r\\\M;mi;«>uji(<> A N E W S B U L L E T I N

p u b l i s h e d q u a r t e r l y b y t h e NEW ZEALAND ANTARCTIC SOCIETY

>^

THE NORTHERN PARTY LANDS ON THE VICTORIA LAND PLATEAU

Vol. 4, No. 10 JUNE, 1967 Winter and Summer bases. Scott i ' " " e r e * Summer base only . ... t Hallett NEW ZEALAND Transferred base Wilkes UStoAutt TASMANIA Temporarily non-operational HSyowa

. Cimfktll I. (N.l)

, Mic«u»ritl. Uu,t)

<0m ^-i:den*

AcMurde(J//i

// / X' A^B&w ^BSBmtti I n WY^k ♦_HAV '/TWXIUJJ

f * - V o » t o k , N l [ , i u . s . $ . « . ) l A N T A R v .fitesa fifth* *

<* M«.witfh\ -<>(At»t) \\ '"& Maud. >^F:s

-«#

.Marion I. (J./U

DRAWN 1Y DEPARTMENT OF LANDS I SURVEY WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND. MAR.I9&4- 1-.° EDITION ; ^ M & : ^ ^ ^ ¥ i P - ' $ L & i - M * # . ' ? • *■

(Successor to "Antarctic News Bulletin")

Vol. 4, No. 10 JUNE, 1967

Editor: L. B Quartermain, M.A., 1 Ariki Road, Wellington, E.2, New Zealand. Assistant Editor: Mrs R. H. Wheeler. Business Communications, Subscriptions, etc., to: Secretary, New Zealand Antarctic Society, P.O. Box 2110, Wellington, N.Z.

CONTENTS EXPEDITIONS New Zealand Geological Exploration in the Campbell-Aviator Divide: Ross Chisholm and Simon Nathan Mt. Erebus Climbed Again: W. R. Orchiston

U.S.A Woman in Deep Water: Helen E. Clark

U.S.S.R Australia Belgium-Holland Japan Argentina South Africa United Kingdom

The McCormick Skua in Southern McMurdo Sound, Antarctica: Ian F. Spellerberg Antarctic Stations, 9: Novolazarevskaya The Veterans Antarctic Bookshelf Will American Tourists Visit McMurdo Sound? 50 Years Ago New Zealanders Abroad Juno, 1967 GEOLOGICAL EXPLORATION IN THE CAMPBELL-AVIATOR DIVIDE ROSS CHISHOLM with geological and other notes by SIMON NATHAN New Zealand continued its geo from there to the sea. Both glaciers logical survey and exploration of the bounding the ridge are large first- Ross Dependency this year with two order glaciers, flowing from the field parties, the southern, or Avia plateau right down to the coast. In tor Glacier survey party and the the past most travel has been either Mariner Glacier party working just on glaciers or on the plateau, and to the north. The objective of the our journey was partly an experi Aviator party was to survey the ment to test the feasibility of travel Aviator-Campbell divide including ling down a ridge. In the event it Mt. Melbourne and also the plateau was highly successful, as the rocks area north of this so that no gaps could be examined in much greater remain in the geological maps of this detail than glacier travel allows, and region. The journey from the Polar there were few days when we did Plateau to the coast at Cape Wash not spend some hours geologising. ington was completed in forty-eight —S. Nathan.) days and was climaxed by the dis covery of thermal activity near the Our next task was to collect rock summit of Mt. Melbourne, a promin specimens from the crater ridge of ent volcano on the coast of Victoria Mt. Overlord, 20 miles to the south Land. west and this, together with an After being flown in by a Hercules ascent to the summit at 11,145 ft. transport aircraft to Evans Neve on was accomplished on December 2. the Plateau in the early hours of November 25, the two parties (After two days examining schists camped together until moving off in and sediments at the Retreat Hills, the afternoon to their respective we made a brief journey to Mt. geology areas. The members of the Overlord — a large extinct volcano Aviator party were Simon Nathan, at the top of two thousand foot senior geologist, Frank Schulte, geo cliffs overlooking the Aviator logist, Iain Stewart, field assistant, Glacier. As we stood on the summit and myself. it was easy to visualise red hot lava Our main area of exploration was pouring over the crater rim and south of Evans Neve, but to co down the cliffs on to the glacier. ordinate the work of both parties, Before us the rest of our route was we started at the Pleiades east of spread out in a magnificent pano the put-in point. A one day blizzard rama, with Navigator Nunatak delayed us there but the Retreat below, the main hills and ridges of Hills were reached on November 29. the Campbell-Aviator divide directly Two days there were sufficient to ahead, and cloud-shrouded Mt. Mel complete the geology of the main bourne in the far distance.—S.N.) peaks and it was on one of these at about 10,500 feet that we were After camping in the shadow of visited by a snow petrel which cir Overlord where the temperature cled us for several minutes. dropped to —29°C, we sledged with (Our tentative plan was to exam our two Polaris motor toboggans and ine the rocks along the ridge be three sledges loaded with over 4,000 tween the Campbell and Aviator lbs. of gear, to the Intention Nuna Glaciers, and to gradually make our taks, a distance of 42 miles. This way down to Mt. Melbourne and journey, which took us across the Pholo: S. Nathan. LOOKING NORTHWARDS OVER THE AVIATOR GLACIER. MT. OVERLORD IN BACKGROUND. Hills in foreground are of granite (grey) partly covered by black basalt. neve of the Astronaut Glacier, was Solo Nunatak in the Rennick the longest day's sledging of the trip Glacier Neve was visited and then and took 13 hours. on to Navigator Nunatak in the Aviator Glacier. Last year's Northern (Our load repacked, we set off on Party led by Dave Lowe had left ice- the long trek around Evans Neve at movement stakes in the glacier and the head of the Aviator Glacier. The we spent a day surveying and geo 1962-3 northern party dog-sledged logising here at the foot of the over part of this route and reported Co-pilot Glacier which drains the very soft snow conditions with much western slopes of Overlord. whooshing snow. However, we were blessed with continuing hard sur (Is is significant that the centre faces, and covered the ground very stake was about two feet in front rapidly. In one long day's sledging of the outer two, thus indicating we set our record for motor tobog movement at a rate much greater gan travel. Scattered hills and nuna than expected.—S.N.) taks meant short geologising trips, but our next main stop was the December 10 found us on the ridge Intention Nunataks. system forming the Aviator-Camp This group of hills is composed bell Divide, and this area of many of basalts and sandstones of Juras small glaciers and numerous out sic age, about 150 million years old, crops of rock was to occupy us and we were fascinated to find leaf for the next 25 days. For the first impressions and buried tree trunks three days we were confined to in the sediments as well as large camp by a blizzard, but from then geodes and pockets of agate, chalce to Christmas Day we had near- dony, and various zeolites in the perfect weather. We travelled gen basalts.—S.N.) erally southwards with side-trips June. 1967 where necessary to visit distant ridges and outcrops bordering the Cosmonaut and Tinker Glaciers. The most difficult part of this sec tion was a steep saddle up which we had to climb from the Tinker Glacier. We managed to traverse with two toboggans hauling one lightly loaded sledge at a time, to about half-way, where we formed a dump. For the upper half, which rose at an angle of at least 25 de grees, we got the toboggans to the top after much pushing and con nected them to one end of 1,000 feet of nylon rope. The lower end was fixed to a sledge and with the to boggans running slowly downhill on the far side of the saddle they devel oped enough power to haul a lightly- loaded sledge to the top. The other obstacles encountered were three steep steps which had to be descended. The angle of these was over 30 degrees, but by com FUMAROLE ON MT. MELBOURNE. pletely covering the sledge runners with rope brakes, we were able to plum pudding and fruit cake, re descend safely. The biggest step was ceived the previous day, together a drop of 1,500 feet but the most with mail, in an air drop. This latter difficult was the third one, at the event was a great occasion and the top of which every item had to be party members were very appreci carried over ten yards of rocks — ative of the work put into this by except the toboggan, for which we Colin Clarke, Dave Lowe, Bryan shovelled sufficient snow over the George and Norm White, the Base rocks to enable them to be driven radio operator, as well as VX6 squadron U.S.N. A three day white out delayed us from 27 to 30 Dec ember but by January 4 we had (The rocks mapped were nearly finished the geology of the coastal 11 different varieties of granite, and ridges and we headed out the long it was interesting to correlate our saddle to Mt. Melbourne. Camp was work with that of last season's party established at about 3,000 feet on who worked in an area immediately the northern slopes, but cloud near south of the Campbell Glacier. One the summit delayed the ascent till feature of particular note was the January 7. The 6th was spent in evidence for very recent volcanic taking the spare sledge to the take out point on Cape Washington Penin activity. At many outcrops we found small undissected basalt scoria sula, a round trip of 61 miles. cones or mounds, and in places On Saturday, January 7, we took basalt lapilli and pebbles were the toboggans to about 7,500 ft. on found on the ground surface — ob Melbourne and set off for the sum viously thrown out by nearby erup mit on foot. Before long we came tions and not yet destroyed by upon some strange sculptured ice weathering processes.—S.N.) formations and on closer examina tion found these to be hollow with the ground below warm and gently Christmas we celebrated in the steaming. Boiling sounds could be traditional manner with chicken, heard by listening close to the floor '.V^-**'v,*: V'.^.-l

June, 1967 of the caverns. These fumarole ice was visited once before, by Borch- formations were found over a con grevink in 1900, when he anchored siderable area of the upper north- in the small inlet just north of the em slopes above 8,000 feet and in rookery. From the take-out point, the craters of the 8,967 foot moun we travelled along the narrow pen tain. The temperature inside one insula ending in Cape Washington, of these caverns was +7°C. while where several skua gulls were found outside there was a cool breeze at nesting. The 900 foot cliffs of Cape —18°C. This discovery of thermal Washington were a well-known land activity on Mt. Melbourne makes it mark to the early explorers of the the second live volcano in Antarc Ross Sea. The next day, January 11, tica. we were picked up by turbine heli From Melbourne we moved to the copter and taken to the ice-breaker take-out point, 340 sledging miles "Staten Island", a few miles away from our landing place, stopping on on the edge of the sea-ice. A com the way to geologise and visit an fortable leisurely trip back to Mc Adelie penguin rookery where we Murdo Sound on the ship was a found 4,500 adult birds and approxi pleasant way to finish a very inter mately 2,700 chicks. This rookery esting and successful expedition.

MT. EREBUS CLIMBED AGAIN W. R. ORCHISTON (We are indebted to Warwick Or plateaus. From where we planted our chiston for this modest account of highest flag which was on the lead the eighth successful attempt to ing skyline ridge between Mt. Erebus climb Antarctica's most famous and Mt. Terror, we found that by mountain.—Ed.) continuing further a dog team could An attempt on January 4 to reach well manage the next two gentle 6,000 feet with a husky team was undulations opening out on to the foiled by heavy snow conditions, major leading ridge, which forms a soft underfoot to a depth of \XA lower perimeter ring round the feet on the main plateau. A stockpile actual summit. During the return, of pemmican and food was made flags were planted in prominent at 2,700 ft. prior to returning to Scott positions markking our proven safe Base. trail; we arrived at Scott Base on the 18th. RECONNAISSANCE ASSAULT On January 16, with very favour able conditions, a team of 13 dogs, The main expedition after being Bruce Willis, Ian Stewart, and War delayed by bad weather eventually wick Orchiston set out to recon set off on January 26. The party noitre a route to the previously comprised: Dave Lowe (Leader); attempted area. First camp was at Bruce Willis (Deputy-Leader); Bill 1,800 ft., the next being 5,400 ft. From Lucy; Warwick Orchiston; Bryan this point and with a lighter sledge George and Peter Whiteford. The we made excellent progress on firm project's purposes were: snow to a height of 8,500 ft. in five 1. To climb Mt. Erebus. hours, encountering only a small 2. To collect snow samples at area of narrow crevasses at 7,900 ft. every 1,000 ft. for tritium analy Before reaching 8,500 ft. we negoti sis. ated a siding which was fairly icy, 3. To plant bamboo markers at otherwise the going was in easy every 1,000 ft. to begin measure stages along valleys and small ments of accumulation. June, 1967

4. To collect arthropods and inves with relative ease. The next camp tigate all possible habitats for was at 6,000 ft. in just over three feet insects and mites. of fresh snow. The toboggans, mak 5. To test and assess the relative ing heavy weather, frequently be merits of the Polaris and Fox came bogged, especially the Polaris, toboggans. and it would have been utterly im 6. To collect geological specimens. possible for the dogs to make any progress whatsoever if they had not 7. To do detailed black and white been able to follow the toboggan photography of the mountain. tracks. 8. To undertake any other scienti On the 30th the whole party re fic work that may arise. solved to pitch camp at 7,000 ft. and Amongst the essential gear taken complete the climb on foot. While was: Three ten-day food ration George and Whiteford took charge boxes, three kitchen boxes, survival of this base, the remainder set out clothing, three Polar tents, six com at 11.30 p.m., taking the toboggans plete kits of sleeping bags, one 557 only 500 ft. higher. A slow steady field radio and one Commando walking pace was maintained, each radio, one dog sledge and 13 dogs taking turn in the lead, and the including pemmican and field span, snow began to get harder, with wind- one Fox toboggan and one Polaris drift sastrugi. Before commencing toboggan. the actual steep climbing it was necessary to attach crampons as All climbing equipment, including the going suddenly became icy. At ropes, crampons, high altitude boots, this point Dave Lowe found it nec crevasse ladders, skis and skins, ice essary to retire from the summit axes, and first aid kit, was taken. party and return to the base camp. The dogs, all pulling on a centre At 8,500 ft. we roped up, as the trace, were Johnny as leader, Chris mountainside was well honey and George, Franz and Steven, Leo combed beneath; we several times and Draco, Virgo and Speedy, Toby arrested falls through the porous and Kakiva, Rangi and Ratu. Hand crust. Because of this it was decided lers were Orchiston and George. Fox to climb on a rocky promontory to toboggan — Lowe and Willis; Polar 10,000 ft. where the going became is— Lucy and Whiteford. Each of less steep. The larger crater rim of the three sledges was packed as a a circular plateau unfolded, easing complete unit, and all travelled fairly the climbing strain. From this point well together, at all times. we observed many unusual-shaped boulders and peculiar mushroom- "HEAVY WEATHER" shaped snow mounds and pinnacles, caused presumably by outlet vents We encountered extremely heavy of steam from the interior. At 12 snow conditions, loose and uncon minutes to 7 (a.m.) on January 31, solidated, at depths varying accord Bruce Willis, Bill Lucy and Warwick ing to altitude. The first camp at Orchiston reached the topmost point 2,700 ft. in two feet of snow was of the active crater. We had ice- situated on the upper reaches of the matted beards and although warm, main plateau. Unfortunately, the had locally cold noses and fingers. weather turned bad, with whiteout and falls of snow accompanied by THE CRATER wind. In the next two days the The crater, dropping very steeply sledges were buried under drift and inside to a depth estimated at 500 ft., all we could do was wait. On Janu gave forth a full-throated roar, and ary 29, the Fox toboggan compacted with all its gurgling belched great a track in sections up a steep gully clouds of sulphurous smoke to be empty-handed, returning to pull, drifted in long layers in the atmo along with the Polaris, each of their sphere above. Only on odd sudden sledges in turn. At all times the dogs down-draughts of wind could we see aided by tracks already made in any appreciable portion of the front of them, pulled their sledge crater, but it was enough to observe June, 1967

broke out on February 18 has held AT SCOTT BASE our interest constantly these last lome extracts from "News from few weeks. We had dark, open sea — South", the winter news-letter to look at for only 25 days, for on sent by Antarctic Division to the March 15 the sea began to freeze, and relatives and friends of the men it is now probably strong enough to wintering at Scott Base, will give travel over again, though we are not some picture of autumn conditions yet taking any chances. The most at the base. Leader Colin Clark spectacular sight came on March 6 writes: when huge chunks of the Ross Ice "We have seen some unforgettable Shelf, 60 feet thick, broke out to sights as the sun has gradually got the east and south of Scott Base lower and lower, colouring the sky and were blown by the southerly and tinting the snow in the most gale right up against Pram Point, beautiful and delicate hues that we at our front door. The bergs, some had previously only seen in Dr. of which would have weighed tens Edward Wilson's paintings. If one of thousands of tons, carried odd forgets all else as the years pass, the things. One had a road going across sunsets and sunrises of the March it (part of the "permanent" road to and early April days will remain outer Williams Airfield); another forever in the memory. carried proudly an abandoned Sno- "The lowest temperature — in cat. By morning they had gone, car March — was —36° C. (68 degrees of ried by currents to Cape Armitage frost), which is pretty bracing. Dur and out to sea. ing the particularly cold period over Easter weekend Bob Rae and Norm STATISTICS White did a 60-mile, two day trip toward Brown Peninsula with a "Five of us are married, three are motor toboggan. It gave them a engaged, and four, the ones who are stern realisation of what it must not so good-looking ar*> unattached. have been like for the early men Our five married men have 15 down here. It was in late March, children. Our ages range from 22 to 43: five are over 30, while seven fifty-five years ago, that Scott, Wil son and Bowers perished on the are between 23 and 25. The average age is 29. . . . We have diverse ideas Ross Ice Shelf. on everything from bicycles to philo "The changing scene in front of sophy. Yet we are a close group en Scott Base since the annual sea ice joying each other's company and enjoying tremendously the unique experience of spending twelve months in this forsaken and deso late region." Specimens of geological interest were collected and a start made on APRIL DAYS the snow samples which were On April 23 the flag was lowered packed away in plastic bags. Flags and taken inside for the winter. As also were planted at every 1,000 ft. while descending and the trip down Leader Colin Clark put it: "The ended without incident. We made twelve men who stood at the flagpole probably wondered for a brief the base camp at 11.30 that morning, moment how it was going to be, this shrouded in the typical morning living in darkness for four months. mist, having been tramping for But men do not meditate for long nearly twelve hours. when standing in 57 degrees of frost All of the party's programme was with a brisk wind blowing drift snow completed with a great measure of in their faces. And back inside, the satisfaction, reflected in the faces Base life is so warm and busy, in no doubt of each of us when we teresting and convivial, that one reached Scott Base the next day, does not get round to meditating February 1. very often." The flagpole will be BBHaHMS June, 1967 bare now until the sun returns late in August. SCOTT BASE LEADER Already blown snow was begin 1968 ning to cover the buildings, the sea had frozen over again, the seals and Leader of the New Zealand team skua gulls had gone, temperatures next year will be were falling, the cook had brought WILLIAM J. WEBB his winter supply of meat up from who was Deputy Leader during the the meat cave. Lines of stakes with 1965-66 summer. Mr. Webb, who is reflectors had been laid out to the 30 and married with one child, was ice quarry and the dog-spans, and born and educated in Invercargill, the guy wires on aerials and build where he still resides. After leaving ings had been checked and tightened Southland Boys' High School in 1953 against the coming blizzards. he joined the firm of consulting engineers by whom he is still em WINTER — BUT ployed. A keen musician and sports The dark months ahead are bright man, he is particularly interested in ened by the knowledge that for tramping, mountaineering, swim the first time American airmen will ming and squash, and has taken part be making scheduled flights to Mc in many search and rescue opera Murdo Sound in the depth of winter, tions. He has represented Southland bringing mail and fresh foods. at swimming and water polo. He was Southland's first Queen's Scout. In BLIZZARD PROOF his spare time "Bill" planned his A message from Scott Base dated own home and with his wife's assist May 26 says: "Fierce blizzards, with ance constructed all but the frame winds gusting up to 95 miles per and part of the exterior. hour, have been lashing Scott Base for more than a week. On May 18 the atmospheric pressure fell to the near record low of approximately 949 millibars (a barometer reading of 28.0), when the strongest winds WHY WEREN'T WE TOLD were recorded. Since then blizzard has followed blizzard with only the A B O U T T H I S ? briefest of lulls, piling the drift snow If this report from a Hobart news high against the buildings. The fine paper is to be relied upon, the New powdery snow drives through every minute crack around windows and Zealanders at Scott Base have been doors into the covered passageways keeping very quiet about an unusu and some of the huts; it blocks the ally attractive visitor. (We have her chimneys of the central heating photograph before us.) units and finds its insidious way "What business does a bonnie through the ventilating fans. The Scots lass have in the Antarctic? roar of the wind is incessant and Quite a lot if she is 27-year-old Grace dominating in the winter darkness. MacDonald, who is a director of Outside jobs are bitter indeed in Donald MacDonald (Antarctex) Ltd. these conditions. A little tycoon in her own right, Miss "Fortunately no serious damage of MacDonald — who is really Mrs. W. any sort has resulted. Two small P. Robertson, of Dumbartonshire, huts mounted on sledges (wanni- Scotland, and the mother of two gans) were tossed on to their sides children — travels the world pro by the violence of the gale three moting the sheepskin coats and rugs days ago, but all the main buildings that the firm manufactures. In the of the base, secured to the ground Antarctic she modelled her latest with steel guys, have stood firm. coats and looked up some of her Scott Base remains a credit to its loneliest customers — the men in the Ministry of Works designers and bases of America, New Zealand, builders. It can undoubtedly with Great Britain, and the Argentine. stand the worst the Antarctic Most of the men had not seen a elements have to offer." woman for two years." June, 1967 NEW ZEALAND'S ANTARCTIC PLANS FOR 1967-68 SUMMER The state of the economy has cast its shadow over the planning which has been going on for New Zealand work in the Antarctic during the coming year. The basic scientific work at Scott through the bottom of McMurdo Base will of course necessarily be Sound, the bottom of Lake Bon maintained at much the same level ney and Lake Vanda. as in recent years. But field work, much of it intended to implement BIOLOGICAL STUDIES forward-looking projects of great UNIVERSITY OF CANTERBURY interest and prospective value to the Two 2-mz-.n parties will continue country, will be drastically curtailed. the Weddell seal research pro- There will be only one D.S.I.R. team gramme in McMurdo Sound, and doing geological and survey work in between McMurdo Sound and Cape outlying parts of the Ross Depen- Hallett. dency, instead of the usual two or A 4-5-man party will continue the three. penguin and skua study at Cape Bird. Some marine biology in this R E N N I C K G L A C I E R area will also be undertaken during This sole field project will be a the summer season. geological study of the Lower Ren- UNIVERSITY OF OTAGO nick Glacier area, where a six-man A 2-man party will be stationed at party will spend ten to twelve weeks. This project complements work un- Cape to continue Hallett for the about work three previously months dertaken in surrounding areas dur- undertaken by the Dominion m&,thcThe Rennick Kast .th,reeieafs' Glacier, which , • , is • skuas Museum. and This Adelie includes penguins studies in the of about 150 miles in length, flows area and the effccts of man on their northwards from the northern Vic- natural environment, tona Land plateau at about 72° S. to enter the sea at Rennick Bay on the OTHER OTHER PROJECTS PROJECTS Oates Coast. It is one of the largest GLACIOLOGYGLACIOLOGY glaciers in Antarctica, if not in the The detailed study of the Mc-Mc WOrld. H/TiiT-Hn Trv* Murdo QV»^lf Ice Shelf KoUi^Pn between Rrvci: Ross

■ »r tt w.t • -J-. X31CU1UIsland C111U and the IIIC Mainland IVlclllll will be con tinued. Manpower requirements will Thexi , twelfth ir,Y'V/: Victoria , ti University • •♦ e of tinued. be as Manpower for last season re Wellington expedition will consist ot MiinriP ca seven men operating operating in in three three de- de- T1 _. NUCLEAR NucLbAR &A SAMPLING tached units. units. The The. gathering gathering ol air of and snow (a)fa) mMeriaMnTwo men will ,he WriSntDrv% collect fossil ! samples?ummer to will provide continue basic during data the on material in the Wright Dry Val ev the Boomerang Ranee and isotopes occurring both naturally field for about four weeks The area of interest extends from (b)fb) Two ffig£3 men will ^i^l^tntnct studv the Placial -gfd NewNew Zealancl Zealand ^ottjymfrct. to to thelne South south Pole. fole. "'" Staff Malt b° ablation measurements and the usecl lor sucn work- ice budget of the Antarctic Ice OCEANOGRAPHIC SURVEYS Sheet. This involves a total of H.M.N.Z.S. "Endeavour's" resupply five to six weeks' study at Cape routes will be planned on preferred Royds, the Dry Valleys and U.S. meridians to obtain bathymetric, inland stations. temperature and proton magneto- (c) Two men will spend about seven meter profiles which complement weeks studying the heat flow previous work. June, 1967

An oceanographic cruise on wintered over at Scott Base in 1963 H.M.N.Z.S. "Endeavour" will be and stayed over for the 1963-64 sum made to study the eastern margin of mer so that he could gather field the Campbell Plateau and Subant- material for his Ph.D. thesis. arctic Slope, and obtain geological In November 1964 he returned for and biological samples. a short period to make final check DRY VALLEY STATION ups. POSTPONED Dr. Smith was one of the party which erected the N.Z. biological The major disappointment for all hut at Cape Royds in the spring of who are deeply interested in Ant 1964 and also worked with Dr. Carl arctic work, and indeed for all who ton Ray when Dr. Ray sent Weddell are keen to see New Zealand remain seals to the New York Zoological high in the esteem of the world's Gardens. scientists, is the cancellation for the Dr. Smith is now at the University present of the Dry Valley project, of North Wales, Bangor, working on because of the country's financial a Wellcome Trust post-doctorate position. This plan, for the establishment of fellowship. a small year-round station in the Wright Valley near Lake Vanda, A L L O N E T O H I M would have opened up a new and New Zealanders will be interested extremely interesting field of re in this article from the Adelaide search calculated to be of immense "News" of February 23. Peter Hunt practical value, particularly in the is a Wellington-born surveyor who, fields of meteorology, geology, glaci after serving with the British Army ology, seismology and soil studies. in Cyprus, went to the Antarctic in In addition, the placing of huts in 1959-60 and was a member of the the area (at a fantastically low cost New Zealand geological and survey by transferring existing huts to the party which worked in the coastal site and also by transferring some mountains between the Nimrod and man-power from Scott Base to the Beardmore Glaciers. He wintered at Dry Valley station) would have pro Scott Base, and in 1960-61 dog- vided a much-needed staging post sledged to Cape Crozier and then led for field activities in the whole Dry the southern dog-sledge team which Valley area. surveyed the coastal area north of A foreign exchange scientist was to the Shackleton Inlet. have been one of the four men win tering over at the new base. There From the sub-zero cold of Spitz- will be widespread regret far beyond bergen in the Arctic or the Ross New Zealand at the Government's Dependency in the Antarctic to the decision not to implement this far- 120° in the shade of Central Aus sighted plan this year. tralia...... this is all in a day's march for Major Peter Hunt, a surveyor with FIRST N.Z. ANTARCTIC Ph.D. the British Joint Services Expedi Murray Smith has gained his Doc tion. tor of Philosophy at the Canterbury He's not unfamiliar with hot spots, University for his work on the popu having worked in southern Arabia. lation, distribution and reproductive The expedition will leave at dawn cycles of the Weddell seals. tomorrow for Alice Springs to spend In 1961-62 Dr. Smith was a mem three months in the western part of ber of the original Canterbury Uni Central Australia. versity Antarctic zoological party Major Hunt, from the Roval En which consisted of Dr. Bernard gineers, is one of four British Army Stonehouse (leader), Warren Feater- men in the party with Royal Navy ston, Terry Jacobs and himself. and R.A.F. men and two Australians. After completing his B.Sc. hon Desert survival techniques and ours in 1962 he returned to Scott mapping will be two important parts Base for the 1962-63 summer. He of the expedition's work. June, I9o7 NEW ZEALAND MOUNTAINEERS SEEK ANTARCTIC FIELDS TO CONQUER A NEW ZEALAND TEAM LED BY SIR EDMUND HILLARY AND INCLUDING EIGHT MEN WITH HIMALAYAN AND ANTARCTIC EXPERIENCE IS PLANNING MOUNTAINEERING AND SCIENTIFIC EXPEDITIONS IN THE CAPE HALLETT AREA FOR NEXT SUMMER. The outstanding projects are: will then be carried back to the base (1) To climb Mt. Hcrschel, 11,800 ft., camp. attempting both the east and The next four days will be taken the north ridges. Mount Herschel up with hauling sledges up Ironsides is possibly the most beautiful Glacier icefall to the airdrop site and challenging peak in the Ant and flagging a route through difficult arctic. crevasse areas. Ten days will then be (2) To manhaul up the Ironsides spent in the upper Ironsides area Glacier and carry out a geologi with the party split up into groups cal and mapping programme for geology and surveying, followed by a further five days man-hauling under the direction of a leading down Ironsides Icefall back to base geologist and an experienced cartographer, both men with camp and sledging gear back to the extensive mountaineering experi Hallett airfield. ence. The individual members are pre pared to supply the majority of their (3) To carry out a detailed study of personal clothing and climbing cold acclimatisation. equipment, and money will be raised It is also proposed to send daily by the sale of press and magazine weather reports from the field par articles in New Zealand, Australia, ties to Hallett and to McMurdo, and the United States and the United to use and test new types of radio Kingdom. equipment and insulated tents. To take advantage of the sea-ice GEOLOGICAL PROGRAMME at Hallett for aircraft landings, the The programme drawn up by Prof. expedition hopes to fly in to Mc H. J. Harrington of the Geology Murdo Sound in early October and Department, University of New Eng to return to New Zealand before the land, New South Wales, whose party end of November. In General the in 1957-58 produced most of the plan is to fly from McMurdo to early geological knowledge of the Hallett, where a master radio station Cape Hallett area, is as follows: would be established, and to carry Completion of the geological and out two airdrops (1) at the foot of topographical regional reconnais the east spur of the north ridge of sance commenced in 1957-58. De Mt. Herschel, (2) above the icefall on tailed study of the sedimentary the Ironsides Glacier. After a base structures of the Robertson Bay camp has been established at the Group to determine the environment foot of east spur and a camp on the and mechanism of deposition and spur itself, the team will split up the direction of the source area of and establish two assault camps, one the sediments. Detailed study of the on East Ridge and the other on zig-zag cleavage folds or kink folds North Ridge. This preparatory work which are characteristic of the should take just over a week. Robertson Bay Group and which are During the following four days the of considerable theoretical interest. team will attempt the ascent of Mt. A general study of the relations be Herschel via both ridges, including tween Quaternary glaciations and a traverse. All camps and equipment their geomorphological effects. June, 1967

We had a most amazing selection of movies on board too, from the wild WOMAN est Westerns to the more moving and dramatic types, such as "El Cid"; they were screened in the evenings after dinner and the more enthusiastic often showed them again later at night. For others, DEEP WATER there was the library with a strange Helen E. Clark assortment of books which provided plenty of amusement and settled the [Miss Clark, from the Dominion odd arguments which invariably Museum, Wellington, was one of two women scientists in the other wise all-male ship's company of the In the daylight hours there were U.S. research ship "Eltanin" during always trips to the bridge to be one cruise last summer.—Ed.] enjoyed and I never tired of watch ing the birds, especially the alba trosses as they glided with seeming ly so little effort back and forth beside the ship. The sea itself was never in the same mood twice, and I loved to watch the spray the "Eltanin" threw back towards me as she dipped her nose into a wave. case from the car, returning with One morning I saw a whale. To my my brother's golf clubs as well, which caused considerable amuse great delight it kept us company for ment and speculation from the vari quite a time before leaving on more important matters. And finally of ous onlookers. course there was the P.D.R. — the For the three weeks of Cruise 26 three hours of which passed in a I lived on the "Eltanin" and en welter of clicking dials and chang joyed every moment of it. I quickly ing figures, coffee cups, sleepy visit came to appreciate her and found ors, cigarette smoke, muttered con to my surprise that I was quite a versations back and forth between reasonable sailor after all. There is the bridge and the P.D.R. shack and a surprising amount of space below frantic calculations of wind force, decks and the laboratories are pleas direction and wave height. ant and reasonably roomy; I shared the foreward laboratory with the I learnt a very great deal in these Southern California Scientific party, three weeks and never again will I who seemed never to tire of teasing criticise collections! When we were me, one of the two women on board. on station my trawl invariably came There were difficulties of course: the at the end and this necessitated washer, and more especially the dry long hours of weary waiting. Then er, required careful handling. I lost would come the slow steady creep much of my underwear, part of a of the wire over the edge, the long shirt and a pair of socks in the wait, the clatter of the winch as it dryer — and I only followed instruc began to wind the thousand or more tions ! fathoms of wire in again and the sudden awful taughtening of the Life on board between stations wire if the trawl became stuck on was never dull, and even if it had the bottom. Then would come the been, our cabin was so dark it was manoeuvring of the ship, swearing, not easy to tell night from day, shouting, excitement and then it which provided an excellent excuse would be free and beginning its for the odd sleep-in. And of course slow ascent again from the depths. there were the never-ending games We did not lose a trawl but we did of scrabble enriched by many vari succeed in tearing the net and bend ations and a good few arguments. ing the frame and we brought up June, 1967 some very large rocks too. The for photographs, I had to rely on climax comes when the dredge, detailed colour notes. The colour dripping and heavy, is clear of the fades very quickly and has almost water, and it is not until the trawl gone even by the time the trawl with its precious burden is gently lands on deck. In fact I suspect that lowered to the deck, that we can the brilliant reds, oranges and yel again relax. I remember watching lows are fading as the trawl comes with bated breath on one occasion up through the water. for, as the trawl left the water, six or seven beautiful starfish clinging An interesting feature of the other to the edge and the outside of the programmes on board was the bot frame released their hold and spir tom photographs taken at each alled back, down into the depths station. While these were interest again. Alas, the long-handled net in ing they were also frustrating as these moments of crisis was never on many occasions animals appeared at hand! in the photos which we did not col lect in the trawls and many of these Sorting the catch, generally by the seemed to me to be rare or un light of the great arc-lights, was a known, although it is difficult to cold but nevertheless interesting tell from a photograph. Photographs part of the work. One station near were however excellent guides to the Cook Strait yielded immense quan kind of bottom sediments. tities of a very fine, oozy, grey mud which took many hours of careful And so my trip on board the "El tanin" came to an end and I was sorting and contained many animals left only with happy memories and including a fine array of spiny spider-crabs, sea urchins, strange some new material to work up. fish, some large sea anemones and even a few starfish. As the same station we also brought up a trawl full of enormous pieces of rock which in a way was more trying to The importance of ice in the acti sort through than the mud for my vities of Americans and New Zea landers in the Ross Dependency is hands became so cold that the rocks illustrated by the fact that two of slipped out of my grasp. And after the eight articles in the February sorting, the day's work is not over, for the material must be taken be issue of the English Journal of Gla low and carefully preserved and ciology spring from research in the sorted and then stacked away with Ross Sea area: Preliminary Studies on Sea Ice in McMurdo Sound dur- adequate labels and any relevant notes. ine "Deep Freeze 65" bv Russell A. Paige and Claude W. Lee, and In ternal Structure of Sandy Glacier, and although the hauls were not Southern Victoria Land by Wake vast, there were some very interest field Do'-t, Jr. All the authors are ing specimens among them. I ex Americans. pected that we might find some members of the family Porcellanas- teridae, that strange deep-sea family, with relatively few finds from so The New Zealand Antarctic far south, and I was not to be dis appointed, as several specimens to the Geographical Society of New made their appearance. From the South Wales on "Geography in the bandy areas I expected and obtained Antarctic" published in the "Austra Astropectens and the ones which lian Geographer" in March, in his list made their appearance were well of references acknowledging his worth the long cold hours of wait authority for 22 statements, he cites ing. One of my main interests lay "Antarctica" (published by the N.Z. in the colour of these animals, and Antarctic Society) five times and this as it was not always easy to arrange journal once. June. 1967 LONG WINTER NIGHT CLAMPS DOWN ON FIVE AMERICAN STATIONS At all the United States stations, scientific and support activities continued at a good pace during December and January, says the "Antarctic Journal of the United States", except for construction at Palmer Station and the survey of the coastal area of Byrd Land. Here, inclement weather and the closed until June's planned mid lingering effects of the loss of a heli winter flight. copter in late November inpeded progress. In January so much work FURTHER NORTH still remained to be done out of Back in the haunts of man, three Byrd Land Camp No. 1 that pre Starlifter aircraft had left Christ season plans to establish two addi church (N.Z.) airport in early March, tional camps during the summer and left the 46 men who will re were abandoned. On January 26, main at the Navy base at the air personnel of Camp No. 1 returned port. The passenger lists, each num to McMurdo, the season's work hav bering some 95 people, included 33 ing been completed in that area. wives and eight children, seven of Of considerable popular interest the wives being brides of sailors were the successful ascents by the from the picket ship "Thomas J. American Antarctic Mountaineering Gary" which was based at Dunedin Expedition of Vinson Massif and during the season. More than 300 Mount Tyree, the two highest moun scientists and servicemen had been tains in Antarctica, and four other flown home in January and Febru peaks in the Ellsworth Mountains. ary. SUNSET MORE WATER The distillation plant at McMurdo Night at McMurdo Station fell for the coming four months at 1.02 p.m. was put into operation on December on April 25, under overcast skies, 29, and converted the energy derived with driving snow and a tempera from the nuclear reactor installed on January 16. Even now water at ture of —67°F. Sunrise will be on McMurdo is not abundant, but it August 19. certainly is more plentiful than ever The Stars and Stripes was struck before. minutes before the sun disappeared from sight, before nearly 200 Navy- men and scientists, and presented The Public Relations Officer of to the oldest man at the ceremony, "Glacier" which reached Sydney Commissaryman First Class Thomas homeward bound on March 13, said Hicks of Hartsville, S.C., while God's that because the Antarctic had had care throughout the coming months a warmer summer more icebergs of darkness was invoked by Navy than ever before had broken off Lieutenant and Catholic Chaplain, the glaciers. "A warm summer," he Father Dennis Casey. said, "means less ice and more ice At the Pole and Plateau Stations, bergs. We were able to get in closer where 21 men including a Soviet ex to take soundings." change scientist, and eight men re spectively will winter over, the sun Among other Kiwis working with had already set two weeks before. USARP last summer was A.J. (Tony) Temperatures of —96° and —103° Gow, who was spending about his have been recorded. Williams Field seventh season in the Antarctic, this runway at McMurdo will remain time in the Koetlitz Glacier area. June, 1967

SCIENCE IN THE FIELD Texas Technological College. Bio Apart from construction at Palmer chemists from the University of Cali Station, and the Byrd Land coastal fornia and glaciologists from the survey, scientific, and support, work Ohio State University also worked in the U.S. areas progressed apace from McMurdo. during the December-January period. The Beardmore Glacier provided Bad weather and the helicopter mis a research field for geological par hap caused the only delays. ties from the University of Califor nia (Los Angeles) and from Ohio IN THE DRY VALLEYS State University. Other scientists The Dry Valley areas were the worked to examine fossil flora in most populated during this time, the Sentinel Range, at Palmer Sta with no fewer than six teams work tion, Hallett (lichens), Byrd (phy ing there on various disciplines. Dr. sics, deep-drilling, telemetry and Roland Souchez, an exchange scien upper atmosphere physics), South tist from the University of Brussels, Pole and Plateau. a team from the Australian Univer sity of New South Wales and an other from the University of Massa BYRD LAND PROJECTS chusetts conducted geological re The Byrd Land weather at no time search, while biologists from the Jet really favoured research, but the Propulsion Laboratory of the Cali geological team from Texas Techno fornia Institute of Technology and logical College completed its survey from Virginia Polytechnic Institute of the Fosdick Mountains as well as studied micro-organisms in soils. studying parts of the Phillips and Some 75 samples of soil from Alexandra Mountains. The U.S. Geo above permafrost level were col logical Survey's topographic map lected by J.P.L. investigators, and ping party was able to work on only bacteria were found to increase in seven days in December and three number with the depth of soil. Even in January, in the field; but it man so, far fewer bacteria were counted aged before leaving the field to in these soils than have been counted occupy 41 stations and complete 990 in typical desert soils. Measure linear miles of the planned geodetic ments of solar radiation and heat traverse. Geophysicists of the Uni energy, net thermal exchange, humi versity of Wisconsin were able to dity, evaporation rate and other fly for only 45 hours in December measurements were made in McKel- and parts of three days in January, vey Valley and at Lake Vida. An but the group completed scheduled other 120 soil samples were taken gravity measurements for the area by V.P.I, biologists and some were west of Camp 1 in December and analyzed at the McMurdo Labora in January established 30 stations tory, and bacteria were found to be along a line from the Camp to the present in almost all the dry-valley Flood Range. Members of the coastal soils. When sunlight was continuous survey collected lichens and mosses and meltwater present in soils, the and took surface and sub-surface microbial count was found to be as temperatures, while a geologic study much as several million organisms was also made of the Ruppert Coast. per gram of soil, usually when the soil temperature was 10°C. higher than that of the air. Yet another team working in the The National Science Foundation's Dry Valleys was that from the Uni Antarctic research trawler, whose versity of South Dakota, which took keel was laid in early October last water samples as well as soil. year, is now 15-20% completed. She is scheduled to be available in late OTHER AREAS January next year, when she will Elsewhere, biologists worked on be able to accommodate a perman penguins, skuas and seals, in teams ent scientific party of six, plus a from John Hopkins University, and temporary party of 10. June, 1967

"ELTANIN" MEN IN THE NEWS New Zealander Peter Harper (see Chief Scientist, Office of Antarctic December issue, p. 389) gives some Programs, N.S.F., since 1960, Dr. A. information about Cruise 27, the P. Crary was appointed Deputy Divi Ross Sea cruise of "Eltanin", Janu sion Director, Environmental ary-February, 1967. Sciences on January 15. The Division of Environmental Sciences includes First landfall after leaving Wel the Office of Antarctic Programs, in lington was the Antipodes Islands, which office Dr. Crary will continue where Harper spent several hours to serve as Chief Scientist for the studying the nesting Erect-crested time being. The Division of Environ and Rockhopper penguins found mental Sciences was established in scattered along the coasts. Wander November, 1965. ing Albatross, White-headed Petrels, the endemic Parrakeets and Skuas U.S.S.R. exchange scientist with were among the birds observed and the U.S. Antarctic Research Pro gramme for 1967 has been named as photographed. P. G. Astakhov of the Arctic and During a brief stopover at Frank Antarctic Scientific Research Insti lin Island (60 miles north of Cape tute in Leningrad. An upper atmo Bird, Ross Island) on January 18, sphere physicist, Mr. Astakhov will Harper photographed the entire work at Pole Station for this, his Adelie rookery. The ship docked at second year in the Antarctic; he McMurdo on January 22. A cruise wintered over at Mirny Station in along the Ross Ice Shelf followed, 1963 as a member of the Eighth the shelf being approached to with Soviet Antarctic Expedition. in a mile or so. As Scott Island (315 miles N.E. PENGUINS TOO of Cape Adare), Harper obtained a A journey of an estimated 3,000 full list of the birds inhabiting this miles has been made by three Ade area, including many sub-antarctic lie penguins over a period of some species. Dove Prions were nesting two years. in the crevices on the main island Forty Adelies were in November, and on Haggitt's Pillar, making Scott 1964, captured on the coast of East Island the most southern known Antarctica and transported 1,500 breeding place for this species of miles to a central location on the petrel. Ross Ice Shelf. During the 1966-67 Bad weather prevented a landing breeding season three of these birds at Sabrina Island in the Balleny were recaptured at their home rookery near Mirny Station, after group, but photographs were taken having made their return trip along and bird lists obtained. the periphery of the Continent (pre A rather rough landing was made sumably on the pack ice), a distance at Buckle's Bay near the Australian of some 3,000 miles. They were re base on Macquarie Island before ported to be in good condition. "Eltanin" headed for her 50th sta tion, 80 miles south of Tasmania. SUPPORT She was due in Melbourne on The specially-created Construction March 1. Battalion Unit 201, designed last "Eltanin" called at Wellington on spring for operation in the Antarc March 29 to have a winch adjusted tic, worked in two widely separated and to load food and fuel before areas in its continent this last sea continuing on her 60-day voyage son. The principal element of the from Melbourne to Valparaiso, unit, comprising two officers and 100 Chile. The slow speed is to facili men, was based at McMurdo, from tate the use of a gravity meter in where it was despatched as needed stalled at Melbourne, which was to Byrd and Plateau. The other de calibrated during the Tasman cross tachment, of one officer and 25 men, ing. went to Palmer Station, where with- June, 1967 in a month it had 76 percent, of the tions, humidity, evaporation rate year's construction programme com and the number of life organisms pleted. At McMurdo and Plateau there are in a given sample of soil. work was on schedule, at Byrd it This information may be invalu was ahead, and only at Palmer, able to designers of the extra where the late arrival of construc terrestrial life detectors which will tion material held the party up, was collect one gram of Martian soil. work behind schedule. Arrangements American biologists want to know were therefore made for the Palmer where organisms are found in Ant detachment to remain at its post arctic soil — whether on the surface until the end of March. or beneath it — so that the Martian Air operations, despite the tempor life detectors can be adjusted ac ary cessation of LC-130 flights due cordingly. to fuel shortage, met all requests for support of scientific projects and the aerial mapping programme pro VX-6 MUSEUM ceeded exceptionally well. By the An all-Antarctic museum, small end of January, 333,000 square miles but successful, operates at Quonset of coverage had been obtained, most Point, Rhode Island, under the aus ly of Palmer Land, Ellsworth Land pices of Air Development Squadron and the Ross Ice Shelf. As a result Six, whose home station is also at the communications blackout which Quonset Point. on January 29 stopped all flights to, Established in 1960 to acquaint from or within Antarctica until the the local residents with the area to end of the month did not seriously which VX-6 has now been supplying restrict Deep Freeze activities. aerial logistic support for 11 years, the museum was totally remodelled during 1965 and 1966, its one-room DRY VALLEYS — AND MARS gallery being fitted with new show Dr. Roy Cameron, of the Califor- cases, flooring, recessed lighting, nian Institute of Technology's jet wall panelling and a light box for propulsion laboratory, is collecting displaying colour transparencies. data to help answer the age-old The Antarctic history of the squad question whether there is life on ron, the activities and progress of Mars. the U.S. Antarctic Research Pro gramme are illustrated, the Antarc :ys of Antarctica, tic aviation section exhibiting models of the LC-130F Hercules, the C-121J Super Constellation and the Ford desert scientists expect to find on Tri-Motor in which Admiral Byrd Mars. flew over the South Pole. Biology Dr. Cameron has collected two and geology are also featured and tons of soil samples from these areas one of the highlights of the display which will be used to test the extra is a collection of tinned foods from terrestrial life detectors which will one of Captain Scott's caches. examine a sample of Martian soil It is _ planned to double the when the Voyager space probe is museum's size with a Jamesway sent to that planet. Hut-style second room to house both Dr. Cameron will use the soil more exhibits and audiences for samples to try to determine the lectures and slide shows. environmental conditions under which the Antarctic soils were formed and what micro-organisms LIVESTOCK exist in them for comparison with Life abounds in the oceans about information sent back from the the Antarctic continent. If ever man spacecraft. decides to, or is forced to make per He and other biologists will mea manent settlement in this inhospit sure such things as the moisture able place, the oceans will be his relationship, temperature fluctua farms. June. 1967

BAKUTIS SAYS . . . T E R R E A D E L I E For the future, the United States In spite of bad weather, the pro Navy's logistic effort in the Antarc gramme in Terre Adelie for the tic was expected to stay at about the 1966—67 season has been carried out same level for many years, the for in its entirety. mer commander of the United States The sea-water-distillation plant Navy Antarctic Support Force (Rear- for the provision of drinking water Admiral F. E. Bakutis) said in became operational at the end of Christchurch on March 1. February. The production has risen The size and scope of the future to 2.8 tons of fresh water per day. support effort would, however, The building used as living quar largely depend on the requirements ters by the summer party was com of the scientists. There could be re pleted and the new lodgers moved ductions as more experience was in when the ship left. gained in the support task, he said. The kitchen of the new living It was doubtful if any more nu quarters (previously referred to as clear power plants would be in the community hall) came into full stalled in the Antarctic. He did not service after several weeks and envisage plants similar to the one the running in of new equipment, at McMurdo Station being put in at only a fortnight behind schedule. Byrd or the South Pole stations, as had originally been planned. The Decca meteorological radar and its dome were set up without The bigger the plant the more eco any major difficulty, and it has been nomical it was. "Unless there is some miraculous break-through with a functioning since March 16. plant which needs hardly anyone to The monorail refuse-disposal unit maintain it I think McMurdo will be became operative after the comple our only station to have its power tion of the porches and of the de finitive electric wiring. supplied by a nuclear reactor," said Admiral Bakutis. Several topographic projects were The undersnow design at Byrd carried out; the photographic cov- Station was unlikely to be repe~* ! p^ifto r\F ActrnliKn rilir-iar uric 1f*- elsewhere on the continent. "I F., sonally believe we overbuilt there," said the Admiral. The rocket-firing programme was "We feel that not enough study has described in our last issue. The three firings (on January 26, 28 and two been made of having stations above on January 29) were carried out surface, and I think we may find this the most desirable type of thanks to a calm period (after par ticularly violent winds during the building for any future bases we month) in happy conjunction with may have in mind." exceptional ionospheric and magne Any future improvements in the tic phenomena. The result was the Antarctic would probably be at Mc complete success of the rocket-fir Murdo Station, the main base. With ing programme, and credit is due that in mind better and more per to the organisations responsible, le manent facilities would be provided Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales, almost annually. le Groupement de Recherches Iono- For scientific research Admiral spheriques, Matra, Sud-Aviation and Bakutis considers that portable Expeditions Polaires Franchises. camps such as that established at Plateau Station will be the pattern for the future. least 10 years, he said. An unusual The runway on glacial ice at Mc- feature of this runway was that it McMurdo, about 121A miles from the was in better condition with each main camp, was expected to last at successive year. June, 1967

RE-ARRANGEMENT 1967 PROGRAMME The changes in the French relief The scientific programme for 1967 programme necessitated by the directs special attention to Animal holding-up of "Thala Dan" during Biology (bird life of the Pointe Geo its Australian charter period are logic archipelago, including a "fol summarised in the Bulletin of Ex low-up" of the 3,500 birds ringed peditions Polaires Francaises. during the previous two seasons), Difficulties caused by bad weather Night Sky and Aurora, Geomagnet and ice conditions compelled the ism, Ionosphere (making full use authorities to cancel the third voy of the unique characteristic of Du age of "Thala Dan", planned for the mont d'Urville Base — the fact that beginning of February (see '"Ant the local magnetic field is almost arctic", March, p. 458) between vertical), Medical Science (physio Australia and Terre Adelie. "Thala logical, psychological and applied Dan", under charter to A.N.A.R.E. medical research into the preven till January in order to permit the tion of accidents and problems of relief of the Australia Wilkes Base, hygiene and living in an Antarctic was trapped, 80 kilometres from station), Meteorology, Radio activity that station, by very dense pack. and Nuclear Geophysics, Cosmic She finally reached Wilkes on Febru Radiation and Seismology. ary 6, thanks to the assistance of the American ice-breaker "East Wind" which broke-out a channel for "Thala Dan" after a fortnight's hold-up. EMPEROR VISITS The French therefore had to recast NEW ZEALAND their operational programme. "Thala A penguin believed to be of the Dan", after leaving Wilkes on Feb Antarctic Emperor species, was cap ruary 10, returned direct to Dumont tured near Oreti Beach, Invercargil, d'Urville without going to Mel on April 7. bourne, in order to embark 19 men and gear of the National Centre of It is the first time that a bird of Space Studies. A final voyage be this species has been recorded on tween Melbourne and Terre Adelie the New Zealand coast. was planned for the beginning of Southland ornithologists thought March to permit the transport of at first that the bird was a King the 11 last wintering-personnel of penguin. Closer examination, how TA17 and the repatriation of the ever, convinced them that it was an wintering party of TA16 as well as Emperor and they consulted by tele those participating in the summer phone with Dr. Bernard Stonehouse, operations who still remained at reader in zoology at Canterbury Dumont d'Urville. University and a world authority on the bird. Dr. Stonehouse assures "Antarctic" that the bird was cer FRESH WATER tainly an Emperor. The desalination unit recently in Its appearance in New Zealand stalled at Dumont d'Urville and des waters is remarkable because, at cribed in our March issue as a multi that time of year, Emperor penguins stage flash evaporation design, pro are moving south to their breeding duces three times as much fresh grounds on the Antarctic continent. water for a given consumption of Previously, the Emperor penguin energy as units currently used on has been recorded at the Falkland ships — three tons of fresh water Islands and one or two cold-tem per day for an energy consumption perate islands, but as far as Dr. of 50 kilowatts. The unit designed Stonehouse knows, never as far in Grenoble underwent three months north as New Zealand. of sucessful testing at Monaco be The penguin, which was in excel fore being shipped from there to the lent condition, was taken south from Antarctic. Bluff and released at sea. June, 1967 BIG RUSSIAN SUMMER PROGRAMME COASTAL GEOLOGY AND 2,000 MILE TREK Field work in the 1966-67 summer concentrated on a series of geological surveys in the coastal mountains and a long tractor journey comparable with that carried out in early 1964. GEOLOGICAL WORK MARINEMARINE RESEARCH RESEARCH The geological work of the sum- DuringDuring the the voyages voyages of of the the '"Ob" mer was transferred from Molo- duringduring the the 1966-7 1966-7 summer, summer, a a marine dezhnaya base to the Japanese base research research team under oceanographer Showa, in order to facilitate a study Liev Liev Eskin Eskin carried carried out meteorologimeteorologi- of the Yamoto Mountains. Research cal, cal, radiometric, radiometric, aerological, actino- was also carried out in the Sor Ron-metric metric and and oceanographical oceanographical obserobser- dane Mountains, 150-200 km. Irom vations. vations. During During the crossings be-be the Belgian Roi Baudouin Base, tweentween the the Antarctic Antarctic bases bases a a series series where the Russian geologists were of oceanographic and glaciological the guests of the Belgian scientists, studies was undertaken in the concon- Research based on Novolazarev tinental shelf waters of the Davis, skaya was in the Wohlthat Mountain Cooperation, Cosmonauts, Rieser mass. Laren and Lazerev Seas. A series of successful studies was also under All this mountain research work taken over two sections of ocean, necessitated hundreds of flights by from Pravda Coast to the south AN-6 aircraft. The purpose was to west coast of Australia and between study the geological structure of the Africa and the Antarctic continent mountains and the possibility of alon« the line of 20° W. finding mineral deposits in exploit able quantities. Big deposits of mica, rock-crystal and graphite are sus pected. Beryl has been found in Queen Maud Land and at the Bunger THE ICE-CAP Oasis, and iron ore in the region of the Weslfall Oasis. There are coal Dr. A. Kapitsa, who was on the deposits in the Transantarctic Moun Soviet tractor journey to the South tains, copper-nickel ores in the Pole in 1959-60 and led the Vostok- Dufek Massif, and in the Antarctic Molodezhnaya trek in 1961, dis Peninsula prospects for molyb cusses the nature of the Antarctic denum, lead, zinc and copper ore. ice-cap and the sub-glacial topo graphy in an article in "Smena". A few of his figures will interest the layman. The greatest thickness An interviewer for "Trud" who of ice is found at two places, on asked M. G. Ravich, director of the the Byrd Plateau in western Antarc geological research on the 12th tica, where the ice-thickness is 4,335 Soviet Expedition (1966-67), what metres (14,200 ft.), and on Schmidt mineral deposits in exploitable quan Plateau in eastern Antarctica, 4,300 tities had been discovered in the metres. The thickness of the ice Antarctic, was told that Soviet geo in the central area of eastern Ant logists had already found iron ore arctica is as small as 640 metres and signs of big deposits of mica, rock crystal and graphite; and that (2,100 ft.). American geologists had found The total volume of Antarctic cupro-nickel ore and lead. The Ant ice is calculated as 24 million cubic arctic is thought to hold not less kilometres, enough to raise the level than five percent of the world stock of the world's seas 56 metres (183 of coal. ft.). June, 1967

The U.S. scientists showed their SOVIET TRACTOR TEAM'S Russian friends the aerometeoro- logical, glaciological and other work LONG TREK ENDS conducted at the station. They also generously provided the Soviet the end of March that the big party with seven tons of fuel. journey by tractor train from Molo The team now made towards the dezhnaya to the Pole of Inaccessi Princess Astrid Coast, but at bility and back to the coast at 78°38'S., 27°E., had to stop for re Novolazarevskaya had been success pairs to the Kharkovchankas. More fully carried through. than 100 hours were lost here in This journey was a notable exten difficult conditions due to lack of sion of the 3,000 km. trek three years oxygen and a temperature of —56°C. ago, when Dr. Andrei Kapitza led a train comprising two powerful over After traversing 170 km in three land vehicles (Kharkovchankas) and days the party reached 78°03'S., 19°59'E. At this point an IL-14 a tractor from Vostok to the Pole of aircraft from Molodezhnaya para Inaccessibility, on to the "white chuted spare parts "',-1 IV spot" on the map at 78° S., 25° E., and to journey's end at Molodezh tables. naya. The whole journey took 76 The last stage of the traverse days, from January 4 to March 21, 1964. crossed a steep glacier slope in a zone of dangerous crevasses. This The new trek retraced Kapitza's 250 km section had been previously Molodezhnaya-Pole of Inaccessibility surveyed by men from Novolazarev section, but then the tractors, again skaya who set up an intermediate three vehicles, headed not east to depot. But as the team was still wards Vostok but west towards the 90 km from Molodezhnaya and Princess Aslrid coast at Novolazarev short of fuel, this was brought in skaya, over an almost completely by an AN-6 plane from Novolaza unknown area. The team comprised revskaya. 17 men and was led by Ivan Petrov, an experienced Antarctic scientist. The party now traversed along Scherbakov Ridge by previously set The tractor train left Molodezh stakes and entered the Schirma- naya on December 29 and on Feb cher Oasis. ruary 22 reached the Pole of Inaccessibility. From now The tractor train reached Molo on, travelling over almost un dezhnaya on March 26 after known terrain, sometimes at alti a journey of 3,500 km. (2,100 tudes as great as 4,000 m. (13,000 ft.) miles) in 88 days. Scientific observa above sea level, the train struck very tions were taken throughout, chiefly heavy going — thick snow-cover, aimed at the determination of ice clouds, wind, poor visibility and of thickness and the relief of areas course cold, worse conditions than under the ice by experimental radar those experienced on any previous sounding, and geological and geo journey. Some of the equipment, in physical research. cluding one tractor, became unusa ble because of the intense cold, and there were delays while aircraft bringing essential spare parts had difficulty in finding the train. An American geologist is winter Some hundreds of miles before ing at Molodezhnaya and a Soviet reaching the coast the Soviet party scientist will undertake scientific were warmly welcomed and hospi studies at one of the United States tably entertained at the American bases. This will be the 10th time Plateau Station (79° 14' S., 40° 30' E., such an exchange between the alt. 3,624 m.), established in February Soviet and American expeditions last year. has taken place. June, 1967

For the first time a building will THE 1967 PROGRAMME be constructed of experimental As usual, observations will be aluminium and foam plastic panel made at the four stations Mirny, ling. It will be 25 m. long and nine Molodezhnaya, Vostok and Novo metres wide, and raised on high lazarevskaya in the fields of (1.5m.) piles. In the opinion of ex meteorology, aerology, actinometry, perts, aluminium will offer good re glaciology, geomagnetism, iono sistance to the severe cold, because spheric physics, aurora, cosmic of the heat-retaining properties of rays and gravimetry. Special inter the distinctive "stuffing" of the est is being taken in the medical building's panels, a layer of heat research programme on man's ac and sound insulating synthetic climatisation to the severe condi material, phenopolystyrol (or poly- tions in the Antarctic. styral foam). Aluminium buildings are also easy to assemble. DUG IN AT VOSTOK MUCH STILL NEEDS TO BE DONE The 16-man party to winter at the "Antarctic research," says Dr. inland station of Vostok is led by an experienced polar scientist, engineer Kapitsa, "has really only just begun. Boris Belyaev. It is planned to carry Many secrets are still hidden in its out extensive research in the region icy midst. Each new discovery in of the South Geomagnetic Pole, the Antarctic is not only improving which is also "the Pole of Greatest the knowledge of our planet but is Cold". Vostok is the most remote also a step along the path of the station from the coast and the battle with the elements. We must highest in altitude among the active not only become acquainted with the Antarctic bases. All that is needed laws governing the development of in the way of fuel, foodstuffs and our natural environment, but learn equipment had to be supplied from how to forecast those processes." Mirny by tractor-drawn sledge-trains or by aircraft. NEW POLAR SHIP Plans have been drawn up for a powerful scientific research vessel AT MOLODEZHNAYA suited to navigation in severe polar The glaciological and hydrogra conditions. The vessel will be cap phic work carried out on the shores able of carrying sufficient stocks of of Alasheev Bay and on the adjacent fuel, fresh water and foodstuffs to waters of the Sea of Cosmonauts enable it to carry out long voyages was under the direction of Vladimir in the Southern Ocean, as well as Maltsev, who was making his delivering cargoes for the wintering seventh visit to the Antarctic. parties. Its strongly built hull and powerful engines will enable the For the first time in the history of vessel to break through solid ice up Soviet Antarctic Expeditions, regu to a thickness of 60 centimetres. lar radar observations of the trajec tories of meteorites are to be made The designers have drawn heavily at Molodezhnaya. From the measure on the experience of eleven years ments obtained, much should be of operations of the diesel-electric learned about the wind conditions ship "Ob". at heights of over 100 km. A group of carpenters is included The 10,250-ton Soviet supply ship in the Molodezhnaya team. They are "Tselinograd" called at Wellington continuing the construction of living on March 25 to load more than 2,000 and working quarters, an electric tons of supplies for two Russian power station, and a radio centre. Antarctic whaling fleets, comprising "In the not too distant future" Molo two factory ships and 40 chasers. dezhnaya is to become the main The purchase included 13,440 cab scientific and technical headquarters bages, supplied by three Levin of the Soviet Antarctic expeditions. growers. June, 1967 AUSTRALIANS' AUTUMN JOURNEYS HAVE PERILOUS MOMENTS The new team installed al Mawson in February set out on a tractor and dog-team autumn journey which taught them some grim lessons before they returned to base eight weeks later. MAWSON STATION ported by a party consisting of Erskine, Gillies and Cheney, with The 1967 Mawson Expedition took two teams of dogs. This latter party over the station on February 20 after a long journey in time from Aus hoped to get away by March 17. The objective was to carry out a survey tralia. and mapping programme, and to The party spent 26 days in the collect geological and lichen speci pack ice off Wilkes where the ship mens in the Church Mountain and was so firmly held by the ice that Mount Rivett area. Manning was able to teach his navi Wood and Jaques went up on to gation class with a theodolite set up the Plateau to erect a survey beacon on the deck. Illingworth drilled on Painted Peak and learned that holes in the sea ice around the ship and found it to be 12 feet thick, so Antarctica really is cold. all got out and went skiing. Kerr had ropes dangling from the MOUNT RIVETT CLIMBED masts, up and down which he drove complaining exneditioners, teaching By the end of March the Church them how to get out of crevasses Mountain men had been away in the unaided. Dent was able to take his difficult white waste east of Fischci Nunatak for three weeks. They had geophysical apparatus far out over the sea ice to get readings of the made quite a fast trip so far, and earth's magnetic field. Many, like except for occasional blizzards the doves from the ark, were able to go weather had been reasonable. out in the helicopters looking for Two of the party, Manning and open water. Lawson, climbed Mount Rivett (100 They were warned that if the ice miles east of Mawson), the first did break up it would happen sud humans to set foot on it. They denly, and miraculously on February reached the summit on March 17 at 2 many leads opened'and the ship sunset in a temperature of 44 below moved out into the open sea. freezing (Fahrenheit). The party began working its way back towards All are well settled in at Mawson, Mawson with Manning and Jaques with the various sections running as taking tellurometer distance and if they had been doing this all their theodolite angles every few miles. Iives, which speaks well for the in Bearings were taken on the Scullin doctrination by ANARE. Monolith where Mawson made a landing on February 13, 1931. They AUTUMN JOURNEY reported that the country around Mount Rivett was heavily crevassed. The autumn trip men, Manning (surveyor), Jaques (meteorologist), Lawson (mechanic) and Moonie IN TROUBLE (radio operator), were busy mending tents, packing stores on sledges and The support party used two D-4s fixing up Snotracs. They got away with sledges to carry the Church on March 11 and hoped to complete Mountain party and "their vehicles the tellurometer survey to Church the first 20 miles of their journey. Mountain and back by about April The D4s being heavy vehicles, were 21, winter storms and the onset of in difficulties with crevasses right darkness permitting. They were sup from the start. At one stage Wood June, 1967 said cheerfully, "Let's give the game son Station. The combined groups away after we get a D-4 slotted one drove back to the station by head more time", expecting just to get a lights. track break through over a hole. Despite all the difficulties of their The next minute his machine with mission, the field party accomplished him in it disappeared from sight — valuable work, including a survey the tail and the tip of the blade and mapping programme and the caught and held a little way down collection of specimens of rocks and the bottomless hole. Reiffel brought lichens. his D4 around on the ice with the Before the helicopters left, big machine picking its way between Thomas and Simpson flew to Orley slots like a ballet dancer, and after Hall to check the auroral parallactic a lot of work with ice axes, the cameras, and a party also flew to slotted machine was hauled out. the Taylor Glacier over magnificent This is the first time D4s have been scenery to count Emperor penguins. taken east of Fischer Nunatak, and it may be the last. BASE VISITOR By the beginning of April the sea Bishop found a Fairy penguin began freezing over and the winds down by the sea shore, some thou blew colder. sands of miles from its usual home near Australia's southern coast. Official identification photographs were taken of this visitor before he The next news of the party was a was banded and shooed on his way. press message issued by Canberra on May 19: WILKES "Four Australian members of an Antarctic survey mission have been Once arrived at Wilkes, the new party established what must be a rescued after battling against blind record unloading of the many tons ing blizzards for four days. of stores and equipment in a little "A radio message to Canberra over 3'/i days. The efforts of many from the Australian Antarctic base of the old party helped to achieve camp at Mawson yesterday said a this. tractor train picked them up 20 Sledeing parties went out almist miles from the camp. immediately and after only two and "They had dragged their equip a half weeks reports put them some ment and food in sledges for 32 20 miles from Site 2, which is 50 miles and were almost frozen to miles from Wilkes. death." The weather men achieved re markable results with their daily RETURN TO BASE radiosonde balloon flights. After a frustrating start their generator was They had been absent more now producing hydrogen satisfac than eight weeks from their station, torily, and flights to 100.000 feet plus were commonplace. The flight of Temperatures as low as 70°F. be February 28 they reported as reach low freezing and blizzards up to 70 m.p.h. made the return journey ing 152,000 feet —no mean effort. In the camp, March was a month extremely difficult for the field party. of cleaning and tidying up before Sixty miles from the station, the intense cold and blinding snow drift the inevitable snow and subsequem forced the men to halt with their drift covered everything. A platform motorised vehicles. It was decided was built on the rock near the fooc that the party should complete the store on which to stack cases of remainder of the return journey on food not required immediately. This foot, manhandling their food and platform is two to three feet above essential equipment. Roping them the rock and will remain drift free selves to sledges, they trudged for throughout the year. four days 32 miles until they were High winds during the month re met at night by the tractor train and moved some of the malthoid from dog-sledge party sent out from Maw the roof of one of the corridors for June, 1967 a distance of about forty feet by one can get lost in a blizzard — nine feet wide, exposing the bare luckily there was an outside light timber. Snow which fell later melted which gave him a bearing. very quickly and water came in all over the place. Four men spent some "NELLA DAN" RETURNS time at Repstat, the new station The clay after "Nella Dan" berthed being built about two miles away from Wilkes across the bay. It is in Hobart on March 8 to off-load a some five miles away by land oyer 22-man expedition which had spent difficult terrain, involving crossing the past 12 months at Mawson and blue ice and frozen melt streams, flew from Hobart to the mainland, with many hills and valleys. "Nella Dan" sailed for Macquarie Island with supplies and 20 main land scientists. The scientists had FIELD TRIPS a three-day look at the island On March 3, the sledgers Baggott, before returning to Hobart when Hopley, Whitehead and Liddell re "Nella Dan" had off-loaded supplies. turned to camp fit and well after covering about 130 miles. They were blizzed in for two separate days ANTARCTIC POSTAGE during the trip, but successfully STAMPS achieved all they set out to do and Supplies of postmarked Australian gained a lot of experience. The dogs Antarctic Territory postage stamps behaved themselves reasonably well. have been obtained from the Austra Station Leader Canham, together lian base post offices in Antarctica. with Carter, Tansen and Langtip, The Director-General of Posts and departed on March 7 in a Nodwell Telegraphs, Mr. T. A. Housley, said tracked carrier and a Snotrac to the stamps would be sold in Aus take cravity meter readings at every tralia as an added philatelic service accumulation stake around a provided by the Postmaster-General's marked triangular route, including Department. The stamps bearing the top of the local ice dome known Macquarie Island, Mawson and as Law Dome, after Philip Law who Wilkes postmarks, would be sold at was Director of the Antarctic Divi face value at philatelic sales sections sion for 16 years up to 1966. They from June 1, Mr. Housley said. Sub returned after 18 days. ject to continuity of supplies, the stamps would be available singly or A repeat exercise was planned to in blocks and sheets in accordance set off again on April 12 for a trip with the department's current terms on the same triangle, but this time of sale. In addition to normal coun doing optical levelling on one of the ter purchase, collectors in Australia 60-mile legs in both directions, by may address mail orders to the phil means of accurate observation with atelic sales section in the capital city theodolite and staffs — a long and of their State of residence. tedious process but all in the in terests of scientific research. The party expected to be awav this time HONOUR DUE for five or six weeks. They finally New Zealand Antarctic enthusiasts left Wilkes on April 6. will welcome the naming of Cump- The party experienced some bad ston Massif, "a flat-topped rock out weather and temperatures down to crop about 2,070 m. high, nine miles -40°F. They were only about 30 long and six to seven miles wide", miles from Wilkes when their prime in MacRobertson Land, 73° 33' S., mover developed some mechanical 66° 53' E., Australian Antarctic Terri problems, and Hansen and Currie tory. went to their assistance in the Nod- Dr. Cumpston was a very active well, the largest of their heavy duty member of the Antarctic Society snow vehicles. when on the staff of the Australian A blizzard covered up the corri Embassy in Wellington, and has con dors at Wilkes and the camp is now tinued to give valuable support to virtually submerged under a blanket this journal since leaving for New of snow. Olrog found out how easily Caledonia and Canberra. June. 1967 BELGIAN-DUTCH TEAM EVACUATES ROI BAUDOUIN BASE On New Year's Day the principal scientific programmes at the Belgian base, Roi Boudouin, were terminated because of the imminent evacuation of the base. However, certain programmes pold III Bay, where conditions were maintained provisionally: sur- seemedseemed much much better,better. face meteorology, atmospheric elec- The ti-,» electricqiq^(^;^ generators were transported from the Base along an ^c^etrfgeom^etismy' inclined plane. andinclined An plane. A-SfSn outside An outside set ra?«2 set con- con "RAIDERS" COME HOME tinuedtinued to supply to supply the the base base with with elec- elec January 5 saw the return to base nC1tricity. y' of the team which set out on Sep- qiiMMFP.SUMMER PRnrPAiv/nv/tp PROGRAMME tember 25, 1966, to explore the Sor ,„. &UM^fc'« PROGRAMME Rondane Mountains. They had com- n .MaSSa"Magga Dan"Dan was was near near enough to Roi Leopold III Base on January pleted their glaciological pro- fP1,16 Le?Pold. for Van Autenboer IH ,?ase to °" fly January to the gramme, comprising speed of flow \tu Van Autenboer to fly to the and measurement of ice thickness ?,nipship by by helicopter helicopter and and to to take over the command of the summer opera RUSSIAN VISITORS tion, which began on the 18th. Carto At the beginning of January the graphers Derwael and Lallemand Base entertained for ten days a began the re-measurement of the Soviet geological expedition of 18 triangulation on the shelf, begun in men who were mapping the coastal 1965. The two aircraft (Otter and mountains of Dronning (Queen) Cessna) were lowered to the sea ice Maud Land. The Russians worked and flown to the base. The distance with two Antonov 6 aircraft and and the numerous crevasses in the were re-provisioned by two-engined sea ice prevented the vehicles from planes from their base, Molodezh reaching the ship to aid in the dis embarkation, and an aerial tramway naya. Co-operation between the two was used to transport the summer expeditions was excellent. The Bel gian leader, T. Van Autenboer, acted party's gear to Roi Baudouin Base. as guide to Professor Ravich during The Anenometers were set up be one day spent in the central part tween Base Roi Baudouin and of the range. Romnaes, 120 km. to the south, for Rietman's Katabatic wind study. AND SOUTH AFRICANS The programmes in biology and From January 10 to 14 the South oceanography will continue unin African ship "RSA" called in response terrupted on the "Magga Dan". to a Belgian offer to supply them The two-man photogrametry team with dogs. Blocked about 20 km. was set down in the eastern part of from the coast, the Captain and the coast and established astrono members of the South African ex mical fixes. After the establishment pedition visited the Base in a light of vertical photographic coverage, vehicle. Lambert and Deruyck moved to the western area to continue their pro EVACUATION gramme. Some parts of the Sor Ron From January 7, stores and equip dane Mountains were photographed ment were transported in stages to for photo-geological studies. a depot on Roi Leopold III Bay. The access camps at both bays are PACK UP in very poor condition, being nar The "Magga Dan" finally suc row and having a very steep slope. ceeded in reaching the base on Roi It was finally agreed to use Roi Leo Leopold III Bay on January 25, and June, 1967 the loading of goods from the base MOUNTAINS OF BLUBBER then began. Loading was completed by January 30, except for what was required for the Summer operations, John Bechervaise recalls one of such as the radio station, electric his days on Heard Island in an arti generator and vehicles which re cle in the "Victorian Naturalist". mained at the base, where a small summer party was still quartered. "Bull elephant seals are almost incredible. . . . Their enormous dis tended noses drop down a foot or MONTS BELGICA more from their red, lecherous eyes. On February 1 a learn comprising Immense shapeless bags of flesh, Fagnoul (pilot), Pierre (mechanic), they mostly lie as though exhausted: De Winde (topographer) and Van but every now and then they will Auntenboer (expedition leader and rear up ponderously, inflating their geologist) visited the Monts Belgica probosces and bellowing challenges by Otter plane and dog-team for a to the wind and spray. A bull that preliminary geological reconnais has engaged a harem, however, will sance survey. They returned on Feb defend it vigorously against all ruary 6 after two forced landings comers, using his sheer mass as his due to bad weather. This concluded principal weapon. . . . the summer programme, and the last goods from the Base and of the "Occasionally the rivals confront summer programme were put each other, rearing so high that one aboard on February 7. wonders how they are supported. Then, rhythmically and stubbornly, The main doors (of the base and they thud away, using their massive of the emergency shelter) were bodies as clubs, and trying, generally clearly marked, and the principal ineffectually, to rip each other with things likely to cause snow accumu their tusky teeth . . . until the van lation, such as chimneys and anten quished retires. nae, were taken down. "In tranquillity, these mountain The official closing of the base ous animals have a curious and took place on the 9lh in the presence comical habit of scratching them of a small group. Doneux, second in selves with one of their flippers. This command, lowered the national flags dexterity seems extraordinarily out and Van Autenboer that of the ex of keeping with their flaccid bodies. pedition. A glass of champagne was The flipper is raised, arched, ex drunk to the health of old and future tended, an amazingly articulated inhabitants of Base Roi Badouin. organ, moving with the graceful ges Then the team went back to the tures of a ballet dancer ludicrously ship by helicopter. like a human hand. Often it is the only sign of life appearing unex pectedly, hopelessly inadequate, one HOMEWARD BOUND would think, for attending so huge "Magga Dan" weighed anchor that an area of blubber." evening. The helicopter made its final reconnaissance flights over the ice and was then dismantled and packed. "Magga Dan" reached Cape Town on February 20. Expedition JET STOPOVER? members boarded a DC6 plane of Sir Vivian Fuchs said recently that the Belgian Air Force and arrived if commercial airlines decided to use in Brussels on February 25. the Antarctic as a refuelling stop, an airfield could be built in three years. It was belter, he said, to develop territory in this fashion than to It has been calculated that about attempt to exploit its mineral con two million tons of snow blow away tents. Although Antarctica probably per year across one mile of Antarctic has the world's largest coal-field, it coast. Authority: Phillip Law. would not pay to get it out. June. 1967 CHANGE-OVER AT SYOWA The handing over of control from the 7th to the 8th Japanese expeditions was carried out at Syowa Station on February 10. The 8th 8th Japanese Japanese Antarctic Antarctic Re- Re the 6th and the 10th. The final eva- search Expedition Expedition left left Fremantle, Fremantle, cuation of personnel was carried out W.A., on December December 22 22 on on board board the the on the 10th after the official replace- icebreaker "Fuji". Fuji". An An iceberg iceberg was was ment ceremony of personnel be- seen first on the 29th at 55° S. andsee,n 99° fijsl E. Onon January the 29lh 4, at 1967, 55° the S. tween the 7th Expedition and the a"d..?,9 E\0n January 4, 1967, the 8th. Captain M. Matsuura, Dr. A. "Fuji"Fuji reached the the ice ice edge edge atat about about Muto, the leader of the 7th party 65.5° S., 49.5° E. at the oilingoffing of of and Dr. K. Kusunoki, leader of the LnderbyEnderby Land. Land. From From that that position position summer party, flew in to the base to the ship had to do continuous ice- attend the ceremony on the 10th. At breaking to to the the south-west, south-west, navigat navigat- that time the ship was located at ing along along the the boundary boundary between between fast fast 68° 25' S., and 38° 46' E., just near iceice and and drift drift ice. ice. the edge of the fast ice. ' The first helicopter (Sikorsky It look four days before the ship S61) flight was made from the moor could escape from the pack ice on ing site at 68° 18' S., 40° 22' E. at the 14th. Then she made a westward 1608 hours on the 7th to Syowa cruise with the intention of calling Station. Four flights were accom at SANAE station and making plished on the same day, delivering oceanographic surveys. Due to ad cargoes and personnel for summer verse weather and ice conditions it construction work. was not possible to visit the South African Station and finally the Between the 7th and 13th of Janu ary, air-lift operations were con "Fuji" set sail to the north on Feb tinued without cessation whenever ruary 20 from the offing of SANAE the weather was favourable. At the station. The return voyage to Tokyo same time the ship continued the was as intended, making shipboard observations of night-airglow, cos southward penetration into the fast mic rays, ionospheric physics, radio ice to the north of Syowa Station and finally reached the station at waves, atmospherics, oceanography, 1345 hours on the 14th; the ship biology, seismic profiling, gravity, moored at the fast ice within a dis and geomagnetism. tance of about one kilometre from the station. PLANS FOR 1967-68 An air traffic control hut was built before the arrival of the ship at The National Antarctic Committee the station. Most of the cargoes nominated as leader of the next were air-lifted, taking only a few expedition, the 10th JARE, Mr. minutes' flight between the ship and Masayoshi Murayama (leader of the the unloading site. The air-lift was 7th Expedition) and as acting-leader finished on the 26th. A total of about Mr. Zenbei Seino. Formal appoint 460 tons of cargo was delivered to ment will be at a later date with the base, some heavy vehicles being the approval of the Antarctic Head transported over the sea-ice and quarters. Mr. Murayama heads the land. Buildings were erected before Second Section of the Department, the departure of the ship on Feb and Mr. Seino was chief meteoro ruary 6, leaving such additional logist in the 7th (wintering) Expe work as making corridors and vesti dition. He has wintered three times. bules to be done by the dozen people Mr. Murayama will lead the win who were left for construction tering team of 28 men and Mr. Seino work and the installation of research will lead the summer party of 12 equipment at the station between men. The commander of "Fuji" will June, 1967 be Captain Toshiharu Honda who was the skipper during 1965-66. ARGENTINE PLANS The itinerary of "Fuji" is not yet On February 22 a new station decided, but she will leave Tokyo named "Estacion Aeronaval Petrel" at the end of November and will was officially commissioned. The station is manned by the Navy and is built on Dundee Island, its ( ordinates being 63° 27.8' S. and 56° Cape Town, and Colombo. 17.5' W. It is composed of quarters for the personnel, a hangar for air AT SYOWA craft and a depot. The news from Syowa Station is At present "Estacion Aeronaval that the weather was fairly good Petrtel" is the 8th active Argentine till the end of March. The maximum base. air temperature in March was + 2.6°C. and the minimum —20.8°C. It is anticipated that four men Fairly strong blizzard was experi will be added to the Navy person enced in the latter part of that nel at the station for work through month. Scientific activities were con out 1967. They will carry out tests tinued according to routine. There to determine the suitability of the was minor trouble in the electric site for the construction of an air generator on the 22nd. Several trips base with a solid earth runway. in the neighbourhood were carried These tests will comprise measure out; however, the sea ice between ments of snow accumulation and the station and the continent was the cause of this, comparison of not thick enough yet to support summer and winter snow coverage large vehicles. likely lo interfere with roads, tracks, and aircraft and vehicle traffic zones, and a fortnightly reconnaissance of MEETINGS the near-by glacier with a view to its utilisation as a landing strij well as consideration of access arctic Symposium" held at the 11th routes to it for men and vehicles. Pacific Science Congress in Tokyo last year. It contains a score of On March 21 the 40th anniversary papers covering many topics of Ant of the first wireless transmission arctic research. In 1968 the Japanese from the Argentine base at the South Orkneys was commemorated. The government is expected to have a service has been in operation at the meeting of logistics specialists under the Antarctic Treaty and the 10th base since 1927, mainly for the send SCAR meeting in Tokyo. ing of meteorological and other data and for logistic purposes. —67°C. was registered this month at "Sobral" station. This is the lowest ERRATA temperature registered in Argentine The address of the Department of stations in the Antarctic since 1904. Polar Research in "Antarctic", Vol. 4, No. 8, page 399 was erroneous. The correct address is: Department REFUGES of Polar Research, National Science In its annual report to S.C.A.R. the io Park, Tokyo. :t that a misprint in the than 36 unoccupied "refugios" or shelters maintained by Argentina in tion" should read AVIATOR. the Antarctic. They range over 20 degrees of latitude, from 59° 27' S. The biological work at Cape (Teniente Esquivel on Thule Island Hallett last summer, carried out by in the South Sandwich group) to T. S. Choate and B. Willis, was 79° 58' S. (Santa Barbara, 270km. sponsored by the University of south of General Belgrano Base). Otago. Others bear such interesting names June, 1967 ALL-ROUND AUTUMN ACTIVITY AT SOUTH AFRICAN BASE February was a busy month for GEOLOGY the meteorologists at SANAE. The The geological programme com old stock of 350-gram radiosonde prised the mapping of the sedimen balloons was used up and the new tary and igneous terrain between stock were inclined to burst at low 72°"30' and 73° S. to the west of the altitudes. The weather was rather Greenwich Meridian, as well as the stormy: mean wind speed of 23 continuation of related research pro knots, 5 days with gale-force winds jects in glaciology, seismology and and a highest gust of 87 knots. So oversnow gravity and magnetic tra only 17 upper air ascents could be verses. Prior to arrival at SANAE made. The average temperature of Base, "R.S.A." conducted a recon —7.7°C. was slightly above normal. naissance bottom sampling and During March the weather was sounding traverse along the edge of calmer although the average wind the Fimbul Ice Shelf, between 2° and speed was still a fresh 17 knots and 3° W. gale-force winds were recorded on 9 days. Upper air ascents were FIELD WORK more successful with 27 ascents, reaching an average of 29 mb. The Pre-winter fieldwork was confined balloon hut and the Stevenson to geophysical-glaciological investi screen were elevated during the gation of the grounded areas con month. The radio-theodolite cables stituting the western limit of the were dug up and it is hoped that it Fimbul Shelf. Glaciological budgclry will last through the winter. The studies at SANAE included the average temperature showed a maintenance of the accumulation gradual fall to - 12.4°C. and strain networks and strati graphic investigations. Although April was characterised The spring objective was the by cloudless days, the mean temper ature of -24.3°C. showed a sharp Borgmassivet area some 350 km. fall as compared with March, and south of SANAE. Two parties were in the field from the beginning of working conditions in the open were October till the first week in January :xtremely difficult and unpleasant. There were again 27 successful radio and operated virtually independent sonde ascents. A new anemometer of each other. In addition, a three- was installed this year and is func man party operated for a few tioning well. weeks during December resupplying Although there were 115 hours of depots. sunshine, the elevation of the sun Geophysical field work completed was below six degrees and its com during this second season included plete disappearance is only a matter magnetometric and gravimetric pro of lime. filing along the route and absolute geomagnetic observations at selected points as part of the Geomagnetic as "Virgen de las Nieves", "17 de Programme. Agosto" and '"Paso de los Andes". A surface and borehole sampling traverse extending from the pack PERSONNEL ice to the north of the Trolltunga For the summer operations 1966-7, up to the Borgmassivet was also the principal officers were Comodoro completed. D. Carlos A. Lopez (Chief of Air Task Geological mapping commenced in Force), Vicecomodoro D. Herbert 0. the Ahlmannryggen (Jekselen Nuna Horsch (Chief of Combined Task tak, 72° S., 2° 40' W.) and was con Force), Capitan de Navio D. Julio tinued into the Borgmassivet, where A. O. Vazquez (Commandent Naval an area of approximately 1,500 km.- Group). was completed on a scale" of 1:100,000 June, 1967 with additional detail mapping of ionosphere by enhanced particle selected nunataks. Small amounts of radiation, and ionospheric blackout visible gold of possible sedimentary due to D layer ionization. These dis origin were found in an altered grit. turbances are not shown to that In addition to this, samples of lichen extent by the absorption of 30 mc/s. and moss were taken on a sys cosmic noise as measured by the tematic basis throughout the area riometer, and are not necessarily traversed. coincident, with magnetic disturb ances or aurora. Presumably the TRANSPORT ionospheric disturbances are caused Transport consisted of a muskeg mostly by fairly soft particle radia with caboose, two sleds and a motor tion precipitated into the atmos phere from the Van Allen radiation toboggan used by a three-man party, belts due to a lower mirror points and a dog team used by a two-man at SANAE than at the northern group. Mechanical problems, along hemisphere conjugate point, due to with bad travelling conditions and the Cape Town Magnetic Anomaly. heavy loads, hampered progress especially during the early stages of The cosmic ray programme is of the field season, and only some interest because of the effects of the mechanical wizardry kept the vehi Magnetic Anomaly on the spectrum cles going. The Polaris, however, of cosmic rays incidented at SANAE succumbed to the heavy going and in the vertical and in directions in had to be left behind after covering clined to the vertical both during some 300 km. It was later salvaged quiet and magnetically disturbed by the depot-laying party. periods. Both Japanese and South The dog team, consisting of 11 African measurements by a ship- dogs (average weight 801b.), per borne neutron monitor show a formed very well. Sled loads during strong dependence of the incident the three-month season varied from cosmic ray spectrum on solar 800 to 900 lb., with a maximum on activity from south of Cape Town some trips of up to 1,5001b. Dog towards the Antarctic. These meas rations consisted of 1 lb. of Nutrician urements are still being investigated per day, with an occasional second towards the solar activity maximum helping after a hard day's work. On expected in 1968. this diet the dogs kept their condi tion well and finished off the field season by doing the return trip Q U I T E N E A R E N O U G H (300 km.) in five days. Maximum dis tance travelled in any one day was The Chief Officer of the South 74 km., hauling 800 lb. on a good African 1573-ton supply-ship "R.S.A.", surface. on the ship's return to South Africa, described how the vessel had its UPPER ATMOSPHERIC narrowest escape yet in her six RESEARCH years of Antarctic work. She was leaving one "bukta" (bay) in the At SANAE, ionospheric conditions ice front to land the team at an have been probed by the Rhodes other bukta. The ship was just University since 1962 while cosmic moving out from the first bay when rays, absorption of cosmic noise and the Chief Officer noticed large bub air glow have been recorded by bles at the edge of the ice cliff. scientists from the Universities of Then "a huge chunk of ice which Potchefstroom and Stellenbosch since 1964. Several balloons with must have risen from the bottom cosmic ray detectors have also been of the cliff popped up suddenly. sent aloft to measure the soft cor Then another piece broke off about 250 feet away. Then the middle sec puscular radiation at stratospheric tion broke off and slid into the heights. The ionosphere at SANAE appears water, turning over." much more often disturbed than The vast block of ice was esti elsewhere. The results indicate a mated at nearly 40 times the size heating up of the F layer of the of the vessel. If the ice which first June, 1967 rose up had done so under the "R.S.A." the ship must have cap KISTA DAN SOLD sized. And if the men had been put (From "J.L. News", Ihe journal of J. Laurit- ashore at this bukta, they would zen Lines, owners of the "Dan" ships) have been engulfed in tons of plung The forerunner of all the "Dan" ing ice. polar ships, the "Kista Dan", which was built as an experiment in 1952, has been sold to Norway. PLACE NAMES TRUNCATED An eventful, colourful and at times The U.S. Board of Geographic thrilling chapter in JL history has Names has been doing some ruthless thus come to an end. pruning. The names of a number of The building of the "Kista Dan" geographic features in Antarctica was a challenge to the past, to the have been shortened by the omission hard-earned experience of many of the Christian name, and by no generations which said that for navi means everybody will think it an gation in heavy pack ice you need improvement that, for example, a wooden ship, and a challenge for Marie Byrd Land has (officially) be the future, as there did not seem come Byrd Land, Edith Ronne Land to be sufficient need for such a ship — Ronne Ice Shelf, Hal Flood Range to justify her existence. — Flood Range, and the Lowell Thomas Mountains are now simply A lot of research went into the the Thomas Mountains. Many will design and construction of this pro feel that something quite significant totype polar ship, and it was a has been lost. proud day when, at the naming cere mony, the first little piece of the Greenland icecap struck her bow and sent her clown the slipway. BIG PRICE FOR The "Kista Dan" was a success. ANTARCTIC LOGS She was a good ship and a lucky A petty officer's three Antarctic log ship. Tremendously strong, she be books, in one of which is an account haved beautifully under the severest of the finding of the bodies of Cap ice conditions. She found a market, tain Scott, Dr. Wilson and Lieutenant and for many years made herself Bowers in November 1912, were sold indispensable in the East Greenland at auction in London in March for trade and in the Antarctic, carrying £2,600. scientific expeditions and their sup- Petty Officer Williamson served under Scott in both the "Discovery" gliesritish to (1959-64) Australian stations (1953-57) on and the and the "Terra Nova". He ran away Antarctic Continent. to sea at the age of 13, and was a She was pictured on one of the labourer on the Portsmouth docks Antarctic stamps issued for the Bri at the time of his death in 1940. His tish Antarctic Territories in 1963. widow died recently and her son decided to sell the diaries. Her life has been like that of a migratory bird, each year making The purchaser apparently bought the long trip from the North Polar them as a speculation. Regions to the South Polar Regions The Scott Polar Research Institute and back. had been interested in obtaining Williamson's logs for its archives, From the small experimental ship but was too short of money to obtain "Kista Dan" a large fleet of "Dan" polar ships now counting 18 units them. has grown. The "Kista Dan" is still full of As we go to press we are in vitality and we hope she has manv formed that the Institute has, years in front of her. Her life will thanks to a number of donations, now be that of a Norwegian sealer, been able to purchase the Diaries and she will thus still be found in for its library. Congratulations to the icefields, for which she was the SPRI. designed and built. ALL MOD. CONS. NOW AT HALLEY BAY One advantage of the new Telex link between the B.A.S. London office and the Falkland Islands is that it is now possible to transmit general news instead of being confined, as hitherto, to cryptic telegraphese on essential matters — as the following bulletin from the commander at the new Halley Bay base shows: "In contrast with the old base place in one of the electricians' bunk New Halley Bay affords luxury room. hitherto unknown by B.A.S. winter "Prior to moving in some have ing parties. It strikes me as strange held bunkwarmings, similar to to walk into the new dining room housewarmings at home. Saturday and see men sitting about in shirt evening get-togethers are still held sleeves instead of sweaters, and in the old lounge at present and slippers instead of Mukluks. men living at "T'he Village" (the thp washrooms hot and cold new base) look forward to dressing •tained from up for the weekly night out. They I over sinks in go down to the old base in Muskegs for the weekly film, pints of ale or stead of direct from melt tanks. In a tot and witter with people they place of the traditional five-gallon have not seen for a week. drum with tape and hose, modern primrose-coloured shower cubicles '"When the Theron's* parties re are installed, two in each dormi turned they were quite surprised tory. The only snag with the new by the style and luxury of things, showers is that they tend to pro especially in the dormitories. The mote the desire for prolonged soak first comment of one was "Look at ing, an indulgence for which you all those right angles!' which shows pay on the morning after when cut just how he had become used to ting snow blocks to replace the the distorted walls and ceilings of water used. the old base. There is still much to be done and it is a race against "Two men share a bunk room and time and weather to complete all once essential furniture is fitted the outside tasks before the onset of occupants have a free hand to dec winter. Through the excellent co orate as they wish. Those completed operation of everyone, New Halley to date have shown originality of Bay will soon be born and provide ideas and include such features as a real home for the wintering par concealed panels covering cup ties of the future." boards, ornamental bedheads and * Field parties who had been working in the concealed lighting. Colour schemes Theron Mts. are varied, ranging from Ihe pastel The recently opened Telex link shades of the romantically minded has greatly improved communica to the whites, greys and varnished tions and it is hoped that it will wood of the more practical man. In eventually be extended to the bases. one bunkroom a mountaineering en Four tall radio masts have already thusiast has mounted crossed ice been erected at Halley Bay in pre axes on the wall whilst his com paration for a new transmitter and panion, not to be outdone, responded teleprinter, which are scheduled to with crossed carpenter's saws, the be installed later in the year. tools of his trade. Photographs of home adorn the shelves alongside Work proceeds apace at the new books and souvenirs of Montevideo. base. A covered way between the An unusual table lamp made from buildings and separate access shafts an old engine piston takes pride of to each building have now been June, 1967 completed. Meanwhile, scientific H.M.S. '"Protector". The intention work has been continued at the old was to weatherproof a research hut base, and most of the scientific there, which was evacuated two equipment will not be transferred years ago. The urgent problem, how until 1967-68. Those left behind are ever, was to make it seal-proof; looking forward to the time when seals had moved in and made them they can move, and some are already selves comfortable is the sleeping- "commuting", to decorate their quarters and food cupboard. bunkrooms in their spare time. INTO THE FIELD AT ADELAIDE ISLAND Only one main field journey was A new living hut was also built undertaken at the end of the sum at the Adelaide Island base — after mer, and that was by a party of most of the summer field work had geologists and surveyors from Ston been completed. The Pilatus Porter ington Island, who worked up on and Otter aircraft were flown north the Graham Land plateau for five to their winter-quarters at Decep weeks. tion Island at the beginning of March (the Otter has now been THE SHIPS grounded because of metal fatigue As mentioned in the last issue, in the fuselage), and a fuel dump "Shackleton" again continued the has been laid up on the Adelaide magnetometer and seismic survey ice piedmont in preparation for next of the Scotia Sea — for the eighth summer's flying operations. season in succession. A proton mag AND OTHER BASES netometer was towed over thousands of miles and seismic studies made At Deception Island the aircraft of the ocean floor. This latter was were serviced and prepared for the carried out with sonobuoys which winter. At the Argentine Islands geo automatically transmit from a dis physical observatory, scientific work tance explosion shock-waves re continued as usual. Biological work flected by various layers of the continues at Signy Island, South Ork underlying rock. neys, and a number of very inter The principal magnetometer sur esting projects are under way. These include the study of bloodless fish vey was that in the Bransfield Strait which are able to resist freezing and between Deception Island and Ele phant and Clarence Islands. The obtain and use oxygen from their total mileage covered was 1,750 n- surroundings, and measurements, miles at a track spacing of 3-4 miles. using isotropic tracers, of the rate at which algae and other micro The survey covered the interesting scopic plants fix free nitrogen from 1,000-fathom trough running paral the atmosphere. This latter is part lel to the South Shetland Islands, of the International Biological Pro and the magnetic anomaly associ ated with the southern edge of the gramme, which is to make a world material underlying the main South wide survey of biological produc Shetland island group. tivity and foodproducing potentiali ties. In March, the "Biscoe" carried out hydrographic survey in the vicinity SEAL TROUBLES of the Argentine Islands using Decca Edward Smith, a specialist on "Hi-fix" position-fixing equipment. seals who took up his appointment The "Perla Dan" arrived back in as the Survey's Chief Biologist last the U.K. on March 26, "Shackleton" November, visited the bases this on May 8, and "John Biscoe" on May summer and was able to solve a 18, having left a total wintering number of problems at Signy (and party of 91 men at the bases. tune the base piano). In the course of his travels, he made a hair-raising SURGERY ON ICE (as always) landing on Bird Island A 28-year-old doctor during a year's off the north-western tip of South duty in the Antarctic performed his Georgia, with Lt. Cdr. Cheshire from first two operations. June, 1967

Photo: R. Randall. VETERANS OF 1902-04 ON DISCOVERY Sir Vivian Fuchs talks with FRANK PLUMLEY, 91 (centre) and JAMES DELL., 86 (right) at the gathering on their old ship to celebrate the publication of Wilson's Diary.

One was on a seaman and the S.P.R.I. other on a scientist. Both were for Work on the site for the new appendicitis. Scott Polar Research Institute The one on a Scottish member of building in Cambridge, England, be the Antarctic survey team, George gan in "July last. The new block is McLeod, was performed in an un due to be completed on November derground hut at Halley Bay. 30 this year and the connecting link on February 29, 1968. Conditions in Dr. Ronald Lloyd, of Cheshire, the present building have been ex sterilised his instruments in cook tremely crowded. ing utensils. Owing to financial difficulties work on the compilation of a pro Both patients made good recov jected Antarctic Atlas has tempor eries. arily ceased. WORSLEY DIARY Thanks to the generosity of NEW ZEALANDER Messrs. Cassell, the publishers, Mrs. WITH B.A.S. Jean Worsley and the friends of the Institute, the library was able to Christopher Sykes, a mechanical purchase two volumes of F. A. Wors- engineer with the British Antarctic ley's diary kept during Shackleton's Survey team at its Halley Bay base, Trans-Antarctic Expedition, 1914-17. is a New Zealander. He is the son These diaries are complementary to of Dr. and Mrs. P. H. Sykes, now a third volume presented to the living in Surrey, and a grandson of Institute by Mrs. Worsley in 1913 the late Mr. G. R. Sykes, M.P. for and complete the set. Worsley, Masterton from 1911 to 1935 and of Shackleton's navigator on the great the late Dr. W. J. Anderson, M.A., boat journey from Elephant Island LL.D., New Zealand's Director of to South Georgia, was a New Zea Education from 1915 to 1921. lander, born in Akaroa. June. 1967 CHILEAN AIRCRAFT CROSS THE 70th PARALLEL After 24 days in Antarctic terri At 16 hours the three planes tory, three Grumman planes of the crossed the Antarctic Circle and Chilean Air Force which had left 70°S. for the first time in the history from Wing No. 2 on February 7, of the Chilean Air Force. landed on their return to Quintero Air Base on March 3. The aircraft RELIEF had carried out reconnaissance On March 9 the "Piloto Pardo" flights beyond latitude 70°S., under and the "Lientur" of the 21st Chilean the command of Group Command Antarctic Expedition reached Punta ant don Edgardo Vera Maldonado. Arenas. After on-loading oil in the harbour from the "Admiral Montt" The object of the long flights which had moored at the Arturo south was to investigate the pos Prat Wharf the day before, the two sibility of installing new landing ships brought back personnel of the strips in order to facilitate the ex Task Force from the various Chilean ploration of the Antarctic up to a Antarctic bases, and the scientists much more southern latitude than who had wintered over in the Ant that of the present Chilean bases. arctic. This voyage concluded the The flight from Punta Arenas in year's Antarctic operations. February crossed the Strait of Mag ellan, followed the route Tierra del INFILTRATION? Fuego, Cape Horn, Drake Passage, and after five hours' flight above One result of the occasional Kiwi thick clouds turned east and a few incursions into Wallaby country minutes later touched down at De (from the northern Victoria Land area into the eastern portion of Aus ception Island on a sea whipped up tralian Antarctic Territory) is the by strong gusts of wind. appearance of more New Zealand The aircraft now made for Pendu names on the maps of A.A.T. lum Cove and the Pedro Aguirre Air The September 1966 list of new Force base. During the next two A.A.T. place-names includes Ahern days they were held up by heavy Glacier, Allan Hills (Prof. R. S. snow-falls and winds, but on the Allan), Ballance Peak, Chappell 16th the forecast was good. Grum- Nunatak, Gray Glacier, Mount mans 569 and 576 were assigned to Gregory, Mount Hayter, Laird the southern flight while 568 re Plateau, Lowe Glacier, Lucy Glacier, mained for search and rescue duties McDonald Spur, Mansergh Snow at Pendulum Cove. But the weather field, Mount Manson, Mount Sim- monds (N.Z. cartographer), Town- row Peak (Tasmanian with NZARP), mission unaccomplished. Warren Peak, Mount Walters. On the 17th to the pilot's joy, at dawn the sea was calm and the sun One of the aims of current re- "hone brilliantly. Awakening very ~arly, the activities at P.A.C. began at once. After a conference with the "language" by which parent and aircraft crews Commandant Vera chick identify and communicate in gave the order for the southern flight rookeries of sometimes as many as to take place from Deception Island a million birds. to 70 degrees south, and at 12.45 Who knows? Perhaps humans may the planes took off with their noses learn something from these strange pointing towards the western part little birds for their own chaotic of the Antarctic Peninsula. society. June. 1967

camp was shifted to the neck of the Courrejolles Peninsula via an easily NEWS FROM THE followed sheep track around the coast. The tramp back to the station took two and a half hours. Almost SUB-ANTARCTIC 2,000 Mollyhawk chicks were banded, an excellent basis for further study. CAMPBELL ISLAND (New Zealand) On April 24, to see the Rock Hop per penguin colonies at the base of Again this year one hundred nests Mt. Parrish described so well by were pegged in the Lyall Saddle and J. H. Sorenson, Paull made the trip t. Col areas and the progress of the over the knife edge ridge to the esling Royal Albatrosses noted peninsula that commands an excel carefully during regular and indeed lent view of the extensive colonics daily visits to each nest, until the stretching from Ihe peninsula neck chicks hatched out or the egg proved to the westernmost point of the to be infertile over a period of two island. Although at this time of year weeks. The number of failures in- there were not 2Vi million penguins nlnrlin

KERGUELEN from the base to the launching area (France) was completed with the help of all hands. The track leading from the The wintering party this year was "Whale-back" to the launching site expected to number 81. Again, the was fitted out with P.S.F. slabs and "Gallieni" was used to effect the by the first comer in order to per annual relief. The summer pro mit the building up of stock. gramme included the construction of two new buildings with a total At the end of March, the founda floor space of 800 sq. m. to house the tions of the rocket-mounting build new generator and the new radio ing were nearly completed. transmitter. Rocket-firing plans also In the laboratory area, the build involved the building of a shelter ing which had served as a depot re and a concrete firing platform as verted to its original purpose as well as the construction of 120 m. of living quarters. metalled roadway linking the two. The drainage of the area surround Among the scientific projects un ing three of the buildings (begun in dertaken were (1) an investigation 1964) was extended by the forma of the bacterial variations in the tion of a sink with channelling under penguin digestive tract and the influ the roadway. ence of geophysical factors thereon ; (2) a systematic study and collection of freshwater algae of all sizes, both animal and vegetable, in lakes and CROZET rivers; (3) night sky and aurora (France) photography with 16 mm. wide-field The fourth wintering team on camera, fixed detector and 10 colour Crozet, the "baby" of the French photometer early in the winter. sub-Antarctic outposts, was installed Later, the fixed detector will be without incident in spite of much replaced by the new photometer more fog, rain and wind than they installed during the summer and wanted. After stacking the new sup the 16 mm. camera will be replaced plies, especially the equipment for by a 32 mm. camera during the fol the magnetic and radio-activity lowing season. The meteorologists laboratories, they tackled the num plan 150 soundings for wind and erous routine pre-winter tasks such temperature this year, using im as ensuring that the roofs were proved balloons and sondes, during watertight and that cable-railways world days, geophysical intervals and other installations were in good and "strat-warn" alert periods. working order. The weather has remained medi Several biological excursions were ocre, with a mean temperature of made, and in this connection the 6°C. and wind 35 km/h., the whole shelter at American Bay was put punctuated by the habitual storms, in order. notably during March. Work was hindered but not held up thereby. The arrival of new apparatus de MARION ISLAND manded the adjustment of priorities in the magnetic laboratory. The (South Africa) creation of the two main storage The weather relief teams to areas — for the rocket-firing pro Marion and Gough Islands departed gramme and for the electrical from Cape Town during March and power-house — meant much pre April/May respectively. These men paratory work, earthworks and the will man the island weather stations stockpiling of materials, which went for the coming 14 months. Both on up till March. teams are already firmly entrenched in their new homes and every indica Both for the launching area and tion is that they are enjoying their for the power-house site the mould stay. Each team numbers seven: the had to be removed and replaced to leader, three meteorologists, radio a depth of 70 cm. by shingle, gravel operator and technician, and medi and sand. The "rocket firing" track cal officer. June, 1967

These tracks were carefully pre N.Z. EXPEDITION TO pared without disturbing the forest canopy, by-passing areas where ex THE SNARES tensive cuttting would have been needed. Metal squares with reflector tape were nailed to trees to indicate worked on the track lo follow back to the nares group, station. 56 miles S.W. of New Zealand, from January 2 to January 23, three of the party, J. Warham (Leader), R. A. The survey of the inter-tidal Anderson and P. M. Johns, staying ecology commenced in 1961 was con on till February 10 after Prof. G. A. tinued and further collections made, Knox, D. A. Knox and Dr. B. Stone particularly of the marine algae. house had returned to New Zealand. Extensive collections were made of Transport between Dunedin and the land invertebrates. The previously island was provided by the U.S. known fauna may now be multiplied picket ships U.S.S. "Thomas J. Gary" about three times and something and U.S.S. "Mills". like 40 species may prove new to science. Good samples of parasitic An easterly swell had prevented a species were collected from birds landing on December 30, so the and nests (some evidently new "Gary went on to Campbell Island species), also from peat, soil and where the expedition members with litter. their stores were landed and spent a profitable day before being taken to the Snares two days later. A carefully controlled number of bird specimens was collected for Radio contact was maintained specific studies. A colony of the with the New Zealand weather Snares Crested Penguin was chosen station on Campbell Island, itself in for long-lerm study and a substan contact with Christchurch. During tial part of the breeding adults and the expedition's stay a photographic all the chicks were flipper-banded. reconnaissance of the islands was Details of behaviour and displays carried out by No. 14 Squadron and were recorded on film and tape, and the Central Photographic Establish significant weights and measure ment of the R.N.Z.A.F. ments taken. Observations and recordings were made and samples Two members, Prof. Knox and Dr. taken for specific purposes from the Stonehouse, had participated in the Procellariiform birds. Many birds 1961 expedition. They report no were banded, including 500 adult major alterations in the island's fauna and flora apart from some Sooty Shearwaters. changes in the vegetation, in particu lar the extension in certain areas of No new breeding vertebrate the Coastal Veronica and a possible species were found but N.Z. crested increase in the number of breeding penguins. Erect-crested penguins and fur seals. Swamp harriers, apparently un The biological station is in excel recorded but not unexpected, were lent condition and the water tanks seen. though extensively rusted, provided ample water. Some alterations and Large numbers of N.Z. fur seals repairs were made to the main hut were seen at many places round the and the old "castaway hut", chiefly coast and pups were plentiful in the to provide additional freshwater more remote bays and coves. Male storage and extra bench and shelf Hooker's Sea-lions occurred with space. A permanent radio aerial was increasing frequency during the ex erected. pedition's stay. A number of tracks were cut to give easier access to the Sink-hole About a dozen papers are in pre area, Signpost Hill, the west, south paration and will draw extensively and east coasts, and other areas. on material and data obtained. June, 1967

M A C Q U A R I E I S L A N D the waist as a result of his splendid (Australia) efforts in the kitchen." (See below.) Now that the Royal penguins are February the paint store was departing the interest of the biolo- w.^.oughly cleaned out and reor; ~ :ists is moving over to Dominican lsed, and all timber neatly stacker — one day's hard labour for the whole gulls and Giant petrels. The Macquarie Island team's news beenparty. improved, The water so supply that the system cook has no letter lor April referring to the ill longer utters dire threats when a ness of one of their number (see shower is turned on, and the unfor p. 521) says: "As you know we have tunate bather does not freeze or boil had our problems during April. John when the cook is washing the pots Evans has made sterling efforts, and and pans. along with Ken Shennan and Mike Chapman, must be congratulated on We had an unexpected visit from nursing Jim Hinds during his illness. the U.S.N.S. "Eltanin" during the We wish Jim a speedy recovery in month, and there was an exchange of visits for the short time they were hospital back in Australia." anchored in Buckles Bay. Jim'Hinds As Hinds was the cook, cooking rose to the occasion and produced has been a problem, but this seems a magnificent spread in a very short to have been surmounted, thanks to time. Unfortunately some of our the untiring efforts of Svensson, guests had to be back on board Ryder, Poulsen, Ormay and Ackerley. before they could do justice to it. The first four are bachelors and have put the married men to shame. The A.N.A.R.E. party who went The Meterological Staff should on board will not forget the over have been able to look for easier whelming hospitality given to us by times ahead now that the second Captain Larry Wirth, the Crew and radio-sonde flight has been dropped, Scientists who could not get ashore. but the turmoil during the month The beginning of March heralded delayed this rest period. The Micro- the start of a fortnight's hard work pulsation Unit has had to be moved. crate-making and organising all Schmidt expected to have the unit equipment being returned to Aus working in its new location shortly. tralia on the "Nella Dan". The "Nella Dan" brought down BIRD STUDIES equipment for a tide gauge for Adelaide University. A spot was Leader Walker reports: "Smith found fortunately not full of rock, was just in time to get sixty Royal ind digging to below tide level com penguins into the seal tank and menced. About a thousand man- enclosure for his winter study. Four hours later, through continual cave- days later it was reported that apart ins and water seepage at the rate from one or two stragglers, the pen of about 30 gallons per minute, and guins had migrated for the winter above all constructional genius on months. The captives' diet of frozen the part of our crew, we could say salmon and seal meat seems to be that we had installed all the piping. quite adequate. Many strange de We now await the settling of the vices are appearing on the Isihmus backfill of sand before we finally purporting to be traps to ensnare install the instruments. Dominican gulls. The tally so far is only two, so considering the number Leader Rob Walker in the Mac of gulls on the island, either the quarie news-letter for March wrote, birds are too clever or they don't "Now that the summer party have quite understand the object of the gone, Jim Hinds has begun to equip exercise." part of the Upper Atmosphere Magnetic storms made the even Physics building as a gymnasium. spread of magnetic absolute read We suspect that he has a guilty ings over the month difficult. These conscience so that now he is about storms have meant that some to help remove the extra inches amateur radio skeds have been post almost all of us have put on round poned, much to the irritation of June. 1967 MISSILE SHIP SUDDENLY CHANGES COURSE When one of Australia's newest 26 ft. launches about 100 yards off warships, the $40 million guided shore. missile destroyer "Perth", left Mel bourne on Friday April 28, it was Able Seaman Harry Brankstone for routine exercises off the Austra (22) swam to shore through thick lian east coast at Jervis Bay. kelp and icy water in his frogman's suit, dragging a line attached to a When in Bass Strait she was sud small raft. The raft was then pulled denly ordered south, to steam at ashore from the launch, with Lead speed to Macquarie Island, where a ing Seaman Colin Thelan (28) hang cook of the Australian 24-man team ing on to it. Brankstone and Thelan there was reported seriously ill. strapped Mr. Hinds to the raft on Leader Robin Walker had radioed a stretcher, and the three were the Antarctic Division that Harris pulled back to the launch. Hinds (45), a Sydney bachelor, would have to be removed to hos The two frogmen dismissed their pital urgently. There was a doctor rescue effort as "kid's stuff". on board the "Perth". "Perth" berthed in Hobart on The weather on the lonely island, Thursday May 4 at 5 p.m. with the injured cook in a satisfactory condi 1,000 miles south11 of ' Tasmania, y " P e r t h was ' s " tion. He Spent rhf» nicrhf r»n hnnrrl v. w, ,,,,,., :,u.n;. w,,,^, V^apt. Pder the "Perth" Doyle) in a radio message to Navy to Melbourne. headquarters in Canberra said he The "Perth's" commander, Captain expected to reach Macquarie Island P. Doyle, said: "The two frogmen late the following afternoon. But he did a marvellous job in terrible con warned that if the seas did not abate ditions." it might not be possible to take the sick man on board. The "Perth" ploughed through near-cyclonic conditions to reach the island on the afternoon of Monday STOP THE SHIP —I WANT May 1, but heavy seas in sub-zero TO GET OFF ! temperatures and winds of up to When "Perth" left Melbourne she 50 m.p.h. prevented a landing party had on board as passenger a retired reaching the island. Every attempt Australian rear-admiral who was to land was thwarted by high seas looking forward to a quiet and and breakers close to shore. restful two-day voyage up the coast "Perth" remained anchored off a to Sydney as the guest of "Perth's" small cove, Buckle Bay, and the commander, Captain Peter Doyle. patient was transferred to the war But Rear-Admiral H. Becher, who ship early on Tuesday May 2, when in 40 years of naval service had not seven men took one of the ship's been to Antarctica, had a rougher trip than he had planned. He spent the two days in heavy seas and those who had hopes of talking to 30-knot winds heading towards Ant folks back home. arctica. The first taste of winter was a But, as a naval spokesman said: rwo-day freeze-up with snow remain "The rear-admiral has probably been ing on the Isthmus. Skiing was tried through many worse conditions dur on the Plateau but not really suc ing his career" and our headline is cessfully. Quite a few people look not attributed to the gallant forward to the colder weather. Admiral. June. 1967 The McCormick Skua in Southern McMurdo Sound. Antarctica Ian F. Spellerberg* At New Zealand's Scott Base, you 50-100 metres apart and in this will frequently hear the question, respect the colony is sparsely dis- How far south do the Skua colonies tributed compared with the colonies go? and "Where is the nearest Skua further north, colony?" In the following article I have answered these questions, as well as including information which may be of value to those who have an interest in the wildlife of Ant arctica. During the austral summer sea sons of 1963-64, 1964-65, 1965-66, a study was made of the breeding cycle and ecology of the McCormick Skua (Catharacta maccormicki). This was part of the programme of the Canterbury University Antarctic Biology Unit, and it was in the course of this work that a survey was made of the skua colonies in Southern McMurdo Sound. In the summer of 1965-66 a recon naissance was made of the colonies, which included two day-trips by helicopter; one on December 29 and one on January 14. On Gneiss Point, immediately north of Marble Point (fig. 1, table 1), McCormick Skuas were found on SKUASKUA CHICK CHICK AND AND EGG. EGG. and near the ponds and two scoops (nests) were found at the edge of T. . ,, ., . , r one of the ponds, but no chicks or n,T1le_The P.a:,.r.OIiTM'lc pair on the ,s^uthcm southern S1.dc side of °f 2ggs were found. Skuas were flying Observation unsei Hill (Cape An from the south to the ponds and have nave.."—" been recorded i~«*«v« over Ytt.^X&yZHT three con from the ponds in the direction of secu.tive_secutive seasons, 1963/64T1965/66 1963/64-1965/66. Marble Point. It appears that breed-This Thls pair P.mr maintains /^"^IP55 a a territory territory of ing birds come from the colony at approximately approximately 400 400 square square metres Marble Point, where there are no dunn8during lhe the summer summer season season when when a ponds, in order to bathe at Gneiss lar8e.large colony colony of of non-breeding birds Point. At Marble Point the Skua roos,troost in in tne the arca arca and and bathe bathe in in the colony covers an area above the Pond-pond. 5k2w?3JS s.outhern. side where WellWell known known are are the the two t Bases at t SS^SSS"K anu Smc .H°C>S the tjPthe of tip CaPc of Cape Armitage, Armitage, McMurdo McMurdo SS5qP southerly Statio£ (U.S.A.)Station (U.S.A.) constructed constructed in in 1955- 1955- 56 on the western side, and Scott The most southerly colony, south BaseBase (N.Z.) (N.Z.) constructed constructed in 1956-57 of Cape Chocolate, extends up to on on the the eastern eastern side. side. The The refuse refuse from 100 metres inland by the many small thesethese bases bases is is an an attraction to many melt streams and ponds which are SkuasSkuas and accounts for the many found in the area. The nests are birdsbirds in in this area. In In 1963—64 1963-64 the population of non-breeding birds in * Zoology Dept., Canterbury University.the the Scott Scott Base Base McMurdo McMurdo Station Station June, 1967

- " ~ »■'

■fraz^r-i '■:"■■ '4^7

THIS IS OUR TERRITORY. area reached a total of 525 during Cape Royds, three miles north of the middle of February. Cape Barne, is backed by irregular lava peaks and terraced moraines Moving north on the western side containing several small ponds of Ross Island, the next colony is at around which a few Skuas breed. Cape Evans. F. A. de Hamel (unpub. report) reported 52 pairs nesting at Cape Royds itself with its char the Cape in January of 1958. In acteristic irregular lava flows of January of 1964, 54 pairs were Kenyite and low lava cliffs, is a strip of ice-free land dotted with recorded, and in January of 1965, 55 small lakes and ponds in the numer pairs were recorded. ous valleys. Breeding colonies of A flight by helicopter was made Skuas are found in the valleys on around' the Dellbridge Islands, off the black volcanic detritus and on Cape Evans, and the close inspection the slopes of Mount Erebus in the showed no signs of Skuas nesting on snow-free areas. There are six the islands. colonies of breeding birds consisting of 57 breeding pairs. Cape Barne, immediately north of the Barne Glacier, is dotted with Immediately north of Cape Royds many small ponds, some of there is a colony on the southern which thaw during the summer, side of Horseshoe Bay and there and there are some melt- are two colonies (one on each side) streams in late December and on Rocky Point. early January. Young (1963a, The population of breeding Skuas p. 205) reported 21 nesting sites on in this area of McMurdo Sound is the coast of Cape Barne. Over the not large, and together with the low three seasons 30 breeding pairs have breeding success, there is a definite been found, some of which are nest need for conservation of this bird. ing well inland. In 1963-64 only 39.8 per cent, of the June, 1967

Breeding Locality. Situation. pairs. Remarks. Gneiss Point. Non-breeding colony — Some scoops. No around the lake. breeding pairs resident. Marble Point. Breeding birds above 20 20 clutches —6 with beach on southern side. 1 egg; 14 with 2 eggs. Southern tip of Breeding birds amongst 15-20 All nesting on the Blue Glacier. stranded ice-cored edge of ponds. moraines. South of Cape Breeding birds amongst 25 Nests found as far Chocolate. ice-cored moraines. south as 78° 5' S. Dailey Islands. Nests on raised beaches beside ponds on the south and east sides. Brown Island Northern tip. Several birds roost Peninsula. ing near ponds. Cape Armitage. Southern tip. 1 Nesting beside a pond. Cape Evans. Widely distributed 55 around ponds. Cape Barne. Breeding birds around 30 Colony extends to V* small ponds. mile inland, and scattered nests on moraines above Cape Royds. Cape Royds. Around lakes on volcanic 57 detritus (talus). Horseshoe Bay.* South side. 23 Rocky Point.* North and south sides, 68 Concentrated above and on beaches. colonies. eggs laid at Cape Royds gave rise to chicks that left the colonies. In 1964-65 it was up to 42.4 per cent., Flo. 1 McMURDO SOUND but in 1965-66 it was as low as 16.5 per cent. Although the Skua suffers much from the harsh weather con ditions, interference by man and his machines is a factor which has played a part in lowering the breed ing success. I ~ r \ As well as taking care not to dis turb the colonies unduly, the observer may assist in the collecting of information which will help in the study of these birds. Records of banded birds, of band numbers, and the return of bands from dead birds together with relevant information, would undoubtedly be appreciated by the banding operators. The biolo gist in the Antarctic depends much on the accurate information col lected by the casual observer. Immediately north of Cape Royds. June, 1967

- - » ; & &

■<*PP hr" * -r, ^i. •

THE BIOLOGICAL HUT AT CAPE ROYDS. Looking South across Cape Barne. FILM HONOUR SCOTT OF THE ANTARCTIC The New Zealand Antarctic film The Ealing Studios' full-length "140 DAYS UNDER THE WORLD" motion picture m, produced by the New Zealand National Film Unit in 1964 is one of enacting Scott's Last Expedition two Unit productions to be selected with John Mills as Scott. A sincerely- by the Educational Film Library made film, accurate and not glam Association of New York for the 1967 ourised, it brings the great story to American Film Festival in May. The two films (the other is "Through life with moving poignancy. To be shown on DNTV-2 on Sunday June Scrummage, Three Quarters and All") have also been nominated by 25. the Library's pre-screening Commit tee for the blue-ribbon award com petition at the Festival. "140 Days Under the World" was nominated for the Documentary THE TERRIBLE JOURNEY award of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences at Holly A shorter film showing the retrac wood in 1965 and has been distri ing of the journey of Shackleton, buted throughout the world. Worsley and Crean in 1916 across South Georgia. How the British com TWO TV WINS bined Services Expedition did this was described in "Antarctic", Dec Readers who saw the following programmes should let the N.Z.B.C. ember 1964 and March 1965. This is know that they were appreciated. one of the TV series "Survival". June, 1967

stations, a photo-laboratory, rooms ANTARCTIC STATIONS for meteorologists, aerologists, geo- physicists and a doctor, mess rooms, NOVOLAZAREVSKAYA galley, bakehouse, power plant, mechanics' workshop, laundry, bath room and living quarters. In addi 70° 46' latitude south. tion, huts were built on the station 11° 50' longitude east. precincts, one for aerological, three 87 metres above sea level. for magnetic and one for glaciologi cal studies, also a storehouse for This scientific research station is material and technical stores and ituated on outcrops of rock at the three Shaposhnikov cabins. A diesel astern extremity of Schirrmacher fuel storage tank with a capacity of ▶asis. To the north of the station 25 cubic metres was installed. To the or a distance of 80 kilometres the north of the station a cold store for ice shelf stretches with a gently un provisions was built in the snow. dulating surface which comes to an end in the "Leningrad" glacial dome. In 1962 construction work at the The continental ice shield, which at station continued. One hundred a distance of 50 kilometres already metres to the south-south-west of attains a height of 1,000 metres, the main buildings another prefabri slopes down from the south. On this cated shelter building was erected, slope a number of nunataks rise containing geophysical apparatus. above the ice. Under the ice shelf, Fifty metres to the north-west of which separates the Schirrmacher this structure a fourth cabin for Oasis from the ocean, are channels. magnetic studies was built and at These connect basins located at the the same time an 18-number tele northern edge of the oasis with the phone exchange was installed. sea. The clearly marked tidal fluctu ations of the water level in these In the vicinity there are take-off basins provides evidence of this. and landing strips for light and The station buildings. On the heavy aircraft. establishment of the station in 1961 On January 18, 1962, the building four prefabricated shelter buildings of Novolazarevskaya station was were erected accommodating radio completed. June, 1967

Station Personnel T H E V E T E R A N S Classification JOHN KING DAVIS Year General Scientific It is with regret that we record the passing of Captain Davis who died in a Melbourne private hospital on Sunday, May 7, aged 83. Besides the 17 men who comprised Most ANARE men of the Collins Itreet era will remember the tall, dark-suited figure looming along tl corridor or sitting in the library. vak geophysicists. Those of us who were fortunate enough to get to know J.K. found The main branches of scientific him to be a gentleman of the old work carried out at Novolazarev school, helpful, considerate and skaya are: (1) meteorology, actino- understanding, always ready to give metry and aerology; (2) geomag advice if asked, but never forcing netism; (3) seismology; (4) earth his opinions on the latter-day ex currents; (5) glaciology; (6) hydro plorer. logy. Like most people of his genera In the summer seasons Novo tion, Captain Davis was conservative lazarevskaya Station serves as a base in many ways, and yet he always for carrying out polar research in showed a keen interest in new de geology in the mountains of Queen velopments and encouraged their Maud Land, and also glaciological use. observations in this region. John King Davis was born in Lon don in 1884. He was educated at Burford Grammar School, Oxford shire, and Colet College, London. His father, James G. Davis, a teacher We record with deep regret the who had earlier taught for four death on Kerguelen Island of Ray years at Sydney Grammar School, mond Guillou, aged 31, of the 16th was sent to South Africa with the Kerguelen expedition. An able sea Field Force Agency during the Boer man in the French Navy, he was in War. He took his son with him. charge of the Port aux Francais flotilla. He was taken ill with peri Left alone in Cape Town, J. K. tonitis on September 21, while away Davis decided to return to England on duty at Pointe Morne, was taken and apprentice himself to the sea. back to the base and operated on He worked his passage home on the next clay, but died on Ihe 27th. After mail steamer "Carisbrooke Castle", a service, he was buried in the little on which, unknown to him, E. H. island cemetery at Port aux Francais Shackleton was serving as a junior with military honours. He is sur officer. vived by his widow and three chil In 1900, Davis signed on as an dren. apprentice on the Liverpool sailinc vessel "Celtic Chief". He completed his four-year articles while the ship was in Callao, Peru, and was appointed as third mate. He ob We regret to announce the death tained his discharge from the ship in on May 31 in Queensland of New America and worked his passage Zealand-born home as an A.B., on a tanker, in CLARENCE H. HARE order to sit for the Board of Trade examination for the certificate of of Scott's first expedition, one of second mate, which he obtained on the "Four Discovery Men" honoured in our June, 1966. issue. A fuller August 16, 1905. reference will be made in our next Davis joined the barque "West- land", sailing between England and June, 1967

New Zealand, as second mate and In 1920, Captain Davis was ap later sailed on the training ship pointed Commonwealth Director of "Port Jackson" in the same capacity. Navigation. In 1921, he established He passed the examination for First a cyclone warning station on Willis Mate's Certificate in Sydney in Island in the Coral Sea, remaining December 1906. on the island for six months. He was again associated with Sir At the age of 23, Davis was Douglas Mawson in 1929-30 as appointed Chief Officer of the "Nim Master of the "Discovery" during rod", expedition ship of Sir Ernest the first voyage of the British, Aus Shackleton's expedition of 1907-9. tralian and New Zealand Antarctic While in Lyttelton, New Zealand, on Research Expedition. He returned to the "Nimrod", in August 1908, Davis his position as Director of Naviga obtained his Extra Master's Certifi tion in July 1930, and continued in cate, the highest qualification he that position until 1949, when he could obtain in his calling. He ob retired. tained his first command at the age of 25, when he succeeded Captain When, in 1947, the Australian Gov F. P. Evans as Master of the "Nim ernment set up a Planning Commit rod" for the return voyage to Lon tee to advise it on the formulation don, where he received the Polar and implementation of Antarctic Medal for his work with the expedi policy, Captain Davis was appointed tion. a member and remained on the Committee until 1962, when he Davis was appointed Master of the resigned. "Aurora" and Second-in-Command The Second ANARE Station on of the Australasian Antarctic Expedi the Antarctic Continent was named tion of 1911-14 under Dr. (later Sir) Davis in honour of this pioneer Douglas Mawson. In later years, he Antarctic navigator. considered that the three years spent with that expedition was his main He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society in 1915. life's work. He commanded the In 1920, Captain Davis joined the "Aurora" on three Antarctic voyages Royal Society of Victoria. He became and two sub-Antarctic voyages dur a Councillor in 1924 and served in ing which he landed the shore this capacity for over 40 years. After parties at Macquarie Island, at Com monwealth Bay and on the Shackle serving as Vice-President, he was ton Ice Shelf, and later withdrew President in 1945 and 1946. them; he explored over 1,100 miles Captain Davis was the author of of coastline of the Australian Ant three books: "With the 'Aurora' in arctic Territory and obtained much the Antarctic", 1920; "Willis Island, geographical data. For this work he a Storm-Warning Station in the was given the Murchison Award by Coral Sea", 1923; and "High Lati the Royal Geographical Society. tude", 1962. He was made a Commander of the During the early part of the First Order of the British Empire in 1964. World War, he arranged the embark — G. W. McKinnon. ation of Australian troops and com manded several Australian trans ports on voyages between Australia, Egypt, England and America. In 1916, he commanded the Relief Expedition in the "Aurora" which NEXT STEP? rescued members of Shackleton's Transantarctic Expedition who were The Director of British Antarctic marooned at Cape Evans, Ross Survey, Sir Vivian Fuchs, is turning Island. He then joined the Royal his attention to small hovercraft. Australian Naval Reserve and later When a ship could get no further as Lieutenant-Commander became through ice, he said, hovercraft inspecting Naval Transport Officer, would complete the trip to land. London, for the repatriation of the "Perhaps next season we will take A.I.F. a smali hovercraft out," he said. June, 1967

AreTARCiTTr; rookshelf

ILLUSTRATED GLOSSARY OF SURVIVAL IN ANTARCTICA. Divi sion of Environmental Sciences, SNOW AND ICE, by Terence Arm Oflice of Antarctic Programs, strong, Brian Roberts and Charles N.S.F. 66 pp. Diagrams. Swithinbank. Scott Polar Research This American "Survival Manual" is Institute Special Publication No. 4. a preliminary limited edition and 60 pages. 39 plates. Price 21/- or is not available for sale or for $3 (U.S.). general distribution. It covers a very wide field: the environmental back Not only workers in specialist Ant ground and history, clothing, com arctic fields but all persons suffi mon mishaps, first aid, shelter, ciently interested in the Antarctic travel, crevasses, emergency land to read this journal, will have ings, survival on sea-ice and at sea. realised the need for a reliable refer fire, emergency signals. It is hoped ence book giving clear, internation to publish this manual in a more ally recognised definitions of snow permanent form when it has been and ice terms. This strongly-bound, critically examined and tried out by clearly set out and admirably illus Antarctic men. A copy is available trated book is a revised and aug for perusal in the Antarctic Divi mented edition of the Illustrated Ice sion's Library, and comments are Glossary first published in the Polar invited. Record. New terms and new illus trations have been added and equiva lents for the 150 terms are given in T H E R U S S I A N AT L A S Danish, Finnish, French, German, The Antarctic Division has re Icelandic, Norwegian, Russian and ceived a copy of Atlas Antarktiki, Spanish. volume 1, published in 1966 by the Chief Directorate for Geodesy and Cartography, Ministry of Geology of the UrS.S.R. The massive volume — it weighs about 16 lb. and measures PROCEEDINGS OF THE SYMPO 23 in. by 14 in. —contains 225 plates SIUM ON PACIFIC-ANTARCTIC in colour, text on facing pages and a geographical index —and costs SCIENCES will be published at £22 10s. The result of eight years' the end of February by the Soviet Antarctic work, it also incor National Science Museum as a porates international data on the special issue of the Japanese Ant Antarctic from the time of Captain arctic Research Expedition, Scien Cook to 1963. Over 300 scientists are tific Reports. named as having collaborated in its production. The result is a magni This volume is the collection of ficently produced atlas of immense value lo those who know Russian. papers presented at the 11th Pacific Science Congress held at the Univer It will await a transliteration into sity of Tokyo, August 23-27, 1966. It English before it can be of com contains all the twenty-six papers mensurate value lo the rest of us. presented, and is divided into three A second volume of text is in prepar main branches — geomagnetism and ation. aeronomy, general earth sciences, and fauna and flora. Distributed free DIZIONARIO DEGLI ESPLORA- to universities, institutes and per TORI, by Silvio Zavatti. Feltrinelli sons to whom JARE regularly sends Editore, Milan, Italy. 800 lire. its publications, JARE Scientific Dr. Zavatti, Director of the Italian Reports. It will also be sold for Polar Geographical Institute and a about $10 by Maruzen Co. Ltd. (275 well-known writer on Polar subjects, PP-) here aptly epitomises (in about 150 •poj A][euosj3d puB 'sojniBJOduioi puB siqSioq osnEd oq ipiijA\ '>jojsoa 01 ss>ji!A\ uiojj -odoJi uboui A'lqiuouj uoiieis A\oqs 01 jboA iBqi >joji 3[qej{.ieui3a oqi jo soiEjd oojqi uo posn oje uoiSoj oqi (Cjojs oqi 3uuua\ si 'uouejs so^pm jo dBui b uo posoduiuodns' sqdBjg UEijEJisny oqj IE 'jopeo-] 3951 'ui pojno[oo 0[iqA\ 'sqiudui osoqi joj puc uoisiaiq oipjEiuy puejeoz a\on siqSpq osnEdodojj uboui oqi jo oibjcI oqi jo luopuouiuodng 'uosuioqx qog ouo os|B si ojoqx Moquioooa puB •uoii joquioidog *ounr 'qojBiAj jo sqjuoiu -ipodxo oqi jo srrejop Asp-oi-ABp ub oq; joj spAO[ ojnssojd -qui 001 pun ueqi Joqie.i pip Aoqi ieqA\ pue uoui •qui ooe "QUJ 00S ''QUJ 00Z. °M1 IE ujoi oqi uo siseqarao qiiA\ 'guiquup pue -IBd uoi}B[nojp puB ouiiSoj [Buijoqi uoiir»jo[dxo ui siubiuoAoiqoB jioqi oqi jo sonjBA uboui 'opmiiBj •§ 0Q£ jo 'sbosjoao sjoou'ieiunoui pusjEoz a\oj\j qinos uoiSoj oqi joj 'Sun'oidop soiB[d uo jjooq e SunuAv si 'onssi JoquioooQ pojnojoo jnoj jo sisisubo'oqoj oqx .ino ui poa\oiaoj „a\ous oqj pire "OSTS '9961 'Appos [EoiqdBjgooQ B3S 3ML„ jo joqins 'ojduiox diijqj Ieuouen oqi Aq poqsqqnj -iueAoaa N0IXVdVd3Hd NI 'S 'AA Aq ixox J01U03 spjoooy joqiBOAA iBuoiiBN Aq popduioo soiejj -r oqoj -souos oijoj dEjAi uoquioidog OJOJOq PUBJB07 MON qOBOJ OJ AT93TIT oipjEiuy •OJoqdsojejis jomot puc -un ojb soijddns -9 Amr uo puB[ ojoqdsodojx 3lD jo A3oiojbuiii3 -Sua ui poqsqqnd oq 01 si 'uibui : 3 M 3 H d S 0 W l V O I X D H V X N V 3 H X -JOUBno "a '1 Aq*(BonoJBiuv'JOi'ooQ bos ssOtf oqi jo ajojsjh AfexeH oqi) •onssi ixou jno ui moiao^ mod hhi 01 kxrios '-,oaynw3fv iv AvaNoiAi,, ponEO si u •o^jng piAEa JopisAoupAg oipjEiuy -oqi-ui-souiij-oojqi uavoujj-hoav Aq •A'pms jo ppij siqi jojuo Anouq aJUO guinos oipjBiuy ub qijAV joaou siso.ioiui osoqA\ osoqi oj bsre jnq guupxo ub poqsqqnd oaei'i spooy; 's'oouops ouoqdsouiiB ihim pojBio -ossb osoqi 01 Ajuo iou [njosn OAOjd THAON II!A\ puB 'ojoqdsouiiB oqojBiuy oqi DIXDHVXNV H3HX0NV gUIUJOOUOO uoubuijojui' jo oojnos oiBp-01-dn ub si'oqoj oqi 'joaoa\oh '9£ '°N -noiuoj/V 'ainmsui oiqdBjg •ouiuibjS -oubooo 'Z'N 'SOI Ckl upoiine -ojd |BUo;iBJodo jo qojBosoj Aub joj •qojBosoj iBiJisnpuj pue oijiiuoioc IBuoiBUi oisBq sb posn oje pojuosojd JO 'idOQ) -UI JJ "SOiqEl * "'SUIBJg ojoq sosA|bub oqi joaouoi>a\ 'a\oia ui -Eip 'pjfood ui dpui -[oo j '-snip AjJBop ido^ oq jsnui uoiieajosoj siqi 'da Or "inijj'iAOQ'uoiguqp^ -ubuj lire 'pouiEiqo uooq ssq' uoubuijojui -inoH f X aNVTVHZ AA3N dO lUBAopj 'Aub ji 'ojiiq qofqAV mojj HXQOS NV330 NHHHXflOS 3HX uoiSoj oqi uiqiiAV sbojb oSjbj ipis NI SXNOHd ONV S3SSVW H3XVAA ojb o.ioqj iBqi posiuSoooj oq isriui ONV1V3Z II -poujoouoo uoiSoj oqi joao ojoqd -souiiB oqi jo joAb[ 'lj OOO'OS 1Soa\oj AV3N NI CTHHSnaild oqi jo ojnioid lEOigoioiBuup punojg opsq b ojisop oqA\ osoqi ogsjnoouo •qouojj pjnoqs ojniBoj siqi puB *poo3 si uon ouios a\oujj noA ji AjjBioodso *j[noinip -Biuosojd oqi jo Aiioqduiis oqx' "17961 001 iou si UBqBij 3Lli 'sdBui ipfo>[S guipnpui puB 01 dri suoii'bis rr uiojj £Z pus xopui AiqBOO[ b osjb 'siuouii BIBp 'UIJOJ (BlJOlOld 1U0IU0AUO0 pUB -uoo ui ojqBi iBoigojouojqo jjrij ospuoo b ui sosiJBuiums oijoj siqx b si ojoqi jnq 'jopjo iBoiioqEqd[B ui oje souieu oqx 'S961 jo sinnu 'uououiouoqd oUiuijbav ouoqdsoiBJis guuds ojqB -OJ1SE 11 iuiuioq oqi 01 pjBdoqg uBjy -^.ibuioj oqi uo osjb puB sbiE[d oqi PUB funf UUBgBQ UIOJJ OOEdS JO uo uoissnosip b soaiS 1x01 uoqs y sjojojdxo oqi guinogjoj iou 'iCiBnjH pus sqonj 01 lOAnog uiojj 'jqbp •spAO[ ojnssojd -joAoh -ioqx oi BJOiguBy-01-m'H uiojj •qui 00? Pue -quiooz. sqi IE sonjBA 'sJOJO[dxo 006 Aubou jo' suojdxo AlipiLUnq OAUBpj [BUOSBOS uoubis oqi (ogBJOAB oqi uo 'qoBo spjoA\

£961 "°unr June, 1967 The Photographer who Revelled in Danger ONCE MORE ON MY ADVENTURE. the cook calls 'Breakfast on the The Life of Frank Hurley, by table!' The meal proceeds silently Frank Legg and Toni Hurley. Ure except for the night-watchman who Smith, Sydney. 227 pp. with 32 pp. prates jovially about the night's of Hurley's photographs. experiences — of wind reaching 90 miles an hour, of wonderful auroral This effervescent story of the life displays, dogfights, of the garments of a dauntless adventurer who was he washed, and so on. After porridge also a consummately skilled photog the night's drowsiness has worn off rapher should interest every reader, and by the time the preserved fruits but particularly those who are course is eaten a much more cheer especially interested in the Antarctic. ful atmosphere has developed. The Before we have read a dozen pages night-watchman, tired, has dozed off we are sailing south in Mawson's to sleep. We gleefully revenge our "Aurora" in 1911, and of the 220 selves for his disturbance of our pages of text, no fewer than a hun slumbers. There is a hush — a signal dred are devoted to Hurley's Ant is given — a whispered 'One, two, arctic journeys: with Mawson in three!' — and seventeen voices cry 1911-14' and 1929-31, and with jubilantly 'Rise and shine!' The Shackleton in 1914-16. The remain sleeper awakens with a start." ing pag:es show the same indomit able "Burly Hurley" at work in Hurley was a "character", and vastlv different environments — in readers — Antarctic or otherwise — two World Wars (he and Wilkins will enjoy the story of the lightning were dubbed "the mad photogra wooing in Cairo of the vivacious and phers"), high flying with Ross and beautiful Latin soprano by "the huge Keith Smith on some of their peril Australian, resplendent in his Light ous pioneer flights, among the head- Horse uniforms, complete to cavalry hunters of Papua, or still adventur breeches and cockaded hat" — Hur ing, in the wildest corners of his ley. They were married ten days native Australia. after their first meeting. Hurley combined delight in danger Hurley with Bage and New Zea- with an irrepressible sense of hum lander Eric Webb made the great our, and it is a heady mixture. For sledge-journey attempt to reach the tunately, he wrote as vigorously as South Magnetic Pole — "Suddenly he lived, and his biographers have ... a sickening sensation of falling made full use of his life-long diary followed by a violent jerk. As before, to bring to startling life many of his I snouted" to my mates, 'Right-o! most exciting adventures told in his haul away!' As I began slowly to own words. Here is just a typical ascend, to my dismay I discovered morning during the 1912 winter at that the thin line had sawn deeply Cape Denison: into the crevasse lid, which extended well out over my head like a roof. "At 7.50 a.m. the cook and night- I came up against it with a bump watchman combine their voices in a and loudly made the others aware of raucous 'Rise and shine!' and make my predicament. My position, gently noise vigorously with kitchen uten swinging to and fro, and slowly sils. One after another, unkempt rotating on the slender line, gave me bearded men turn out drowsily, qualms, but I could not help noticing dress, and take their respective the unearthly beauty of the abyss places round the table. Water is into which I had fallen. scarce so the luxury of the toilet is postponed until the cook who "Presently I heard Webb's voice attends to the ice-melter is unwatch- and observed his dull shadow ful or favourably inclined. At 8 a.m. stretched full length on a marble- ANTARCTIC June. 1967

like ceiling overhead. Then his face and a summary of the world dis peered through the opening and he tribution. There are figures of the told me they had managed to over diagnostic features for each species. turn the sledge, anchor it, and make In most cases these are copied from the rope fast, and that he was going various authors and inevitably any to chip away the overhanging snow". errors in the original drawings are "I called back, mocked by the repeated. This is a drawback for hollow echo from the depths, 'Don't many of the earlier described chop through the line!' The position species. was dangerous for both of us as there was great peril of the broken Up to now the literature on the oolychaetous annelids of Antarctica lid collapsing under our combined has been scattered throughout the weights." many reports of expeditions to the And at journey's end: "As we drew region. Now for the first time a list closer, we three knit together by of species with descriptions is avail a great comradeship and affection, able and the present work can be our hearts swelled with thankfulness used to check back to the original and joy over our deliverance." descriptions. Dr. Hartman is to be congratulated on the assembly and There are a few errors in the back production of this volume. It is to ground of Antarctic history, but the be hoped that it will act as a spur overall impression of high "adventure lo other workers in the field lo work lit up with sheer joy of living makes up recent collections and thus sort such minor flaw's of little import out the many taxonomic problems ance. As Laseron (another of the which await solution. 1911-14 band) wrote: "The rougher things were, the more cheerful' he G. A. KNOX. became and the more he poked fun Department of Zoology, at anything and everything. One University of Canterbury. could never be downhearted with Frank, even when things were at their worst."—L.B.Q. THE LICHENS AND MOSSES OF MACROBERTSON LAND. Rex B. Filson. No. 82 of the ANARE Scien POLYCHAETA MYZOSTOMIDAE tific Reports (B2) Series. The Ant AND SEDENTARIA OF ANTARC arctic Division, Commonwealth Department of External Affairs. TICA, by Olga Hartman. American 169 pp., figures, plates and maps. Geophysical Union, Antarctic Re search Series, Vol. 7, 158 pp. Price in Australia, 9 dollars. This is the second volume of a com MacRobertson Land lying south of pilation dealing with the polychae- the Indian Ocean in Australian Ant tous annelids of the Antarctic seas. arctic territory between 60° and 73° The first volume dealt with the free- E. longitude is remote, both from living or errant species. It is an the relatively species-rich Antarctic extremely valuable reference work Peninsula and any major land to for workers on the taxonomy of the north. An account of the plants polychaetes from Antarctica and to be found there is therefore of adjacent areas. It will also be of major interest. In this excellent great value to the benthic ecologist book, Rex Filson enumerates a flora in sorting out the large number of of 25 lichens (6 new species and 1 species of this group which he new form) and 2 mosses (1 new encounters in his samples. In terms species). The material studied in of both numbers of species and cludes earlier BANZARE and ANARE specimens they are the most abun collections but is mainly composed dant animals in soft bottom sedi of gatherings made by the author ments. and his colleagues during the 1962 Australian National Antarctic Expe Included in the volume are keys to dition based on Mawson. The author the genera and for each species reduces the number of lichen species references to all Antarctic records variously recorded from MacRobert are cited, followed by a diagnosis son Land from 37 to 25. The area studied includes coastal tion seems to pan out as follows. In rock outcrops, mainly between Maw the lichens, 8 species are at present son and the western boundary of known only from MacRobertson MacRobertson Land, and various Land; 9 species arc known from inland nunataks and mountain MacRobertson Land and other peaks. The southernmost lichens regions in East Antarctica; and 8 were found at about 160 km. from species are also found in West Ant the coast (69° 0.5' south) and the arctica, with 2 of them as far afield southernmost moss was a specimen as the Antarctic Peninsula. In the of the new species Grimmia lawiana mosses, Grimmia lawiana is so far at about 16 km. south of the coast. known only from MacRobertson Land and Bryum antarcticum from The introduction contains a brief as far away as the Antarctic Penin account of previous work, methods sula. An obvious gap in our know used, etc., and is followed by a ledge of distributions appears to be survey of the coastal and inland rock Norwegian Antarctic territory. outcrops with descriptions of their extent, nature of the rock and degree The author is to be congratulated of weathering, and a list of the on his diverse talents, as botanical species found on each of them. This explorer, herbarium botanist, and is followed by a detailed botanical artist, and on the prompt way in description of each species. After which his results have been so attrac each description there is a list of tively published. specimens, first from MacRobertson E. J. GODLEY. Land and then from any other lands on the Antarctic Continent. The reader would have been assisted in interpreting such distribution data WHALERS' CATCH DOWN if the regions mentioned (George V In Ihe 1966-67 season up to Land, Queen Mary Land, etc.) had February 4, 1967, a total of 1,807 blue been marked in on Figure 3 (map of whale units had been caught by the the Antarctic Continent) where the nine expeditions at work in the Ant position of Mawson could also have arctic, two Norwegian, four Japanese been noted. and three Russian. In an appendix on the citation of Up to the same date, the Norwe specimens it is stated that "Types gian expedition had produced 36,585 representing the six new species and barrels of whale oil and 19,475 one new form of Lichenae and one barrels of sperm oil (corresponding new species of Musci described figures for 1965-66, 37,785 and 22,050). herein have been lodged in the The Japanese expeditions had pro National Herbarium of Victoria, duced 117,259 barrels of whale oil Melbourne (MEL)". A brief addi as compared with 131,810 barrels in tional 1964-65 collection mentioned the previous season at approxi in Appendix 2 is also given MEL mately the same time. herbarium numbers. But the 1962 collections are only given numbers which are defined as the "author's herbarium number". Dr. Phillip Law, in the first Griffith A map of distribution in Mac Taylor Memorial Lecture to the Geo Robertson Land is given for each graphical Society of N.S.W., said species and each species is excel that the rate of precipitation of snow lently illustrated by the author, both (there is practically no precipitation in colour for external features and in the form of rain) is so low that in black and white for anatomical Antarctica must be regarded as the characters. world's greatest desert. In some places the deposition per year is as An extensive glossary of terms high as 35 inches of equivalent used is given in an appendix. water, but over most of the con A discussion of the geographical tinent it is less than eight inches, relationships of the flora of Mac and inland on the high plateau of Robertson Land is not attempted, Greater Antarctica it is less than but, on present knowledge, the situa two inches. June, 1967 Will American Tourists Visit McMurdo Sound? If the hopes of an American tourist agency and the Wellington firm of Holm and Company are fulfilled, wealthy American tourists are to have an opportunity of visiting Antarctica and isolated islands south of New Zealand next January and February. The Holm Company has chartered holds which make it suitable for this the 'Magga Dan", a Danish ship which has made many tours of duty type of work." to Antarctica and was' support vessel for Sir Vivian Fuchs' transpolar COLD WATER expedition in 1957. There was less enthusiasm among The 1,800-ton "Magga Dan", owned the men who are concerned with the by J. Lauritzen Lines of Copenhagen, more "serious" aspects of Antarctic is a fully-refrigerated cargo vessel research. with accommodation for 34 passen- Rear-Admiral James L. Abbot, ~~rs. She was built and equipped commander of U.S. naval suj .~r navigation in ice, and enjoys a forces in Antarctica, said that visits world-wide reputation for her Arctic by tourist ships to Antarctica would and Antarctic expeditions. be premature at this time without Tentative plans have been made full co-ordination with the U.S. for two cruises next summer. Navy. On each cruise 20 passengers The New Zealand Minister of would be accommodated. The first Science, Mr. Talboys, said in Parlia party would join the vessel at Lyttel ment that New Zealand had no ton, and the proposed itinerary is facilities to help a tourist ship if it Scott Island, McMurdo Sound, Cape encountered difficulties in the ice in Hallett, Balleny Islands, Macquarie McMurdo Sound. Island, Auckland Islands, The In areas of unbroken ice adjacent Snares, Milford Sound, and Sydney. to land in McMurdo Sound it might Passengers in the second cruise be possible to assist by sending would join the ship at Sydney, visit tracked vehicles from Scott Base. the islands in the reverse direction and terminate their cruise at Lyttel ton. ANTARCTIC SOCIETY Captain J. F. Holm, the managing CANTERBURY BRANCH director of the company, says that At the recent annual meeting of "at a guess" he placed the cost of the the branch the following committee trip at £1,500. Within a week of was elected: President, R. M. Heke; announcement of the cruises the Vice-Presidents, J. H. M. Williams agent had 30 prospective tourists and Miss Rata McLean; Hon. Secre seeking bookings. tary, Mrs. E. F. Cross; Hon. "We have the 'Magga Dan' on Treasurer, J. A. Cross; Committee, charter for one year with the option J. Claydon, A. Anderson, F. Gurney, of another year." B. Hearfield, G. Hurrell, J. Mather, D. Stubbs, Rev. J. Keith, Mrs. D. Captain Holm said the company Braxto, Mrs. M. Williams; Immedi was arranging a cargo for the ship ate Past President, Mr. H. Griffiths; to bring to New Zealand. He hoped Hon. Auditor, Miss I. Orchard. it would arrive some time in June. Baden Norris, who was appointed "The ship will be used mainly for Curator of Antarctic Relics on behalf trading with the Pacific Islands and of the branch, has also been ap the Chathams," he said. "It is pointed to the same position with equipped with large refrigerated the Canterbury Museum. June, 1967

other industries in the Dependencies 50 YEARS AGO of the Falkland Islands: and to con sider not only the economic ques tions above referred to, and the scheme for the employment of a When the first World War broke research vessel, but also what purely out, there was a flourishing whaling scientific investigations are most industry in the Falkland Islands and required in connexion with these the Dependencies. In 1912-13 two regions, and whether any prelim floating factories with 21 catchers inary inquiries by experts in this were in use at South Georgia, and country should be instituted." twelve factories with 32 catchers in the South Shetland Islands, as well The Committee met 21 times before it produced in April 1920 a 164-page Report which stressed the back oil, guano and other products. urgent need for greater knowledge of whales with a view to their con During the war, whale oil was in servation and the regulation of whal great demand as a source of ing, and strongly advocated "the glycerine for explosives and for tem employment of a special vessel or pering guns and armour plate. So vessels ... in order to carry out in in spite of the conversion of many the Dependencies scientific and factory-ships to war use and the economic researches" to this end. sinking of many vessels by German submarines, production of whale-oil This momentous Report led to the grew from 253,000 barrels in 1909-10 formation in 1924 of the Discovery to 564,000 barrels in 1915-16, falling Committee, so called because the again to 258,000 barrels in 1917-18. first ship purchased and refitted for (One barrel equals 40 gallons; six oceanographical research, in 1925. barrels equals one ton.) The price was Captain Scott's "Discovery" of whale oil in Britain rose to £62 (736 tons), specially built for his first 10s. a ton, making the value of the Antarctic expedition in 1902-4. The whale oil produced in this area in first "Discovery" Expedition began the 1917-18 season about two and work early in 1925 at a Marine a half million pounds. Station close to one of the whaling stations in South Georgia, carrying Although the whaling season 1915— out research not only on the general 16 was exceptionally productive, biology of whales, their distribution Humpback whales were decreasing and movements, but also marine in numbers. It became evident that survey, sealing and fisheries, "a com internationally recognised legislation prehensive oceanographical survey". would be required to prevent deple tion of stocks and the ruin of the In 1925 a smaller steel ship, "Wil industry. The British Government liam Scoresby" (324 tons), was built controlled the world's best whaling with "some of the features of a grounds, so in 1917 the United King trawler and some of a whale dom Colonial Office, with the active catcher",* designed for marine support of the Admiralty, the Board research and, specifically, for the of Agriculture and Fisheries, the firing of whale markers to enable Department of Scientific and Indus the migrations of the marked whales trial Research and the British to be traced. The R.R.S. "Discovery Museum, constituted the INTER II" (1,036 tons), built in 1929, has DEPARTMENTAL COMMITTEE ON a cruising range of 10,000 miles, and RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT this has transformed the "Discovery IN THE DEPENDENCIES OF THE Expedition" into a survey of the FALKLAND ISLANDS, with the fol whole Southern Ocean. lowing terms of reference: Over the years, 34 "Discovery Re "To consider what can now be ports" have been issued, 25 of them done to facilitate prompt action at the conclusion of the War in regard to the preservation of the whaling "The Work of the Discovery Committee" industry and to the development of N. A. Mackintosh, Proc. Roy. Soc. A. 1950. June, 1967 by the Discovery Committee before due to radio black-outs and weather, its work was merged in the activities on February 7. They covered about of the National Institute of Ocean 900 miles of heavy hauling in two ography in 1950. The Interdepart groups of two. They made some mental Committee of 1917 laid the interesting finds, including a petri foundations for a massive research fied log 66 feet long, and the cross programme of great scientific and section of another log which had economic importance, and laid them over 200 annual rings visible. Well well. preserved plants were also found. (Dicroidium.) (We are indebted to Dr. N. A. Mackintosh and to the Librarian of GLACIOLOGIST the National Institute of Ocean A two-year polar glacier study has ography for valuable assistance in the compilation of this note. — Ed.) been completed in the Antarctic this season by G. Holdsworth, of Christ church, on a United States National Science Foundation grant. He left NEW ZEALANDERS ABROAD Christchurch for the United States GEOLOGIST on February 28. For the next two One of several New Zealand scien years he will co-ordinate and evalu tists who have carried on from work ate the information he has obtained. under the New Zealand Antarctic Mr. Holdsworth first visited the Programme to study in the United Antarctic in 1962-63 as deputy leader Stales and then to work under the of the Federated Mountain Club's U.S. Antarctic Research Program, is expedition, and in the next season Peter J. Barrett, who led a four-man as a glaciologist for the Institute of team during November 1966 to Nuclear Sciences. He was awarded February 1967 studying the geology an Institute of Polar Studies fellow of the Central Transantarctic Moun ship in 1964 and left for the United tains. States for post-graduate study at the Peter hails from Hamilton and Ohio State University. was in Vic. McGregor's Southern He began the polar glacier project Party in the Queen Maud Mountains last season and expects to return to in 1963-64, working on the Liv and the Antarctic again for the 1968-69 Strom Glaciers, Mount Fridtjof Nan season. The material he has obtained sen and the Duncan Mountains. from his studies will be used for his Barrett geologised to a height of Ph.D. at Ohio University where his 11,000 feet. (See "ANTARCTIC", vol. adviser is Professor Colin Bull, late 3, no. 9.) He is now studying at the of New Zealand, the director of the Institute of Polar Studies, Ohio Polar Studies Institute. State University, where Colin Bull is Director. Mr. Holdsworth said, before leav ing, that his studies had been made Using motor toboggans, the at Ihe base of the Meserve Glacier group's task was to work across the Transantarctic Mountains between in the Wright Valley, about 60 miles the Beardmore and Shackleton from McMurdo Station. Four or five persons had been in the group dur Glaciers, studying stratigraphy and structure in an effort to determine ing his three and a half months in structural relations between East the field this season. and West Antarctica. Their findings The studies had been made to dis will be useful in interpreting trie cover the processes which took place geological history of the Queen Alex at the base of a polar glacier at tem andra Range of the Transantarctic peratures below freezing point. A Mountains. tunnel 112 metres long, two metres The party was put into the field on high and one and a third metres November 16 by a C-130 ski-equipped wide had been driven into the glacier Hercules. They were landed 40 miles for the studies to be made. from their cache, on the Polar The tunnel was cut with a chain Plateau, with Polaris toboggans, and saw, sawn-off miners' picks and were picked up after some delay heavy ice axes. "ANTARCTIC" is published quarterly in March, June, September, and December. Subscription for non-members of the Antarctic Society, £1 5s. Apply to the Secretary, New Zealand Antarctic Society, P.O. Box 2110, Wellington, New Zealand.

Out of Print: Very few left: Vo l u m e 1 n u m b e r s n u m b e r 8 1, 2, 9 Volume 2, numbers number 1 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9 Volume 3, number 7 number 5 Some other issues are in very short supply. Copies of available issues may be obtained from the Secretary of the Society, P.O. Box 2110, Wellington, at a cost of 5/- per copy meanwhile. Indexes for volumes 1, 2 and 3 are also available, 3/- each. Copies of our predecessor, the Antarctic News Bulletin, are available at 5/- per copy, except for numbers 9 and 10. The copies of numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 11, 17 and 18 are authorised reprints. The New Zealand Antarctic Society comprises New Zealanders and overseas friends, many of whom have seen Antarctica for themselves, and all of whom are vitally interested in some phase of Antarctic exploration, development, or research. The Society has taken an active part in restoring and main taining the historic huts in the Ross Dependency, and plans to co-operate in securing suitable locations as repositories of Polar material of unique interest. There are currently two branches of the Society and functions are arranged throughout the year. You are invited to become a member. South Island residents should contact the Canterbury secretary, North Islanders should contact the Wellington secretary, and overseas residents the secretary of the New Zealand Society. For addresses see below. The membership fee includes subscription to "Antarctic". New Zealand Secretary Mr. V. E. Donnelly, P.O. Box 2110, Wellington. Branch Secretaries Wellington: Mr. W. Prebble, P.O. Box 2110, Wellington. Canterbury: Mrs. E. F. Cross, 34 Clissold St., Christchurch 1.