Scott Polar Research InstituteSledge
Materials: wood, leather, rawhide, metal, string, rope
Dimensions: 540mm (width), 185mm (height), 3830mm (length)
Ref no: Y: 56/17
A dog sledge from the hut at Cape Evans, probably belonging to the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition 1914-17 (Aurora). It was brought back by Lieutenant Commander M.J. Foster, R.N., a British observer on U.S. Operation Deep-Freeze I 1955-56.
Physical description:
A wooden sledge. It has two wooden runners, curving up at each end, each with a wooden upper lashed to it at either end with string. Five uprights are mortised into each runner and lashed with rawhide. At each of these is a wooden cross bar which is lashed to the upright with rawhide and to the upper with string. There is a metal bracket at the joins of each upright and cross bar, with a metal collar around each. A bent wooden pole, wrapped with string, curves around the front of the sledge and is lashed with rawhide and covered with leather where it meets the runners and uppers. A trace rope is tied to the second set of uprights, and wraps around the front set of uprights and the bow front.
