent another winter in Adelie Land, which had not been provided for in the original programme.
But to return to the beginning; it was on January 6th, 1911, that the ' Aurora ' came to anchor in Commonwealth Bay, as it wee named, in Adelie Land—a place never before aeon by human eye. Here the eastern base was formed. No sooner was the hut built and all the scientific routine established than the party—Sir Douglas Mawson himself was at this base—were forced to settle down to face the winter with what jollity they could. Fortunately their spirits were high. If one judges only by superficial tests, they enjoyed themselves more than a similar congregation of men in any other part of the world. The hut itself shows in the photo- graphs little more than the roof appearing above the snow- drift. Here was the "home of the blizzard" indeed!
• Ow Homo of the Blizzard: being the Rom of the Australazian Antarctic
Betio I1/By SizDougiserason. Des., BE. in
Willls
Heinemann. Laic net.]
According to the scales of wind pressure, a wind of eighty miles an hour is expected to level everything that Res in its way. But eighty miles an hour is quite a common speed for the wind of Adelie Land. Add to the unpleasantness of these deafening blasts the facts that they carry a dark fog of snow with them and that the thermometer stands below zero, and one has a faint picture of the miseries and dangers of the winter from which the explorers protected themselves by means of their hut. At first they were simply blown fiat on the ground when they faced the wind, but they soon learned the art of what they called "leaning on the wind." The photographs of this accomplishment are extraordinary. The men look WI though they were half-way through the process of falling on their noses. In one photograph a man is shown at the edge of a steep declivity leaning on the wind that sweep' upwards from below and holds him in his almost incredible position. Some of the squalls were estimated to blow at two hundred miles an hour.
We have already referred to the most heroic episode of the expedition—Sir Douglas Mawson's return alone after explor- ing King George V. Land. The story is told so modestly that a careless reader might not grasp the wonderful character of the achievement. Sir Douglas Mawson was accompanied by Mr. Minnie and Dr. Mertz. We must quote the description at Mr. Ninnia's disappearance down a crevasse :— "Oar march was interrupted at noon by a latitude observation after which Mertz went ahead on skis singing his student sings. The dogs rose to the occasion and pulled eagerly and well. Every- thing was for once in harmony and the time was at hand when we should turn our faces homewards. Mertz was well in advance of in when I noticed him hold up his ski-stick and then go on. This was a signal for something unusual so, as I approached the vicinity, I looked out for crevasses or some other explanation of his action. Ass matter of fact crevasses were not expeoted, since we were on a smooth surface of neve well to the southward of the broken coastal elopes. On reaching the spot where Mertz had signalled ancl seeing no sign of any irregularity, I jumped on to the sledge, got out the book of tables and commenced to figure out the latitude observation taken on that day. Glancing at the round a moment after, I noticed the faint indication of a crevasse. It was but one of many hundred similar ones we bad crossed and had no specially dangerous appearance, but still I turned quickly round, called outs warning word to Minnie and then dismissed it from my thoughts. Nimes, who was walking along by the side of his sledge, close behind my own, heard the warning, forte my backward glance I noticed that he immediately swung the leading dogs so as to cross the crevasse squarely instead of diagonally as I had done. I then wanton with my work. There was no sound from behind except a faint, plaintive whine from one of the dogs which I imagined was in reply to a touch from Ninnis's whip. I remember addressing myself to George, the laxiest dog in my own team, say- ing, 'You will be getting a little of that, too. George, if you are not careful.' When next I looked bade it was in response to the anxious gaze of Menu who had turnedroundandbalted in his tracks. Behind me, nothing met the eye but my own sledge tracks running back in the distance. Where were Ninths and his sledge P I hastened back along the trail thinking that a rise in the ground obscured the view. There was no such good fortune, however, for I came to a gaping hole in the surface about eleven feet wide. The lid of a crevasse had broken in; two sledge tracks led up to it oaths far side but only one continued on the other side. Frantically waving to Alerts to bring rip my sledge, upon which there was some alpine rope I leaned over and shouted into the dark depths below. No sound came back but the moaning of a dog, caught on a shelf just visible one hundred and fifty feet below. The poor creature appeared to have broken its back for it was attempting to sib up with the front part of its body while the hinder portion lay Snip. Another dog lay motionless by its side. Close by was what appeared in the gloom to be the remains of the tent and a canvas tank containing food for three men for a fortnight. We broke back the edge of the neve lid and took turns leaning over secured by a rope, calling into the darkness in the hope that our COM- peal= might be dill alive. For three hours we called unceasingly but no answering sound came back. The dog had ceased to mean and lay without a movement A chill draught was blowing out of the abyss."
Er Douglas kfawson and Dr. Mertz turned homewards on shortened rations. But Dr. Mertz grew weaker day by day. Er Douglas Ma.vrson describes his end ' At 10 a.m. I got up to drew Xavier and prepare food, but fusd him in a kind of fit.' Coming round a few minutes later, he exchanged stew words and did not seem to realize that anything lad happened. •. . Obviowsly we can't go on to-day. It is a good day though the light is bad, the sun just gloaming through the clouds. This is terrible; I don't mind for myself but for ethers. . . . pray to God to help us.' 'I cook mane thick cocoa for Xavier and give him beef-tea ; he is better after noon, but very kw—I have to lift him up to drink.. During the afternoon he had several more fits, then became delirious and talked inco- herently until midnight, when he appeared to fall off into a peaceful d umber. So I toggled up the sleeping-bag and retired worn-out into my own. After a couple of hours, having felt no movement from my companion, I stretched out an arm and found that he was stiff.'
There are few more moving accounts of loneliness and suffer- ing than what folios a in Sir Douglas Mawson's diary. Once he actually fell some way down a crevasse and by a super- human effort saved himself Going up a long, fairly steep slope, deeply covered with soft snow, broke through lid of crevasse but caught myself at thighs, got out, turned fifty yards to the north, then attempted to cross trend of crevasse, there being no indication of it ; a few moments later found myself dangling fourteen feet below on and of rope in moralise—sledge creeping to month—had time to say to myself. "so this is the end," expecting the sledge every moment to crash on my head and all to go to the unseen bottom—then thought of the food uneaten on the sledge ; but as the sledge pulled up with- out letting me down, thought of Providence giving ma another chance.' The chance was very smell considering my weak condi- tion. The width of the crevasse was about six feet, so I hang freely in space, turning slowly round. A great effort brought a knot in the repo within my grasp, and, after a esemenfs rest, 1 was able to draw myself up and reach another, and, at length, hauled myself on to the overhanging snow-lid into which the rope had cut. Then, when I was carefully climbing out on to the surface, a further section of the lid gave way, precipitating are once more to the full length of the rope. ExhausW, weak and chilled (for my bands were bare sad pounds of snow hod got inside my clothing) I hung with the firm conviction that all was over except the passing. Below was a black chasm ; it would be but the work of a moment to slip from the harness, then all the pain and toil would be over. It was a rare situation, a rare tempta- tion—a chimes to quit small things for great—to pass from the potty exploration of a planet to the contemplation of vaster worlds beyond. But there was all eternity for the last and, at its longest. the present would be but short. I felt better for the thongest. My strength was fast ebbing in a few minutes it would be toe late. It was the occasion far a supreme attempt. New power seemed to come as I addressed myself to ono last tremendous effort. The struggle occupied some thee, but by a miracle I rose slowly to the surface. This time I emerged feet first, still holding on to the rope, and pushed myself out, extended at full length we the snow—on solid ground. Then came the reaction, and 1 could do nothing for quite an hour."
There is much else that we should like to quote, but we most content ourselves with having, as we hope, inspired the reader with a desire to follow the fortunes of the expedition in detail. The numerous illustrations are a delight in themselves.
Previous page
