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Dead Silence Final 1 Shane Kiefer Cold Places Final Paper Dead Silence In late 2013, a scientific research team left Southern New Zealand for Antarctica with the hope of retracing the path of Douglas Mawson and the famous Australasian Antarctic Expedition of 1911-1914. That original expedition began on the second day of December during the year 1911 with the objective of investigating the Antarctic Continent to the south of Australia and mapping different parts of the region for which there was no prior information at hand.1 Upon arrival on the continent, their intention was to land at various locations and split up into several different parties, set up a base camp, and explore the landscape via sledges. On November 10th, 1912, almost a year after the initial launch of the expedition, Mawson set out on a far-eastern sledge journey with two other comrades, Belgrave Ninnis and Xavier Mertz. What follows is a chilling tale about that specific journey, known as the Far Eastern Party. JOURNAL OF ANDREW PEACOCK (CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER OF 2013 AUSTRALIAN ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION) -- 23 Dec. 2013 -- -4ºC. Appx. location: -67.001, 143.464 !G’day mates! !When I first learned of the opportunity to be a part of a modern day re-creation of Mawson’s original Australasian Antarctic Expedition, I was absolutely ecstatic. It was actually very convenient for me since all it took was a short flight from my native 1 Mawson, Douglas, Fred Jacka, and Eleanor Jacka. Mawson's Antarctic Diaries. Sydney: Allen & Unwin, 2008. 51. 2 Queensland AUS to New Zealand to meet up with Chris Turney and the gang.2 We were actually going to be re-tracing Mawson’s steps, and all the while we would have the opportunity to conduct groundbreaking research as we went. After our initial departure on 8 Dec. from the southern coast of New Zealand, we sailed due South toward the subantarctic spit of land known as Macquarie Island. From there, we headed onward to Commonwealth Bay and Cape Denison, where the original AAE base camp was located.3 Near the latter part of our sail, we encountered sea ice and it was slow going for a while. Yet we had nothing to fear, as our courageous ship, the MV AKADEMIK SHOKALSKIY, is a true expedition vessel. She was built for polar research and is fully ice-strengthened, although the limited number of berths on board (26) means that only the truly blessed individuals received the opportunity to make this trek.4 I feel so fortunate. !Three days ago, we made landfall and the real adventure began. Led by our fearless leader Chris Turney as well as Doctor Chris Fogwill, we have been traversing the icy landscape for the past two days. Although we are much more adequately equipped than the original AAE, I cannot help but feel a sort of connection with Mawson and his comrades. Over a hundred years later, we are taking the same steps as the great explorers did during the Heroic Age of exploration. I now must end this journal entry for the day as there is still much research to be done. Fogwill is our resident glaciologist, and despite the fact that I am the medical officer on this expedition, he insists on making me assist 2 For a detailed explanation of preparations for an Antarctic journey, please see: Wheeler, Sara. Terra Incognita: Travels in Antarctica. New York: Random House. 1996. 3-26. 3 Turney, Chris. "Spirit of Mawson." Trip Itinerary. http://www.spiritofmawson.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/ AAE_Leg2_itinerary_02.pdf (accessed April 6, 2014). 4 Turney, Chris. "Spirit of Mawson." Trip Itinerary. 3 him in drilling core samples. I’m really starting to get annoyed with his incessant babbling about ice. Cheers, AP -- 27 Dec. 2013 -- -6ºC. Appx. location: -67.201, 143.487 !Today, December 27th, 2013, will be remembered in the history books. It marks quite possibly the greatest day of my life. As I pen these words, I can scarcely contain my euphoria and absolute astonishment. I will begin my story without further ado. During the drilling yesterday, we found something astonishing. Something monumental. As we were working, one of the core samples came up with wood in it. Confused, we called for several ice picks and some additional assistance. After about an hour or so of laboring, we uncovered the remains of what appeared to be part of a mangled wooden sledge, preserved in the ice. However, the most important find of all was a metal canteen that was lashed to one of the boards. With much excitement we carted the few pieces of wood and the canteen back to our tents for closer inspection. This is where things got interesting. !Upon sufficiently warming the canteen enough to open it, we found a handful of pieces of paper, rolled and tied together with what looked to be a bootlace. Turney was given the honors of unrolling the papers, and our curiosity quickly turned to sheer 4 incredulousness as he unraveled the delicate sheets. The first bit of writing we saw was at the bottom of the outermost page. Scrawled in unsteady letters was a name: Belgrave Ninnis. !I knew of Ninnis from all of the tales about the original Australasian Antarctic Expedition. He was the one who fell into a crevasse during a side expedition and was never heard from again. The more famous part of the story was what happened after Ninnis was lost, as his companions Mertz and Mawson continued their journey back to the base without a majority of their supplies. According to Mawson’s widely popular account of the adventure, Mertz died on January 7th of exhaustion and starvation.5 Mawson pressed onward for three more weeks on his own and miraculously survived long enough to find a food cache left by previous explorers, which allowed him to eventually make it back to base and tell his harrowing tale.6 Mawson was heralded for his courageousness and strength, but Ninnis and Mertz were widely unknown in the story. !However, I was very familiar with Ninnis since he had also been a medical officer for the original AAE expedition party. I had even read some of his writings before he had perished in the crevasse. I loved his idea of floating hospitals, where he proposed that there be a separate ship which travels along with warships during conflicts to serve as a medical hospital for the wounded.7 I thought this was a revolutionary idea for the period! 5 The Argus (Melbourne), "The Fatal Journey," February 28, 1914. http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/ article/7249463 (accessed March 6, 2014). 6 Mawson, Douglas. The Home of the Blizzard: Being the story of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1911-1914. London: William Heinemann, 1915. 11. 7 Ninnis, Belgrave. "Floating Hospitals." British Medical Journal 2, no. 2121 (1901): 456-457. 5 !Getting back to the precious papers we had discovered, Turney had by this time unwrapped all of the sheets and was staring at them with wide eyes. We collectively huddled around him, and he began to read... LOST JOURNAL OF BELGRAVE NINNIS (MEMBER OF THE 1911 AUSTRALASIAN ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION) December 17th, 1912 !These papers will presumably act as my last will and testament. I have spent 3 days down in this godforsaken crevasse, and I am unsure how much longer I will be able to last. My hope grows faint that anyone will find me, and the icy walls around me will most certainly serve as my cold crystalline coffin. With the hopes that someone will ever find these pages, I must at least put my story to paper. Someone must know the chilling truth. !This narrative begins on 10 November, 1912. Douglas Mawson, Xavier Mertz, and I set out on a small mapping expedition into King George V land with the expectation of picking up the coast beyond where Madigan’s party had previously reached.8 I felt very lucky to be traveling with Mawson, the leader of the whole expedition, because I knew we would be afforded only the best supplies on our journey. We even commandeered all of the expedition dogs, forcing all of the other parties to proceed by only the slow method of 8 Mawson, Jacka, & Jacka. Mawson's Antarctic Diaries. 127. 6 trudging by foot.9 For several weeks we worked to map and compile research about the continent. It was very cold, but perhaps more dangerous were the deceptive crevasses in the ice that sought to lure us into their gaping mouths straight into the bowels of Hell itself. I had a close shave with one such crevasse on 27 Nov. when Mawson and I went to photograph an open crevasse a few hundred meters away while Mertz prepared lunch.10 As we walked, there was a loud bang and I was suddenly swept downward. I managed to grasp the lip of the hole and Mawson quickly hauled me back on my feet and to safety. Unfortunately, the camera was damaged. We cautiously peered into the hole only to see a vast, gaping darkness that indicated the presence of a deep chasm. A deadly void. !For a few more days we carried on. The days all seemed to blur together into one, but I believe it was the morning of 8 December when tragedy struck. Mertz was in the lead with his sledge, followed by Mawson and his sledge: I was bringing up the rear with the final sledge and the rest of the dogs. All of a sudden, I heard several loud yelps and a cracking sound.
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