A NEWS BULLETIN published quarterly by the NEW ZEALAND ANTARCTIC SOCIETY A RAW DAY FOR CAMPING A temporary camp by a frozen cirque lake two miles north of the Walcott Glacier, at an altitude of about 2,000 feet. Victoria University of Wellington Antarctic Expedition. VOL. 2, No. 9 MARCH, 1961 -- AntarcticcL , L w. --..1~LE. w. • -;;;.,II.A""'''' 81' ..AN _ N Z.r1 S Ibl O' ". ,""" """.' 1 (Successor to "Antarctlc News BuIleftn") VOL 2, No. 9 MARCH, 1961 Pi Editor: I L. B. Quartermain, M.A., 1 Ariki Road,. Wellington. E.2, New Zealand. Business Communications, Subscriptions, etc., to: Secretary, New Zealand Antarctic Society. p.a. Box 2110, Wellington. N.Z. earth's geomagn.etic field. The aim is, VETERANS RETURN to measure the effects of atmospheric disturbances at each end of the. geo­ A keen and enel'gtic participant in magnetic lines of foree which girdle Antarctic activities this summer has the earth. Sir Charles worked with been the 73-year-old Sir Charles Mr.. R. D. Evans, at 'Byrd Station, Wright, K:C.;S., C.B., a.B.E., M.C., while New Zealander L. H. 'Martin Chevalier of the Legion of Honour, carried out similar work at Great who,. as 'Co S. Wright, B.Sc., was a Whale River Station in Canada. yo.ung Canadian physicist with Scott's Du·ring hi'S stay at Mc'M.urdo, Sir last exp.edltion. Charles visited Cape Royds' and his old home at Cape Evans, where- he After his return from iMcMurdo was intensely interested in the. work Sound in 1913, young W'right served of the New Zealand Huts Restor.ation with distinction in World War I, as party. He was the p.opular guest of Officer 'Commanding Wireless, II honour at Scott !Base for Christmas Army. From 1919 to 19·29 he was in dfnner. the Adl'niralty Department of Scien­ tific Researc·h and Experiment. iRe Another I'lOted Antal:dic explorer, then became successively Superinten­ research worker and historian to dent of the Admiralty Research La­ visit the MdMUl'do Sound area during boratory, Director of Scientific Re­ 1960)..:61 was Dr. Brian B. Roberts, search, Admiralty, and '0hief' of the seni01' research fellow at: the Scott Royal Naval Scientific Serviee. Polar Research Institute, CambTidge. He. retired in 1947, but almost im­ In 193·7 Dr.RQberts ·Wlj.S zoologist mediately bec.ame Advisor tOl the A.d­ with Rymill's BTitish Gl'ahatn Land miralty on the British Joint Services Expedition, and .he has been engaged MissiQll in Washington. Before his in Antarctic activities of one kind or second "retirement" in 1955 he was anotheT ever since. DT. RobeTts was Director of the Main Physical Labor­ another welcome v.isitor at Cape atory, Scripp's 'lnstitution of 'Ocean­ Evans while the New Zealand paTty ography, California. was at work there. His 'Subsequent exp.eriences in ,the Belling,shausen Retired or not, he is still a member Sea aTea aTe l?ecorded on page 340. of the. Defence Research Board of Canada and acti.velyengaged in re­ search projects. Americans at McMurdo claim rto h.ave seen plumes of steam issuing His. return to the Antal'ctic was at from a crater on top of- the 10,148' ft. the request of the Canadian Defence Mt. 'Ferror on Ross' Island, eady in Research Board in association with the new year. Suoh reports aTe noth­ Stamford University, to carry out re­ ing new: they have 1'>een made ftom seal'ch into the fluctuations of the time to time since· the days' of Scott. 334 'ANTARCTIC March, 1961 AMERICANS COMPLETE MAJOR TRAVERSES Three oversnow traverses and two air-lifted surveys were included in a wide'lpread programme of field work carried out by American teams based on the McMm-do and Byrd Stations during the 1960-61 summer. ELLSWORTH HIGHLAND ARMY TRAVERSE The first traverse party of the sum­ mer left BYI'd Station on November On January 11, Major Antero Ha­ 14, headed north-east for the BeIlings­ vola, U.S. Army trail expert, arrived hausen Sea, at the Eights Coast. at the South Pole after an historic Led by Dr. 'C. R. Bentley, the party land traverse which began on Decem­ of seven University of Wisconsin glac. ber 8. With him were ten men who iologists and geophysicists is travel­ had become the first Americans to ling in two three-ton Sno-cats and travel overland to the Pole. Their one larger vehicle. Most of the patty's transport was two 38-ton bulldozers supplies and equipment is being car­ and a weasel. ,Starting from Byrd ried in sledges. RoIli-tankers, large Station, they co,'el'ed the 800 miles in tyres filled with fuel, have solved the 3'5 days, which in the words of the problem of carting huge tanks of party's leader, "were uneventful." Cre­ liquid. vasses at one stage of the journey ne· On the first leg of its journey the cessitated an aerial reconnaissance to traverse bisected the first and last track a way for the giant tractors, but legs of the 1957-58 route. This 250­ apart from this it was all "routine." mile section was completed on Decem­ Scientific work and exploration were ber 1. The party then turned north­ jointly dealt with en route. Work in, ward, crossing another leg of the earl­ cluded the study of the profile of the 0 ier traverse on December 11 at 77 25' land mass over which the tractor 0 'S., 100 30' W. Proceeding north­ train moved, together with the record­ ward for about 50 miles, it turned ing of snow temperatures and densi­ east on a tl'ack paralled to the 1957­ ties at various depths, and the taking 58 route. This leg was completed by of seismic observations. Snow grain the end of December, and the party size and stratification were recorded turned north-west toward the southern photographically. Twenty-five snow end of the Hudson Mountains. pits, each about six. feet deep, were Along its route the party was re­ dug along the route to enable the supplied by R4D aircraft from BYI'd scientists with the party to inspect the Station. snow below the surface. The traverse was completed on Feb­ ruary 11 and the party was evacuated Work for the day would begin at by ail' two days later. 5.3'0 a.m., when the equipment was • One of the theories which Dr. Bent­ dug free of drifted snow. Travelling ley hopes to prove by taking seismic at 3 m.p.h., the train travelled until measurements throughout the journey 10 p.m. Stakes were planted at five­ is that a 1600-mile long, 400-mile wide mile intervals, for future snow accu­ trough runs between the Ross and mulation studies. Weather reports Bellingshausen Seas, indicating that were sent out three times daily, and the .Antarctic continent is in fact di­ regular magnetic and altimeter meas­ vided. ... .. urements taken. Pr~vious reac!ings have suggested The tractors, now at the Pole, will that .this is the case. be used in maintaining a snow land- March, 1961 ANTARCTIC 335 ing strip, assisting in station construc­ measured a number o{ glilCiological tion, and retrieving air-delivered movement stakes he had set out on cargo. his 1958 traverse and continued other Rear Admiral D. M. Tyree, com­ studies initiated on this earlier trip. manding officer of the U.S. Antarctic At the Plateau Depot, 7,750 feet force, said in his telegram to Major above sea level, VX-6 aircraft had Havola at the Pole: "I wish I could stored 4,000 gallons of fuel, two tons have had the privilege of greeting you of food, and one and a half tons of at the end of your long, historic trek. explosives for use by the party, which ... The skill and efficiency with arrived at the depot on December 24. which you conducted this hazardous Two days later they began the south­ operation is a matter of great pride ern journey and arrived at the Pole to the entire Task Force. Well done on February 12 after a 65 days' jour· to you and your splendid crew." ney. The route followed was east from The team stopped every 60 miles en Byrd Station past the eastern end of route to deternline the elevation and the Horlick Mountains, and then thickness of the ice-cap to and study south along longitude 78° west for the sub-glacial rock. the Pole. TIns course covered more than 500 miles of previously unex­ WISCONSIN TEAM plored territory. On February 11 a University of The tractors were the heaviest Wisconsin team concluded a three pieces of mobile equipment yet to ar­ months' overland traverse from the rive overland at the Pole. They had U.S. Byrd 'Station travelling 12,000 hauled between them three 20-ton and miles to the University of Minnesota one 10-ton sleds, and two sled-mount­ field camp. Altill1etry readings from ed wannigan huts. A second weasel, the ice-breakers' helicopters were pro­ used on crevasse-detection work, rode vided so that the scientists could aboard one of the sleds. check their instruments for possible errol'. McMURDO-POLE The traverse led by Dr. A. P. Crary, EIGHTS COAST originally intended to leave McMurdo A team of eight, headed by Dr. in mid-October, finally got under way, Gampbell Craddock of the University after a frustrating series of postpone­ of Minnesota, was air-lifted, five from ments, on December 10. The eight Byrd and four from McMurdo Sta­ man party included Sven Evteev, the tions respectively, on December 9, to Russian exchange scientist.