The Home of the Blizzard / Being the Story of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1911-1914

th-western horizon. At midnight the ship came abreast of this point and continued steaming west, keeping within a distance of five miles of the coast. A br

right angles across the course. The ship steamed along it and her soundings demonstrated a

way we could see the snow-covered slopes rising from the seaward cliffs to an elevation of one thousand

and north-east. Adelie Land could be traced continuing to the west. Where it disappeared from view there was the appearance of a barrier-formation, suggestive of shelf-

more or less compact ice, has been named the D'Urville Sea. We found subsequently that its freedom from obstruction by ice is due to the persist

a line of reef similar to the one near Cape Discovery, would account for the presence

data derived from th

cally certain that there

f the pack-ice in longi

rtainty as to the caus

on is advanced, namel

ow water, large bergs

he driftin

ndistinguishable from shelf-ice, appe

e high land reported by the United States Squadron (184

grees 30' E, shortly afterwards passing over the charted position of Cote Clarie. The water here was clear of pack-ice, but studded with bergs of immense

true. Good observations placed us at noon in latitude 65 degrees 2' S. and 132 degrees 26' E. A sounding on sand and small stones

uthward-snowy highlands similar to those

wenty miles; heavy floe-ice extending from our position, latitude 65 degrees 45' S. and longitude 132 degrees 40' E., right up to the shore. Another sounding realized

further progress became impossible. The southern slopes were seamed with numerous crevass

commemorate the American Exploring Expedition on the Continent which its leader believed he had discovered in

d seventy fathoms and a muddy bottom. Environing us were enormous bergs of every kind, one hundred and eighty to two hundred feet in height. During the afternoon a westerly c

ILLUST

vicinity of Totten's

d in the south-west. But the ship had come up with the solid floe-ice once more, and had to give way and steam al

on January 29, but foggy weather prevailed. It was not until noon on January 31 that the atmosphere was sufficiently clear to obtain good observations. The ship was by this time in the midst of heavy floe in the vicinity of longitude 119 degrees E., and again the cour

n on board to replenish the fresh-water supply. A tank of two hundred gallons' capacity, heated within by a steam coil from the enginero

except a faint blue line on the horizon. It may have been a 'lead' of water,

lkes's charts. As high land would have been visible at a great distance, it is clear that Totten's High Land either does not e

ILLUST

e vicinity of Knox

ater and cruised along the pack-ice. A sounding ne

ach to Adelie Land it had been found unreliable, for, on account of the proximity to the magnetic pol

nd the western party in that neighbourhood. It was, therefore, most disappointing when impenetrable ice blocked the way, before Wilkes's "farthest south" in that locality had been reached. Three determined efforts were made to find a weak spot, but each time the 'Aurora' wa

ward towards the charted position of Termination Land, and in fo

led its northern end. Here the sounding wire ran out for eight hundred and fifty fathoms without reaching bottom. Following the wall towards the south-south-east, it was interesting at 5.30 P.M. to f

olonged tongue some seven miles in breadth. As it occupied the position of the "Termination

rizon was obscured by mist, as she pursued a tortuous track amongst bergs and scattered lumps of heavy floe. Gradually the sea became more open, and by noon on

the observations of the Western Party showed, this tract of sea is a permanent feature of the neighbourhood. I have c

gue loomed into view. There were five hundred fathoms of water off its extremity, and the cliffs rose vertically to one hundred feet

he pack, one hundred and twenty-five miles to the west. It appeared probable that Queen Mary Land would be found to be continuous*

ntually proved

lking several miles towards the land, estimated that it was about twenty-five miles distant. As the surface over which they travelled was traversed by cracks and liable to drift away to sea, all projects of

base was to be formed at all, Wild's party would have to be landed without further delay. After a consultation, Davis and Wild decided

ls. A fresh south-easterly wind blew on February 14, and the ship was kept in the shelter of the iceberg. Duri

the temperature went down to 18 degrees F. At 4 A.M., February 15, we reached the north

on we came up with the floe-ice again, in about the same latitude as on the western side of the long iceberg.

was eighty to one hundred feet in height, so that the ice in total thickness must have attained at least as much as six h

ed by crevasses, but beyond that was apparently sound and unbroken. About seventeen miles to th

, ostensibly fusing with the Termination Ice-Tongue, whose extremity is one hundred

d to seize upon this last opportunit

nced. To raise the packages from the floe to the

was set taut by a tackle. The stores were then slung to a travelling pulley on the wire, and hauled on to the glacier by means of a rope led through a second pulley on the sheer-legs. The ship's company broke

'Gauss' had been frozen in on February 22 at a spot only one hundred and seventy miles away-but because the floe was gradual

on February 17 caused some

ship has been bumping a good deal to-day. Notwithstanding the keen wind and driving sno

raised on to the shelf-ice, one hundr

nt too soon, as this morning the ice marked by our sledge tracks went to sea in a north-westerly direction, and

about two hundred yards inland, and then a flat surface stretches away as far as the

rty farewell cheers, and the 'Aurora' sailed north, lea

e coastal region was soon exchange

Fortunately it is calm, but in the darkness it is difficult to see an opening. The weather

his morning. At first stopping and lying-to was tried, but it was soon evident that the big bergs were moving an

out of the haze a wall seemed to stretch across our course. There was no room to turn, so 'full speed astern' was the only alternative. The engines responded immediately, or we must have crashed right into a huge

and a high sea. The ship was desperately short of ballast and the coal had to be carefully husbanded. All movable gear was placed in the bottom of the ship,

ee hundred miles, through the turbulent seas of the fifties and forties. It was the

the captain's

of March, but reached Hobart safely to-day, passing on our way up the Derwent the famous Polar ship, 'Fram', at anchor in Sandy Bay.