sea en route to Ushuaia; the crossing often is made in 3 days. I returned to Palmer Station 27 February. On 1 March I During the austral winter 1978, Hero cruised for research in boarded the Hero for a voyage to the South Shetland Islands. the Chilean channels and along the east coast of Argentina On 2 March I visited Deception Island. On 4 March 1 visited before commencing her annual overhaul. Bellingshausen (Russian) and Presidente Frei (Chilean) Sta- tions on Fildes Peninsula, King George Island. During the evening of 4 March the Hero tied up alongside the Dolmar, a Polish ship, in Ezcurra Inlet, Admiralty Bay, King George Is- land. I had conversations with the ships captain and with the station leader of the new Arctowski Station (Polish) aboard Gathering materials for a second the Dolmar that night. On 5 March I visited Arctowski Sta- book about Antarctica tion, King George Island, which is still under construction. On 6 March I returned to Palmer Station. On 7 March I climbed Marr Ice Piedmont behind Palmer Station in order to take photographs of the environs from CHARLES NEIDER there. On 8 March I photographed icebergs in Arthur Har- Cent erfor Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences bor from a Zodiac (rubber boat). On 9 March I departed Stanford, Calfornia 94305 Palmer Station aboard the Hero, visiting Almirante Brown Station en route. I arrived in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, 13 March. On returning to the United States I learned that I had I had published a large book, Edge of the World: Ross Island, been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship for my studies (in Antarctica, (Doubleday and Co., New York, April 1974). Now progress) titled "Science, Technology and Human Values in my goal was to gather materials for a new book about Antarc- Antarctica." I was also appointed a Fellow of the Center for tica, this one to emphasize the Southern Ocean and the Ant- Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences in Stanford, arctic Peninsula. The latter is particularly interesting and im- California, for 1977-78 for the purposes of expanding my ant- portant because it is the most international sector of the conti- arctic studies and beginning the writing of the new book, nent and the one that contains conflicting sovereignty claims: Beyond Cape Horn. In addition, I was designated a Fellow of Chile, Argentina, and the United Kingdom all have claimed the National Endowment for the Humanities. roughly the same territory. I am in the midst of writing the book, which will be I arrived at McMurdo Station 11 January 1977. During published by the Sierra Club and which will contain three my stay at the station, I visited Upper Wright Valley, Erebus chapters based on personal and extended interviews with Sir Glacier Tongue, Scott Base, the mouth of the Koettlitz Charles S. Wright, Sir Vivian E. Fuchs, and Laurence Glacier near Brown Peninsula, the north fork of Wright McKinley Gould. Beyond Cape Horn Valley, and Victoria Valley. I had many conversations with will be illustrated with maps and my photographs. A portfolio of some of my antarc- scientists about their work in Antarctica. tic color photographs will be published in the Septem- I departed the station on the USCGC Burton Island 22Janu- ber/October 1978 issue of Quest Magazine. ary and arrived at Palmer Station on Anvers Island 2 Febru- This work was done under National Science Foundation ary. On this voyage, most of which was made at a latitude of grant DPP 76-24096. about 68°30S., I had an opportunity to study and photograph many moods of the southern ocean and to observe antarctic petrels, snow petrels, Wilsons storm petrels, fulmars, and other birds. I saw many kinds of ice and weather and was East Base, Stonington Island, able to observe the operation of the ship and life aboard it. I was based at Palmer Station from 2 to 7 February. While Antarctic Peninsula there I visited Janus, Torgersen, and Shortcut Islands in Arthur Harbor and the original Palmer Station. I joined the British Antarctic Survey 7 February by board- JERE H. Lips ing the RRS Bransfield, which was my base until 23 February, when I moved to the John Biscoe for transportation to Argen- Department of Geology tine Islands Station. I arrived at the station 24 February and University of California, left it on R.Jv Hero 27 February to return to Palmer Station. Davis, Calfornia 95616 While with the British Antarctic Survey, I visited Damoy Point on Wiencke Island, Almirante Brown (the Argentine station), and Adelaide Island Station, which was being closed I have had several responses to my articles (Lipps, 1976, down; I observed the construction of Rothera Point Station 1977, 1978) describing the history and condition of the on Adelaide Island; and I visited Horseshoe and Lagotellerie United Statess East Base, located in Marguerite Bay near the Islands in Lystad Bay. I became well acquainted with the per- base of the Antarctic Penninsula. These comments add infor- sonnel of the Bransfzeld and of Rothera Point Station, as well mation that should prove of value in deciphering the history as with the Bransfzeld itself and with the personnel and opera- of the base and may serve in preserving it for future genera- tion of Argentine Islands Station. My visit with the British tions. East Base was established in 1940 by the United States Antarctic Survey permitted me to see parts of the Antarctic Antarctic Service Expedition (USASE) and later was occupied Peninsula I would not otherwise have seen and to observe to by Commander Finn Ronnes private United States expedi- some extent the differences between the British and the U.S. tion, RARE. The detailed history of these expeditions may be antarctic programs. found in Bertrand (1971), Ronne (1949), and Lipps (1976).

October 1978 231 My articles were based on published accounts cited in the men were reluctant and saddened by it all, but there was Lipps (1976) and records from the U.S. National Archives of little they could do in 1941 under the circumstances. the expeditions that utilized or visited East Base and on my Two editorial changes made in Lipps (1976) may have in- personal observations in 1975. I made no attempt in the troduced minor errors: (a) the titles of the various people in- course of that work to contact people who actually hadbeen volved were omitted and "Mr." substituted in nearly all cases; on the site at Stonington Island. I decided to minimize un- and (b) all measurements at East Base originally were given published personal impressions because the main effort of my in feet and were so reported, but editorial policy changed article was to point out that East Base should be considered these to meters at a conversion of 3 feet equals one meter. for possible inclusion in the list of antarctic historical monu- Lastly, W. S. Benninghoff informed me that the Polar ments and to note items of importance in the context of to- Research Board, National Academy of Sciences, considered a days environmental and femininist concerns. resolution proposing that East Base be designated an Antarc- Apparently there is confusion about early U.S. postal ac- tic Historical Monument with proper measures taken to tivities in the Antarctic. Hal Vogel wrote to point out that preserve it. This is an encouraging move and a procedure that although Ronne established the first U.S. post office on the should be continued in future years so that all significant U.S. continent (but not the first post office, as that honor went in as well as other historical sites receive proper attention. February 1904 to Argentina), there were in fact official U.S. I thank all those who contacted me, but especially Capt. postal activities in Antarctica prior to that. In 1933 at the start Finn Ronne, who spent a day with me at his home showing of the Second Byrd Antarctic Expedition, John Oliver me his records, and Hal Vogel, who kindly conveyed to me LaGorce was commissioned as postmaster for the Little results of his extensive research on antarctic postal history. America facility. LaGorce never intended to go to the ice so it was announced simultaneously that LeRoy Clark would han- dle the cancellation of the expedition covers. The official References nature of this Byrd operation was recognized later when the U.S. Post Office Department wrote to LaGorce about can- Bertrand, K. J 1971. celling practices at Little America and when Postal Inspector . Americans in Antarctica, 1775-1948. American Geographical Society, Special Publication, 39, New York. Charles Anderson inspected the Little America postal facility Black, R. B. 1978. Foreword. In: during the expeditions relief in 1935. Documents supporting Environmental Impact in Antarctica (B. C. Parker and M. C. Holliman, eds.). Virginia Polytechnic In- these events were located in 1975 by Dr. Vogel, with the assis- stitute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia. pp. vii-ix. tance ofJack Williams and F. R. Bruns, in File No. 210.7-44, Lipps,J. H. 1976. The United States "East Base," Antarctic Penin- STAMPS, POSTAGE, LITTLE AMERICA COMMEMORATIVE, 1933, sula. Antarctic Journal of the US., 11(4): 211-219. U.S. Postal Service Archives, Division of Postal History, Lipps,J. H. 1977. Stonington Island, Americas most southerly ghost Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Capt. Ronne was, town. Oceans, 10(3): 42-45. however, the first U.S. Postmaster actually in Antarctica, and Lipps, J H. 1978. Mans impact along the Antarctic Peninsula. In: he has a certificate from the Postmaster General to that effect. . Environmental Impact in Antarctica (B. C. Parker and M. C. Holli- Theodore R. Merrell, Jr., inL med me of his 1967 visit to man, eds.). Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, East Base. At that time, the machine shop had fallen in and Blacksburg, Virginia. pp. 333371. the main building was 3/4 full of ice, but Ronnes hut and the Ronne, F. 1949. Antarctic Conquest: The Story of the Ronne Expedition, science building were in good shape and used by the British 1946-1948. Putnams, New York. Antarctic Survey (BAs). J . Fergus Anckorn, formerly of the BAS, kindly wrote to describe activities at East Base while he was at Stonington Is- land from 1972 to 1975, when BAS closed its base there. All of Editors note: Captain Finn Ronne communicated directly with the the East Base buildings were used and maintained to some National Science Foundation to clarify a number of statements made in degree by BAS in recent years. The science building was Lipps (1976) regarding the Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition. equipped as a sledge workshop and rope storage facility, First (p. 216), regarding the death by distemper of huskies aboard while Finn Ronnes old hut was used as an emergency ship between Panama and Valparaiso: "I have a receipt from a generator shed. About 4 feet of ice had accumulated on the veterinarian in New Hampshire in the amount of $230 as payment for floor of the main building and the building had lost weather inoculation against distemper prior to the dogs shipment to Beaumont, tightness, so it was used to store seals and tents. The machine Texas—our port of departure. The dogs at all times had the best of shop eventually collapsed, and BAS removed the roof and care under the supervision of my two geologists." three walls for safetys sake. The huts used by BAS were Second (p. 217): "As suggested by the British base leader, Major painted with preservative and the windward sides covered Pierce-Butler, I restricted my men c visits to the British base because it with tarred felt. In 1974 the grounds around East Base, except interfered with their work and delayed the completion of my own base. for materials iced in, were cleaned by BAS personnel. By the At the time, some of us were still living aboard my ship anchored in the time of my visit in 1975, these things had thawed out, too. In Back Bay because my base buildings were not yet ready for occupancy. addition, the old BAS Base E, which was burned in 1971 was Later, as a result of our friendly relationship, Pierce-Butler and I completely removed and the debris dumped at sea. The agreed to a joint sledge party south along the Weddell Sea coast." newer Base E was stripped of its valuables and now serves as Third (p. 216): My twin-engine Beechcraft C-45 airplane was a refuge. wrecked in Beaumont, Texas, while being hoisted onto the ship because Recently, Rear Admiral Richard E. Black (1978), leader its fuel tanks were erroneously, and without my knowledge, loaded by of East Base during the USASE, vividly described the depar- my man in charge of the aviation unit with about 550 gallons of avia- ture and feelings of the men when that base suddently was tion gasoline. The added weight caused one of the lifting lugs to break. evacuated in 1941. Naturally, there was considerably mess The yardmaster informed me that the added weight of the gasoline was left and the expeditions dogs had to be destroyed; of course the main cause of the accident."

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