Week 46. Slinging the lead and leadership problems

Monday 19 August 1974

Tony Atkinson is having a lot of trouble with the field mill. It simply will not keep going in the colder weather. Auckland University, the sponsors, seen unconcerned.

Conditions at 0900 hours Wind North-North-East 9 knots Temperature -32.5°C

Scott Base Ionosonde

Tuesday 20 August 1974

Measured the lead line for drill site soundings. Swivel distances from the lead were

140’ 4”

427’ 5”

522’ 2”

670’ 1”

793’ 6”

Total length approximately 1050 feet

Vane weight w/swivel 5lbs 13oz

This morning I helped the two USARP’s Brian Smith and Steve Grbecki to clear the ice from the inshore fish hole. Today is official sunrise but only the flagging party on the trail to Marble Point actually saw it.

In the afternoon I noticed an ominous looking horizon to the South. The US met office confirmed my expectations of dirty weather and told me that the flagging party was on its way back but halted with a flat tyre. The vehicle concerned (US) had no spare and another lone vehicle was now moving towards the group! I spent the next two hours chewing my nails and watching the weather creep north but in the event the flagging party after a wild drive reached McMurdo with about 10 minutes to spare. I can never feel easy with people camped on the ice in a Southerly. The blizzard began with an 85 knot gust which was exceeded only once in the next five hours after which conditions returned to normal.

The new baffles in the engine room work well. After the weather eased several Base staff went to the sunrise party at McMurdo.

Conditions at 0900 hours Wind North-West 23 knots Temperature -21.2°C

Wednesday 21 August 1974

Mike Wing reported that yesterday the flagging party had encountered open water where a great section of ice, including a segment of the previously flagged trail, had broken out. They drove to the coast well south of the breakout and, although they had to cross a new crack, were able to get north along the Stranded Moraines. From a small feature they could see that open water met the ice cliffs of the Bowers Piedmont all the way north to Butler Point and that there was open water in the entrance to New Harbour. This means that we cannot get vehicles to either the drill rig or proposed Site 1. Proposed Site 2A is open water and proposed Site 2B and 3 whilst accessible, could conceivably have broken out during the blizzard. The blizzard created havoc in the Met screen. The thermograph is blocked, the max thermometer is missing and the min thermometer off its rack.

This morning despite vigorous morning call by Bill Johnson neither Garth Cowan nor Chris Wilkins got up. They and two or three others had quaffed deeply the night before. I received several oblique comments suggesting that a half day off was in order (the US Navy took a full day) but I will not do that sort of thing in retrospect. When they (Chris & Garth) appeared I told them they had volunteered for Sunday mouse and they accepted this stoically.

Bill Johnson’s wife is not at all well and if she does not improve he may ask to leave on “Winfly”. Towards the end of the day we found ourselves without cold water as the pump from the storage tank had failed.

Conditions at 0900 hours Wind North-East 23 knots Temperature -21.5°C

Thursday 22 August 1974

This morning I found Mike Wing writing in the Mess. He said he was producing a report on field equipment. Later I noticed the report was addressed to Dick Hallson of Antarctic Division. When I drew his attention to the need to pass all reports through me he clearly felt I was interfering. I have drawn everyone’s attention to the appropriate paragraph in the operations manual.

Stuart Clarke was successful in securing sky glow records for the early morning although there was some moon. Garth is starting to produce handover notes!

Each day now I have to break the ice out of the USARP ice-hole until such time as they can shift the fish-hut off it for me.

Conditions at 0900 hours Wind North-East 20 knots Temperature -16.6°C

Friday 23 August 1974

Today I spoke with the Superintendent, DVDP September operations have been cancelled but nevertheless he would like me to examine the ice edge. Mike Wing, Bob Grant and I will go tomorrow.

Bill Johnson and Chris Wilkins climbed Observation Hill to inspect the Cross. It is lying on its side at the top. After lunch I sent everyone to Arrival Heights for an hour to see and photograph the sunrise. We have brought the sign from Scott’s Discovery Hut into the Base. It needs renovating. Vince’s Cross also needs attention. Late in the day the McMurdo communications officer rang. He was speaking to the Press in Christchurch and wanted to know the state of the Cross (Scott’s). I told him but said we would not be re-erecting it for a few days.

Scott’s Cross on Observation Hill

Conditions at 0900 hours Wind North-North-East 14 knots Temperature -18.8°C

Saturday 24 August 1974

Today Mike Wing, Bob Grant and I drove out along the flagged route towards Marble Point. At the tip of the “dirty ice” we encountered open water but were able to work our way across the “dirty ice” itself and onto smooth going on the far side. We reached the Stranded Moraines at midday, radioed back to Scott Base and then proceeded north. We came to open water again about three miles further along the coast. We had lunch and I climbed an ice bank onto the Bowers Piedmont Glacier. Along the edge of the glacier for about 400 yards the ice was very rough but further inland it became smoother so I went back to the other two and said I wanted to take the SnoTrac onto it. Bob Grant was not keen, and with good reason, since the SnoTrac was due to breakdown anytime and no wheeled vehicle could reach us on the glacier. However I felt we had come to do just that so we knocked down the ice bank, crawled through the rough part, with me walking ahead, and then motored five or six miles across the glacier to New Harbour without difficulty. On the way we ran across a dump of stores left by Sir Edmund Hillary and his men some 18 years before. We found a way down onto the ice and drove our chainsaw into it as far as it would go without striking water. The New Harbour ice was billiard smooth and stretched all the way to the drill rig but if we had gone further we would not have had enough petrol to spend a night away from Base so I decided to turn back. On our way back Mike and Bob searched diligently in our tracks to see if we had crossed any crevasses. I think they were a little disappointed not to find even on “yawning blue chasm” as they were a bit miffed that my obstinacy had been justified. We ground slowly all the way back to Base without event until right in front of the Base two jockey wheels collapsed. This day was the first time I had seen either the sun or my shadow for five months. Just west of the dirty ice tip we saw an Emperor Penguin – the first this year.

Conditions at 0900 hours Wind Calm Temperature -26.4°C

Sunday 25 August 1974

To my annoyance I found that the two culprits who were to do mouse as penance had been “excused” by the original pair appointed for the job (Titch Gibson and Bob Grant). I don’t know what I can do about this but feel I must make my decision stick somehow. Bill Johnson, Tony Atkinson and Ray Colliver walked to Castle Rock. I found that the USARP’s had been unable to clear the hut away from the fish-hole, so I scooped the ice crust out of it once again and then spent the rest of the day repairing an electrical fault in the Dodge welldeck.