Monday 4 March 1974
The weather seems to be clearing. The Cape Evans party is going to try to start their SnoTrac and if they are successful will push on for a bit. Unfortunately they were unable to start it and in the end Bob Grant and I went out in the other SnoTrac and took them a fresh battery and some warm oil. This did the trick but both groups had trouble with broken throttle cables.
Conditions at 0900 hours Wind East 8 knots Temperature -20.7°C
Tuesday 5 March 1974
We spent most of the day with half the Base staff shifting about 50 seal carcasses from the end of the scoria on the Williams Field road to the new dog lines below and East of the Hangar. The seals had become iced-in and it required the D4 to break them free. We then loaded them onto the power forks but found that the fork itself could only pick up two carcasses because they were so slippery. It the end we used the McCormich rear lifting tray to raise two carcasses which we then rolled on top of the two already on the forks. All four were then secured with a cargo strap. Had we left the killing until now they could have been dragged straight to the storage area from the killing point; but then we would have had no help with the actual killing from either summer staff or scientists.
I am getting ahead with the heat machine. Later in the afternoon the Southerly increased to 30 knots.
Conditions at 0900 hours Wind Calm Temperature -17.8°C
Wednesday 6 March 1974
There has been a strong Southerly wind and low visibility all day. A number of unexpected drift leaks were located in the building and Bill Johnson spent the day sealing these with Denso tape. One more of Uglin’s pups is failing and seems unlikely to last. At 1300 hours the Superintendent rang to say that in view of next year’s overland programme all vehicles would have to be conserved and therefore any recreational trips should be undertaken using dogs only. This ruling will reduce to one third the feasible radius within which we can operate.
Conditions at 0900 hours Wind South 15 knots Temperature -14.8°C
Thursday 7 March 1974
Early this morning Vanda reported that two of its alternators and one Petter diesel had failed. This meant that if either remaining Petter or one of the belt driven alternators was to fail the sole source of power would be the Dunlite wind driven generator. In that case the science programme would suffer.
Another of Uglin’s pups has died. She now has three left, two dogs and one bitch. Ray Colliver took the traditional photo of wintering over staff. Stuart Clarke and Garth Cowan went to Arrival Heights to repair the calibration unit on the sky camera.
Conditions at 0900 hours wind East-South-East 14 knots Temperature -14.2°C
Friday 8 March 1974
The Superintendent sent a list of questions regarding the alternator set-up at Vanda which I am endeavouring to answer. He has also instructed me to inspect Observation Hill for deterioration and vandalism.
The seal meat thawing hut is working well. I spent most of the day trying to make a bearing journal for the heat machine. After the recent snow it has now become difficult to get the power wagon to the dog lines.
Stuart Clarke spent the day annotating micro-pulsation charts.
Conditions at 0900 hours Wind North-North-East 14 knots Temperature -15.1°C
Saturday 9 March 1974
I inspected Observation Hill. The cross is leaning but solid. Three rivets are gone. Some names have been scratched on it. Bulldozing at the foot of the hill for the new Ham Shack site has thrown up low scoria windrows which Navy intend to smooth out.
In the evening most of the Base staff went to the Seebees anniversary “do”.
Conditions at 0900 hours Wind North-North-East 15 knots Temperature -12.2°C
Sunday 10 March 1974
Mike Wing and Stuart Clarke took the dogs for a run to the Ski Chalet and back. Tony Atkinson, Ray Colliver, Garth Cowan, two USARP people and I climbed into a large crevasse in the survival training area. It was about 150 ft deep, 30 ft wide and was wide enough at the bottom for us to walk along for about 200 yards.
Conditions at 0900 hours Wind North-North-East 20 knots Temperature -18.0°C
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