Tuesday 24th October 1911, A Note For The Press Regarding Our Scientific Work To Date

Up at 5. Sunny and clear. I have to write a note for the press telegram, which Captain Scott is sending home, on the scientific work of the expedition up to date from the time of our arrival here.

From January 22 when we left Cape Evans on the depot journey to April 22 when we returned there was practically no scientific work done by anyone, except by the Western Party (geological) consisting of Taylor, Wright and Debenham, and by the hut party consisting of Simpson, Nelson and Ponting. Atkinson and I were both on the sledge work as medicals.

Therefore, to begin with, the hut work.

Simpsons’ arrangements there for physical work of all kinds is the most important. He was given a good corner of the main hut with Wright, close by a window looking E.S.E. where he fixed up a working bench, a small writing table and a lot of shelves, his motor engine, his fan for the thermograph, his electric apparatus and various instruments.

In this corner, without leaving the hut, he can read off recording instruments giving continuous records of the temperature outside, the barometer and (by standard barometer and 2 barographs), the wind force (by Dines’ anemometer and by an anemo­graph which records miles per hour as well).

In the hut porch he has another clockwork drum, which records the direction of the wind continuously. Then in his own corner he records continuously the potential gradient of the air.

On the top of a small hill, about 300 yds from the hut, he has instruments for the following observations :– a sunshine recorder, which gives a continuous record—a glass globe which turns a line on a slip of card —also 2 Robinsons’ cup anemo­meters for wind velocity records. Further screen instruments for temperature to check those by the hut, and so on.

To check these continuous records observations are taken independently every 4 hours and so also are observations on

the nature and directions of motion of clouds, and on the weather and the direction of Erebus’ smoke, which gives the wind direction at 13,000 ft.

All through the winter hourly observations were made on the aurora, and as long as there was any absence of light these were continued by the night watchman.

Measurements of atmospheric radioactivity were taken from May to August for winter values, and these will be repeated as opportunity offers for summer values.

The upper atmo­sphere was from time to time investigated whenever weather conditions allowed a chance of recovering the instruments sent up, or of following the course of the balloon—first by balloons sent up without instruments, simply to give the direction of the upper currents, and secondly with instruments which recorded the height and the temperature in a regular curve on a minute plate of silvered metal.

A still more important part of the work done by Simpson was observation of the magnetic elements continuously by Eschenhagens’ magnetograph, while weekly observations of the absolute value of the dip, declination and horizontal force were also made.

The cunning devices by which all the working out of these instruments with the electric lamps and periodic cut-offs, and the electric bells every hour, and alarm bells to go off when any recorder broke down, were extra­ordinarily good and well thought out.

Simpsons’ ingenuity in this way overcame the absence of his special meteorological hut. Instead of it he has managed work with the corner given him in the main hut, and with a small asbestos sheeting hut and a good big cave hewn out of a small blue ice glacier not 100 yards from the main hut door.

So much for Simpsons’ work which is all on the top line, as he knows well what he is about and spends his whole time at it. He has really worked hard and continuously ever since we

came down here, and has managed to overcome innumerable difficulties.

Nelson also had the late summer months, or rather the 3 autumn months, for his work at the station while we were away, but he was handicapped by living on a moraine with no sea ice to work from. He got all his apparatus well into order for the winter work and all through the winter kept a good hole open in a shelter off the end of the cape which he visited and worked at every day over 100 fathoms of water.

Here plankton samples were taken at short intervals with townets of various meshes. Quantitative samples have also been taken in 93 fathoms with inter­national pattern nets. By dredging and traps larger material has been taken from the bottom as well as a good many fish. Nelson has also been doing hydrographic work at his hole in the ice.

Water samples have been taken at intervals from a depth of 2 to 170 metres. Soundings have been made over a number of cracks in the sea ice. The purpose of the water samples is to

obtain their salinity values, current measurements, velocity, and direction, throughout a period of 24 hours for spring and neap tides, and measurements of the amount of light at various depths beneath the ice are forming part of the spring programme.

There is also interesting work to do in the various fresh water lakes and pools on Cape Evans itself, these being full of vegetable growth and minute life. The botanical work is limited, there being only a few lichens and seaweeds and mosses. As soon as the sea ice froze sufficiently a permanent tide gauge was erected and a continuous curve of the rise and fall obtained throughout the winter. No seiches have been observed, however.

While this work was going on at the main station at Cape Evans the Western Geological Party was doing good work on the west side of the sound. Physiography , geology, petrology and ice work with a good deal of surveying and amplification of existing Discovery surveys were all undertaken and brought very interesting results.

Detailed maps have now been made of Dry Valley and its vicinity under the head of Ferrar Glacier.

The west Koettlitz Glacier and its tributary valleys have also been mapped in detail. A number of districts here are forming or have recently been forming—structural characteristics which are obviously comparable with those of other now ice free regions of the world.

The Dry Valley, for example, has with its barriers and defiles its counterpart in similar characteristic valleys of the southern Alps: The opposed parallel glaciers, Ferrar and Taylor, suggest the northern arm of Ferrar Glacier as an illustration of the origin of the Lake of Lucerne.

And again the wonderful series of cwm or cirque valleys of Mounts Lister, Hooker, Rucker and Huggins show the characteristic topography of the Rockies.

The discovery of small volcanic craters on the glaciated shoulders of Dry Valley mark an interglacial period of volcanicity.

Another point of interest is the existence of what appears to be a drainage area into Lake Bonney (4 miles long) below the Taylor Glacier and remote from the seashore ; an inland drainage with no apparent exit to the sea. Dry Valley turned out to be a rich petrographic province with numerous quartz veins poor in minerals and un­successfully panned for gold.

One of the most complete opportunities for the investigation of the sequential disintegration of a great glacier face lay in the 20 miles of the Koettlitz Glacier, and this was taken advantage of by most of this party.

A general study of erosion throughout the district shows the comparatively large part played by wind and by water. The latter acting for only a short period at the height of summer has nevertheless very great power.

The ice work done on this journey consisted of an accumulation of facts concerning the crystallography and growth of ice. The development of nivation glaciers from snow drifts is rapid and widespread here—numerous photos were taken and have turned out well.

This sums up the work that was done up to about the end of April when all who had scientific work to do were again at Cape Evans.

Simpsons’ subsequent work I have mentioned. Wrights’ work for the winter included ice in its various aspects, pendulum observations and the natural ionisation of water. This summer it will include photometry, and later I hope to go through some experiments with him on feather and fur radiation and conductivity.

But as regards his ice work, which is the most important for him, one cannot give the results. One can only say that a tremendous number of facts and photos and measurements are being collected and that results will eventuate.

Glaciers, their various forms, indications of move­ment and structural details are all of paramount interest here when we have miles of a great glacier front at our hut door and some of the biggest glaciers in the world to work on within reach.

The interest is increased as there is everywhere indication of a gradual diminution of the glaciation, and structural details of the rock beneath are being disclosed fresh from the hands of the sculpturing agent instead of time and weather-worn, as in so many other parts of the world where they occur.

The sea ice is also getting full attention both as to its structure and growth, and it looks as though its growth depended largely on the deposition of fragile crystals on the under surface.

The formation, ablation, and subsequent modification of surface ice by radiation, impurities and so on, and the deposition, structure, modifications due to wind, temperature etc., of surface snow are also going to give results, particularly interesting here, where ablation is often excessive and radiation is for months together unaffected by any heat from the sun

direct.

The temperature and conductivity of ice, and the formation of various ice crystals and their dependence on temperature and humidity, are things requiring ex­periment and observation extending over a length of time, and these are being fully dealt with photographically.

Pendulum observations were made in the winter but will be repeated as there was considerable difficulty in getting suitable conditions in an ice cave at low temperatures, and in the hut there is difficulty in obtaining a satisfactory immovable pillar for the instrument. This is the same as was used down here in the Discovery and came from Potsdam, where it is in the keeping of Prof. Helmert.

A set of observations was taken at Christchurch, New Zealand, on the way out and another will be taken on the way home as well as at Potsdam again when it returns.

Testing of sea water for radioactivity has not yet been done down here, but samples of sea water are being sent home to Prof. Joly in Dublin as occasion offers. The apparatus has, however, been pre­pared here and in the coming winter experiments will be repeated on the spot by way of check.

Taylors’ work and Debenhams’ since our return to Cape Evans has been mainly the examination of this coast, of Ross Island, and the working up of the results of the last seasons’ journey west.

They have with the help of Lieut. Evans and Wright made a very detailed plane table survey of the whole of our immediate neighbourhood, and this is the basis of Debenhams’ work on the petrology, Wrights’ work on ice distribution, and Taylors’ on the physiography of the area.

Debenham has made microscopic sections of a large number of rocks as well as a detailed petrographic survey. The rocks here are all volcanic heaps of lava and ash. The only outside elements being erratics and raised beaches.

There are other pieces of work which have been under way during the winter.

The tide has been recorded continuously by a series of levers acting on a drum. Seiche effects were rather expected but they have not been obtained.

Coming to biological work, Nelsons’ has already been outlined and it continued through the winter, naturally hampered by darkness and bad weather, but he has got a good deal of collecting done as well as hydrographic work.

Atkinson has been doing the parasitology and has examined the animals that were procurable in the winter months including the fish, 3 species of seal, viz, Weddell, Sea Leopard and Crabeater ; the penguins, Emperors and Adélie, and the Skua Gull.

From these he has a collection which includes ectoparasites, hirudines, and copepods ; and endoparasites, cestodes,

nematodes, trematodes, and echinorhynchi–as well as protozoa, trypanoplasma, gregarines and two others unrecognised.

The bacteriology is postponed until nearer the time for departure as it is impossible to maintain cultures without loss of all characteristics over a lengthy period of time. They will, therefore, be collected at the last moment and taken home at once.

My own work on the embryology of the Emperor Penguin, which entailed our winter sledge journey in June and July to Cape Crozier, proved to be an impossibility from here. But there was every reason for making the attempt.

The only chance now of getting eggs of the Emperor for this work is in the case of an expedition wintering quite close to the Emperor rookery. We were lucky in securing several Crabeaters and one Sea Leopard during the winter, otherwise vertebrate zoology has been unsuccessful.

The notes made on Antarctic whales last season are much more satisfactory than they were on the last occasion, though there was no possibility of making any attempt to kill or capture.

The photographic work has been quite exceptional thanks to Ponting, both in plate work and cinematography. Colour is represented by over 100 of my sketches.

This completes all that can be called scientific work. I may take out these last 8 pages. If I do it is because they contain other peoples’ information which perhaps ought not to go home through me as yet.

I wrote it out more or less fully to give me an idea as to the relative importance of the various parts for this press telegram which is to go home. Now I must get to work with that and if it contains most of what I have written here I shall let these pages stand.

Today, after about an hours’ tinkering, the 2 motors got away on the road to Hut Point with their loads. By the evening they were beyond Razorback Islands and out of sight from here. We hope they will arrive there tomorrow. At present they are going very slow, but when the engines have tuned up a bit and when they get on to softer surface we hope the pace will improve. We ought to know today by telephone from Hut Point how they have been doing.

I took Nobby out for exercise in the forenoon. Afternoon I spent in stowing away all my damageable goods for my long summer absence. We have very damp places in the hut and I had to make certain that all my drawing paper and drawing material, medical stores and surgical instruments, gun, and what not wouldn’t be mildewed and rusted by the time we return in March—or even April.

I’m afraid there is hardly any chance of my being back here in time to read my mails and send an answer back by the ship. She will almost certainly have gone home by the time we return from our southern journey.

In the evening I did some writing.