The Home of the Blizzard: Being the Story of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1911-1914Mawson, Douglas, Sir
History
The Home of the Blizzard: Being the Story of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1911-1914
Mawson, Douglas, Sir
Antarctica -- Discovery and exploration; Australasian Antarctic Expedition (1911-1914)
Much time was spent endeavouring to make it drift-tight; but as the
materials at our disposal were very limited, the result was never
absolutely satisfactory. The small veranda serving as an entrance-porch
was deluged with snow which drove in past the canvas doorway. The only
way to get over this trouble was to shovel out the accumulations every
morning. On one occasion, when Close was nightwatchman, the drift poured
through in such volume that each time he wished to go outside it took
him half an hour to dig his way out. On account of this periodic influx,
the vestibule doorway to the workroom was moved to the other end of the
wall, where the invading snow had farther to travel and was consequently
less obstructive.
One advantage of the deposit of snow around the Hut was that all
draughts were sealed off. Before this happened it was found very
difficult to keep the inside temperature up to 40 deg. F. A temperature
taken within the Hut varied according to the specific position in
reference to the walls and stove. That shown by the thermometer attached
to the standard barometer, which was suspended near the centre of the
room, was taken as the "hut temperature". Near the floor and walls it
was lower, and higher, of course, near the stove. On one occasion,
in the early days, I remember the "hut temperature" being 19 deg. F.,
notwithstanding the heat from the large range. Under these conditions
the writing-ink and various solutions all over the place froze, and,
when the night-watchman woke up the shivering community he had many
clamorous demands to satisfy. The photographer produced an interesting
product from the dark room--a transparent cast of a developing-dish in
which a photographic plate left overnight to wash was firmly set.
We arranged to maintain an inside temperature of 40 degrees F.; when it
rose to 50 degrees F. means were taken to reduce it. The cooking-range,
a large one designed to burn anthracite coal, was the general warming
apparatus. To raise the temperature quickly, blocks of seal blubber, of
which there was always a supply at hand, were used. The coal consumption
averaged one hundred pounds a day, approximately, this being reduced at
a later date to seventy-five pounds by employing a special damper for
the chimney. The damper designed for ordinary climates allowed too
much draught to be sucked through during the high winds which prevailed
continually.
The chimney was fitted with a cowl which had to be specially secured to
keep it in place. During heavy drifts the cowl became choked with snow
and ice, and the Hut would rapidly fill with smoke until some one,
hurriedly donning burberrys, rushed out with an ice-axe to chip an
outlet for the draught. The chimney was very short and securely stayed,
projecting through the lee side of the roof, where the pressure of the
wind was least felt.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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