706 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1912. 



this temperature warned us to see that our equipment was in good 

 condition. We also realized that our heavy sleds were too unwieldly 

 and that they could easily be made much lighter. This criticism was 

 equally applicable to the greater part of our equipment. 



Several days before the disappearance of the sun were devoted to 

 hunting seal. The total weight of the seals killed amounted to 

 132,000 pounds. We therefore had ample provisions for ourselves 

 as well as for our 115 dogs. 



Our next problem was to supply a protective roof for our dogs. 

 We had brought with us 10 large tents, in which 16 men could easily 

 find room. They were set up on the Ice Barrier; the snow was then 

 dug out to a depth of 6^ feet inside the tents, so that each dog hut 

 was nearly 20 feet high. The diameter of a dog hut on the ground 

 was 16 feet. We made these huts spacious so that they might be as 

 airy as possible and thus avert the frost which is so injurious to dogs. 

 Our purpose was entirely attained, for even m the severest weather 

 no dogs were frozen. The tents were always warm and comfortable. 

 Twelve dogs were housed m each, and every man had to take care of 

 his own pack. 



After we had seen to the wants of the dogs we coidd then thmk of 

 ourselves. As early as April the house was entirely covered by snow. 

 In this newly drifted snow passageways were dug connectmg directly 

 with the dog huts. Ample room was thus at our disposal without 

 the need on our part of furnishmg building material. We had work- 

 shops, a blacksmith shop, a room for sewing, one for packing, a stor- 

 age room for coal, wood, and oil, a room for regular baths, and one 

 for steam baths. The winter might be as cold and stormy as it 

 would, it could do us no harm. 



On A])ril 21 the sun disappeared and the longest night began which 

 had ever been experienced by man in the Antarctic. We did not 

 need to fear the long night for we were well equipped with provisions 

 for years and had a comfortable, well-ventilated, well-situated and 

 protected house. In addition, we had our splendid bathroom where 

 we could take a bath every week. It really was a veritable sanato- 

 rium. 



After these arrangements had been completed we began prepara- 

 tions for the main advance in the followmg sprmg. We had to 

 improve our equipment and make it lighter. We discarded all our 

 sleds, for they were too heavy and un^^deldly for the smooth surface 

 of the Ice Barrier. Our sleds weighed 165 pounds each. Bjaaland, 

 our ski and sled maker, took the sleds m hand, and when sprmg ar- 

 rived he had enthely made over our sledge equipment. These sleds 

 weighed only one-third as much as the old ones. In the same way it 

 was possible to reduce the weight of all other items of our equipment. 

 Packing the provisions for the sledge journey was of the greatest 



