The conditions which they had to contend with were made apparent in a subsequent message from de Ganahl:
“The peaceful Barrier showed its sternest front today when the monotony of one hundred sixty miles of unexciting sledging was broken by our efforts to penetrate the maze of crevasses, covered chasms and hollow haycocks eleven miles south of depot 3. The tents were pitched tonight between two pitfalls three miles east of the scene of our escapes from whatever is below the countless hollow crusts over which we passed. The Barrier trembles and roars occasionally as new traps open in this area where the pressure of the ice is equalized. From 81° south this morning a long line of knolls, jagged peaks and rolling domes glistened majestically on the crest of a hilltop stretching east and west. We had gone five miles when Bursey who was leading the roped caravan swung his sled to a halt. His dogs were on the roof of a round hollow pit fifty feet in diameter. There were many such invisible caverns on the ascent of the hill, some filled, some bridged with snow—evidently craters of haycocks opened by released pressure. Soon crevasses, a few open, some filled, most roofed, crossed our path. Five miles of dodging and rushing brought us to a stop. To the south and west were graceful domes, fantastic peaks and black shadows—ugly and forbidding lines of upheaved ice. To the east, a deep valley was crossed and recrossed by scores of the gray depressions we had learned to respect. Well roped we planned a short reconnaissance on foot. Walden stepped away from his sled into a crevasse and sank down to his waist. He was pulled out again and went down into a second. We reached the hill top ridge running south west between villages of haycocks. We proceeded with the teams. In five minutes we were shut in by hollow domes, every step on a thin trembling roof. We crossed a safe looking ridge and slid down ten feet from an open hole with blackness for a bottom and turned the teams to the west. Bursey slipped over the brink of a pit as we crossed a narrow bridge between it and haycocks, but the rope dragged him back. There was a hundred foot hole to the left and countless haycocks to the right. We followed a narrow highway west until a wide, thinly covered crevasse blocked our path to the hopeless area ahead. There was no room to turn the teams between haycocks. Braathen roped and on skis tested the largest and we rushed the dogs around and over the dome to retrace our steps a few hundred yards. Bursey stopped to fix a harness and the surface sank under Braathen’s sled. The teams were hurried forward and pulled him to a thicker roof. The route flag slipped through into space. Below everything was hollow. We tried a valley with many crevasses but Braathen’s experience and short dodges brought us safe around. Evidences of continual improvement. All believe we will find a way through to the east.
DE’ GANAHL.”
Thursday
October 31st
The Supporting Party is safely through the crevasses at last. Thank God for that. They were sorely pressed yesterday.
De Ganahl, in a message today, said they spent tithe day reconnoitering through a valley of broken ice honeycombed by pressure, and reached firm Barrier just as a fog closed in behind them. He believes it to be the most treacherous area ever crossed in the Antarctic.
“Great upheavals have taken place here since Amundsen’s time,” the message said. “Nothing he describes can compare with it. It was a restless sleep for all last night, for every few hours we were awakened by thunder announcing the birth of a new crevasse and shaking the hollow snow beneath us.
“After an early breakfast Bursey and Braathen retraced their steps to the northern limit of the crevassed area to place a warning on the Barrier for the snowmobile party. Then Walden, Braathen and I, roped and on skis, worked our way over and around crevasses to the southeast, hoping to find an opening in the hopeless looking range to the south.
“From the high ridge we had glimpses of the firm Barrier, but three miles of pitted mountain lay before us. After lunch, Braathen, Bursey and I proceeded on skis in an effort to thread our way between open black holes connected by covered crevasses everywhere. On approaching the range we finally found a narrow ridge between open chasms leading to a network of canyons on the summit of a large hollow area and camouflaged by a thin roof of ice. Braathen’s skill and experience on skis enabled us to tap our way step by step from one firm ridge to another. The trail was often two yards wide, bordered on each side by black ravines or thin-roofed haycocks. In three hours we marked a zig-zag trail a mile and a half through the heart of the ridge and returned with doubts as to whether our sledges could get over the bridges, sharp shoulders and steep inclines.
“But there was no other way through, the hills being impassable to the east and west. Teams and men were roped separately and we followed the ragged line of flags. Walden said he had never seen anything like it. We stopped and turned to view the area before fog set in. It seemed as if the gods had been playing with chalk cliffs and left them scattered and broken on the tidy Barrier floor.”
I have sent them a message of congratulation. By and large, this is the best piece of work done by the expedition.
Still waiting for good flying weather.
Today is the warmest day in months—above zero all day, and now 12° above. Cloudy.
I caused new safety rules to be posted today. All men who leave the camp on walks to the Barrier or bay ice are ordered to sign names and route taken on a pad, so that in case of accident the camp will know in what direction to make a search.
Friday
November 1st
Another warm day, thermometer registering as high as 12° above.
The Supporting Party reached Lat. 81° 45’ S., Long. 163° 20’ W., today, put down Depot No. 4 and are now preparing to return.
I have begged them to employ the utmost caution in retracing their steps through the crevasses, and to find the snowmobile party at all costs. There has been no word from them since the Geological Party returned.
What a blessing the radio is! Thanks to it there has been such close connection between the base and field parties. I have been kicking myself for permitting the snowmobile party to start out without it.
Saturday
November 2nd
Supporting Party homeward bound. They made 29.9 miles today.
Geological Party has been overhauling its gear and will begin final advance Monday.
Still warm, overcast, moderate east wind. No flying.
Sunday
November 3rd
Supporting Party on the return is safely through the crevasses, which they have named Chasm Pass. Fog blotted out broken features of mountains, but did not hide flags. De Ganahl reports that in the first two camps south of the pressure ridges they heard a continuous rumble of breaking ice, and a narrow crevasse opened up under the tent while Walden and Braathen slept. Walden counted 200 crevasses which crossed the trail within two miles, which does not take into account the crevasses to right and left.
These men, the veteran Walden and the youngsters, have made a magnificent journey.
Still warm and cloudy, wind E.N.E.
Loads for the base-laying flight have been worked out, and we are waiting for good weather to make altitude and speed tests with the Ford, which we will have on the surface within two days.
With the first phase of operations completed, the camp now turned to the task of initiating the others. Monday, November 4th, at 1:30 o’clock P.M., the Geological Party, with Dr. Gould in command, and Vaughan, Crockett, Goodale, Thorne and O’Brien completing the party, began the final advance. They carried fairly heavy loads, which would be increased as they picked up supplies at the various depots, and would reach a maximum load at Depot No. 4. They started with confidence. That night they struck camp at 20 Mile Depot, and a radio from Dr. Gould solved the mystery of the snowmobile party. They met the crew hiking home, painfully hauling a sledge, about 15 miles south. The machine had broken down about 75 miles south, and the crew were forced to abandon it.
I regretted the loss of the snowmobile, but as my faith in it was never great, I was not disappointed. That the men were safe was far m
ore important.
Wilson and snow petrels were now seen about the camp in increasing numbers, heralding warmer weather.
Tuesday, the 5th, was a busy day. The Ford came out of its hangar, under its own power, with the 525 horse power Cyclone in its nose pulling it up the incline while the rest of the camp manned a block and tackle. Balchen was at the controls. He taxied it into position alongside the Fairchild, and the plane was firmly secured by means of “dead men” in case of a blizzard. The Ford was in excellent shape.
The camp prepared to welcome the snowmobile partry whose vaunted promises to conquer the Barrier were not lightly forgotten. As the poor fellows had been man-hauling for eight days, I dispatched Siple, with his team of pups, and Dean Smith on skis to give them a lift home. While they were gone, the conspirators decorated the radio tower and mess hall with streamers and confetti, a number of amusing messages of greeting were posted, a sign “Welcome home’’ was hung over the entrance to the mess hall, and the cameramen rigged up a dummy camera which they put into position along the path leading to Ver-sur-Mer Inlet. In the midst of these preparations, Siple and Smith returned with the news that the party had spurned the offer of assistance, saying in effect, that in view of the fact they had walked this far, they might as well continue the few remaining miles under their own steam. They were, it seemed, quite chagrined and testy.
In a little while the plodding figures were seen in the Bay. As they came nearer, Very signals were sent into the air, Czegka operated the dummy camera with the utmost gravity and cheers rent the air. The celebration reached its height when a message which Blackie’s wife, who of course had not learned of their cruel fate, had radioed from New York, was delivered. It said: “With you every step of the way.” The men were tired and burned by the sun, but they took the affair in good humor.
The snowmobile, they said, ran smoothly and fast on firm crust, and did well even on soft snow. But a combination of sastrugi and soft snow proved to be too much. However, the machine got much farther south than I ever expected it would, and as a result of the experience I think a suitable surface machine for Antarctic travel can be designed. The real cause of its difficulty was dirt in the engine, which began to work into the gas lines, so that Feury had to take them down several times, freezing his hands during the operation. The constant bucking weakened the rear end. Two hours after they passed the Geological Party, returning from its second trip, the snowmobile became imprisoned in a soft drift, and after a battle, the rear end expired. Strom shouldered a 40-pound knapsack, Black and Feury hitched a harness to the 300-pound sledge, and they took the trail home.
While the Aviation Unit went ahead with the conditioning of the Ford, both field parties made excellent progress. Wednesday, Nov. 6, Gould reported that the Geological Party was sixty miles south; and the homeward bound Supporting Party, which had picked up tools, radio equipment and personal clothing abandoned on the snowmobile, was only five days’ journey from Little America. Under the hood they found, de Ganahl reported with delight, radios from home.
Their progress thereafter was rapid: November 6, they made 30.3 miles; 7th, 26.5, meeting the outward bound Geological Party; the 8th, they were snowbound in a blizzard which did not touch Little America, making only 9. 5 miles, and on Saturday, the 9th, they came in at a great clip, having travelled 46 miles from morning. The same day the Geological Party reached Depot No. 2. Gould reported:
Arrived depot No. 2 this afternoon and spent afternoon changing sledges and loads. High sastrugi and soft snow and very poor visibility have made hard going last two days, but dogs are in better shape than when we left camp. Everything looks bright tonight, including the weather.
The Supporting Party came in, bearded and tired, panting less from exertion than for “ham and eggs,” as de Ganahl said. In my diary I wrote:
“I cannot praise Walden, de Ganahl, Bursey and Braathen too highly. They proved that they could defeat the early spring cold, and now their job is done. They went through without a suspicion of a complaint. It was a tough job, on the successful execution of which hangs most of our spring plans. Thanks to them, we may now go ahead with confidence.”
CHAPTER XIII
THE BASE-LAYING FLIGHT
THERE was a bit of excitement about the polar plane on November 9th. We were heating the engines with the usual method—that is, using a canvas hood with a funnel leading down to a pressure gasoline stove. Just as the mechanics were ready to start the two outboard Whirlwinds, gasoline dripped on the funnel. It caught fire and spread to the whole hood and engine, and there was danger the flames might reach the tank before we could douse it with pyrenes. This was a bad moment, and it was lucky that we had an all-metal plane. The damage was slight, but involved another day’s delay while the mechanics renewed the wiring and Ronne made a new funnel.
Except for an overcast sky, the weather had not been bad for ten days, with the thermometer fluctuating between 5° below and 12° above zero and the wind, never very strong, shifting from south to east. Sunday, November 10th, came in chilly, 17° below, but the air warmed up as the day advanced and a 10-mile wind from the east chased away the clouds, giving us a clear horizon. So we made the first flight of the season.
With Bubier as passenger, Parker took the Fairchild on a test hop. Before he took off, he taxied up and down the field, testing the controls and skis. The surface was quite soft and the skis, the bottoms of which were covered with ice, sank rather deep, but Parker beat down a fairly firm runway after two or three charges and finally wore off the ice. The ship then cleared quite cleanly. When he came down, Smith, Balchen and June each made test hops of thirty minutes over the Bay of Whales, during which the aerial camera, radio and the plane itself were tested. In all, the motor ran continuously for four hours before we called it a day, seventeen men had made flights, and the ship was reported to be in perfect flying trim.
On the following day, the mechanics started the Whirlwinds on the Ford, but the test hop was deferred until the mechanics cleaned out the fuel lines, in which dirt had collected. That night the Geological Party reported it had travelled 26 miles during the last two days, and all was well.
Tuesday
November 12th
No flying today. The Ford was ready to go, but wind shifted to ESE, picking up a slight drift, and sky cloudy.
Brown and Melville report both vessels are making final preparations for southern voyage, and crews in fine condition and eager to start.
Wednesday
November 13th
A splendid day, 14° below, a barely perceptible east wind and perfectly clear horizon.
The Ford went aloft at 3 o’clock this afternoon, with Parker as test pilot, Balchen as engineer and eight passengers.
The plane was off in less than thirty seconds. The big Cyclone in the nose has certainly improved the performance of these ships.
Later, the other pilots took their turn at the controls, and I tested my navigational equipment on a hop 10 miles south of 20 Mile Depot. The depot was very plainly marked, even from the air, and it was possible to see the trail extending indefinitely south.
After supper we loaded the Ford with snow blocks, giving it a load of 13,000 pounds, and took it up on an altitude test, to determine whether it will be able to get us over the mountains. The snow blocks were of known weights and could be dropped before landing. At 10,000 feet the port engine began to skip and the pilots decided to come down. It was bitterly cold at the higher levels.
All hands are now waiting for a ride to 14,000 feet.
Thursday
November 14th
Worked all night, and at 6 o’clock A.M. the mechanics decided to install a new carburetor on the balky engine.
Temperature this morning was 19° below.
Later
An 18 mile wind from the ESE is causing considerable drift. No flying. All hands indoors.
Gould reports the Geological Party camped tonight at Lat. 81° 11’ S., on the edge of Chasm Pass, whic
h they will penetrate tomorrow. I wish them luck.
Friday
November 15th
No flying. Warmer today and clear. But mechanics busy installing new carburetor and lagging the gas lines. Following the flags laid down by Supporting Party, the Geological Party passed through Chasm Pass today without “mishap or adventure,” Gould reports.
Saturday
November 16th
Morning
Aviation unit worked all last night. It appears that the air bleeds in the carburetor were much too large, causing too much air to be drawn in while the engine turned at intermediate revolutions. The mechanics have soldered the bleeds and drilled the jets a size smaller.
The directional results with the radio compass have been surprisingly good. So, too, with the improvised radio beacon. Hanson’s preliminary tests have thus far been limited to a radius of 25 miles, but the signals come in so strong that we are confident that both the radio compass and the radio beacon can be depended upon within a radius of 75 to 100 miles. If we do run into bad weather on the return leg of a flight, these ingenious inventions should be very handy.
Wind shifted from east to east-southeast, growing stronger and picking up drift. Haines found in his balloon runs this morning a 40-mile wind at 10,000 feet and a 125-mile wind at 20,000 feet. So there will be no altitude or load tests today, unless conditions change, which he doubts.
Sunday
November 17th
One of the warmest days in months, 12° above zero, a gentle wind from the southwest and the third clear day in succession.
Ford took off at 10:30 o’clock this morning, with a load of 13,000 pounds. She climbed to 12,000 feet in an hour and one-half, from which height the men in the plane could see the summits of the Rockefeller Mountains sticking up like mounds in the snow.
Then we ran a number of speed, altitude and load tests over a marked course, with revolutions at full throttle and all the way down to 1450 R. P. M.
Later
Have decided to make base-laying flight tonight. The plane is being loaded and we shall take off within an hour. It is only necessary to fill the oil tanks and start the engines.
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