Author: Karen

Date: 06 December 2012

Temperature: -3

Wind Speed: -17

Sunrise: N/A

Sunset: N/A

This week I have been helping Jana process certain artefacts.  One of my tasks included hauling the Polk (similar to a sledge) up the hill from Scott’s hut to the expedition’s southern food cache in order to return previously conserved tins and boxes.  Once we brushed off the new snow that had fallen overnight, Jana identified the next batch of wooden boxes for conservation (containing flour and pearl barley) and we duly put them on the Polk and transported them back to the field laboratory.  

Southern food cache © AHT/Karen

The southern food cache is the largest surviving collection of food from Captain Scott’s British Antarctic Expedition (1910-1913).  It includes the bulk of the stores but not glass items, which would have broken if left outside.  The cache is located on the top of the ridge behind the hut, where the wind kept the supplies clearer of snow.  Scott and his men moved the food cache before the second winter as during the first winter their supplies (kept near the hut) were snowed in due to the immense amount of blizzards and snow which fell in the first winter.

Jana identifying artefacts for conservation © AHT/Karen

I was amazed to see the quantity of food stored and still in situ; there were boxes of Huntley and Palmers biscuits, crates of Irvine Bros Family Lard and boxes of Fry’s Cocoa, to mention just a few.  Some of the tins were in remarkable condition considering they have been open to the harsh Antarctic weather for more than 100 years. The boxes and food we collected will be conserved then returned to the cache where they were found.

Author: Kevin

Date: 28 November 2012

Temperature: -4 degrees celcius, sunny and bright

Wind speed: 5 knots

We have now been at Cape Evans, the site of Captain Scott's Terra Nova hut for the last three weeks or so. Our daily work pattern is now well established. Morning meeting and radio schedule with Scott Base at 07.30am, then off to work until 11.00am when we stop for first lunch, then work again until 3.00pm when second lunch beckons. Final work period is over at 7.00pm with dinner at around 7.30pm.

We take it in turns to cook, so as there are only four of us on site, it comes around pretty quickly, with some people looking forward to it more than others, as spending your day digging out one hundred year old marrow fat lard from tins has been known to dampen the appetite!

Over the last week or so we have been lucky to have good weather with temperatures above -5 and lots of sunshine, giving us beautiful views of Mount Erebus and the Barne Glacier. Whilst this may seem good to those far away, it leaves us with a dilemma. We rely on snow banks for our fresh water and keeping our fresh food frozen. The fine weather sees the banks literally melting away in front of our very eyes and we still have two more months on site.

This morning our "freezer" was looking decidedly worse for wear so it was time for improvements. More snow was packed on top and around the sides and a better door was fitted. All courtesy of the carpenters used timber stack.

Freezer looking a bit sorry for itself

Freezer on its way to a new look (Barne Glacier in the background)