191 1] 



CROZIER PARTY'S EXPERIMENTS 



223 



strenuous circumstances will permit. I came across a hint as to 



the value of a double tent in Sverdrup's book, ' New Land,' and 



(P.O.) Evans has made a lining for one of the tents; it is 



secured on the inner side of the poles and provides an air space 



inside the tent. I think it is going to be 



a great success, and that it will go far to 



obviate the necessity of considering the 



question of snow huts — though we shall 



continue our efforts in this direction 



also. 



Another new departure is the decision 

 to carry eiderdown sleeping-bags inside 

 the reindeer ones. 



With such an arrangement the early 

 part of the journey is bound to be com- 

 fortable, but when the bags get iced difficulties are pretty certain 

 to arise. 



Day has been devoting his energies to the creation of a 

 blubber stove, much assisted of course by the experience gained 

 at Hut Point. 



The blubber is placed in an annular vessel, A. The oil from 

 it passes through a pipe, B, and spreads out on the surface of 

 a plate, C, with a containing flange; d d are raised points which 

 serve as heat conductors; ^ ^ is a tin chimney for flame with air 

 holes at its base. 



To start the stove the plate C must be warmed with spirit 

 lamp or primus, but when the blubber oil is well alight its heat 

 is quite sufficient to melt the blubber in A 

 and keep up the oil supply — the heat 

 gradually rises until the oil issues from B 

 in a vaporised condition, when, of course, 

 the heat given off by the stove is intense. 



This stove was got going this morning 

 in five minutes in the outer temperature 

 with the blubber hard frozen. It will make a great difference 

 to the Crozier Party if they can manage to build a hut, and the 

 experience gained will be everything for the Western Party in the 

 summer. With a satisfactory blubber stove it would never be 

 necessary to carry fuel on a coast journey, and we shall deserve 

 well of posterity if we can perfect one. 



