Week 33. Titch is injured and Garth fixes the problem

Monday 20 May 1974

During the morning the wind dropped but the temperatures stayed up so we all got to work clearing snow from the drifts around the Base. As mouse I had the job of filling the ablution block ice melter. I had to dig for half an hour before I came to the sledge let alone the ice. Still it was pleasant to be working outside without gloves or anorak. Later I set out to burn the week’s accumulation of rubbish, and found that the incinerator was packed full of snow. It is a long job cleaning it out ready for the burn-up.

During the weekend I had been taking stock of our Antarctic and scientific books and was disturbed to find that about 50 volumes were apparently missing. Today I was delighted to find in the book sales store a carton containing about 30 of them. The situation is still not good but is a lot better than it seemed. Garth Cowan is again seeking a break in the earth currents line – otherwise routine.

Conditions at 0900 hours Wind South 25 knots Temperature -5.1°C

Tuesday 21 May 1974

A routine day except that Titch Gibson, the Postmaster, got his finger caught in a teleprinter belt and cut it badly. Still, it required no stitches.

In the evening I went with Stuart Clarke to Arrival Heights to help him operate his photometer. We intended to be there most of the night but it clouded over as soon as we set the device going and since there was no point in staying we were home by 2200 hours.

Ray Colliver has found that about a quarter of his potato stocks had been frozen at some stage and are ruined. They have been in the hangar bunk room since we took receipt and we suspect they were allowed to freeze at wharf side or perhaps even on the ship.

A supply train heads towards Scott Base

Conditions at 0900 hours Wind North-East 25 knots Temperature -12.0°C

Wednesday 22 May 1974

Tony Atkinson keeps having trouble with his thermograph. Snow gets into it. Dr Dave Console came over from McMurdo to take blood samples of Rangi and Savio the two male pups. At today’s radio contact with the Superintendent he told me he suspects that someone may be eavesdropping on our weekly conversations. Something in a letter to the paper by someone calling themselves “Frostbite” has given him this idea but I am unable to see just what it was as anyone here could have written the letter without eavesdropping.

Conditions at 0900 hours Wind North-East 7 knots Temperature -19.2°C

Thursday 23 May 1974

Garth Cowan has located and repaired yet another break in the earth current line. Stuart went to Arrival Heights in an attempt to get photometer results but the sky clouded over again and he had to return.

Conditions at 0900 hours Wind North-East 14 knots Temperature -22.6°C

Friday 24 May 1974

A routine day including stock checking

Conditions at 0900 hours Wind North-East 13 knots Temperature -24.7°C

Saturday 25 May 1974

The diesel-beck water heaters in both the laboratory and the kitchen developed faults and Bill Johnson had to dismantle, clean and reset both of them.

Some of the staff became testy about the failure of the Post Office to make telephone contact in the designated nights. In the evening I went to Arrival Heights with Stuart Clarke and operated the photometer from 2100 until 0100 hours whilst he got some sleep. I then returned to Base to find that several of the others had been partying in the CPO”s club at McMurdo. Whilst they were inside the sump heater in the Landrover failed and they had difficulty getting it started.

Conditions at 0900 hours Wind North-East 25 knots Temperature -29.0°C

Sunday 26 May 1974

I got up at 1100 hours to meet Tony Atkinson and Stuart Clarke returning from Arrival Heights. Tony had gone up to take over for a few hours so that Stuart could have some breakfast. Apparently it had been continuously clear during the night with many auroral forms. Certainly during my period of duty this had been so.

With a 25 knot wind and a temperature of -30ºC lying on ones side reading dials, making notes and pulling switches is cold work. Still, hopefully, we have at last got good results. Unfortunately owning to a bit of confusion, nobody in Tony’s absence recorded the 0900 hours metrological conditions.