Another comparatively calm day – temp. -12º, clear sky. Went to ice caves on glacier S. of Cape; these are really very wonderful. Ponting took some photographs with long exposure and Wright got some very fine ice crystals. The Glacier Tongue comes close around a high bluff headland of kenyte; it is much cracked and curiously composed of a broad wedge of white nÈvÈ over blue ice. The faults in the dust strata in these surfaces are very mysterious and should be instructive in the explanation of certain ice problems.

It looks as though the sea had frozen over for good. If no further blizzard clears the Strait it can be said for this season that:

The Bays froze over on March 25.
The Strait ,, ,, ,, April 22.
,, ,, dissipated April 29.
,, ,, froze over on April 30.
Later. The Hut Point record of freezing is:
Night 24th-25th. Ice forming mid-day 25th, opened with leads.
26th. Ice all out, sound apparently open.
27th. Strait apparently freezing.
Early 28th. Ice over whole Strait.
29th. All ice gone.
30th. Freezing over.
May 4th. Broad lead opened along land to Castle Rock, 300 to 400 yds. wide.
Party intended to start on 11th, if weather fine.

Very fine display of aurora to-night, one of the brightest I have ever seen – over Erebus; it is conceded that a red tinge is seen after the movement of light.

This entry was posted on Friday, April 28th, 1911 at 10:58 pm and is filed under Chapter IX: The Work and the Workers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.