June 2^, 1910] 



NA TURE 



495 



on Thursday, April 14, we had to remove it, as the 

 strength of the wind was so great that even with additional 

 guys the whole thing threatened to collapse, and we cut 





Fig. 2.— l, 



a rectangular space in the middle of some low bush where 

 there was very fair shelter. Our camp consists of a 

 dining tent 12 feet square, a dark-room tent 6 by 9 feet 

 with red lining, three sleeping tents 

 9 by 12 feet and two of 8 by 10 feet, 

 situated on both sides of a small stream 

 on a site cut out of the bush, and at 

 the head of a small bay. 



"Then it was necessary- to cut a 

 path from the top of the hill to the 

 instrument cases — some 200 yards of 

 very bad ground — and carni" the cases 

 up. This was done mostly by four 

 persons on two timbers 2 inches 

 square, but some of the siderostat parts 

 proved too heavy, and had to be left 

 until they could be unpacked and placed 

 directly in position. Also the case con- 

 taining the large dark-slide for the 

 spectrograph had to be unpacked in 

 n'fti, and the dark-slide alone required 

 two persons to carry it. 



" During the whole of the week 

 there was bad weather, nearly always 

 cloudy — night and day — always wind, 

 and frequently rain, so that the founda- 

 tions for the siderostat and coelostat 

 had to be oriented by compass only. 

 All the sand and water for the concrete 

 had to be carried up from the stream 

 by hand — a quarter of a mile uphill — 

 which was a big additional labour, but 

 stone was quarried on the hill. Finally, 

 on the Sunday morning (April lyt, the 

 foundation of the siderostat was com- 

 pleted, and all but seven cases were on 

 the top of the hill, and, after the severe physical work 

 of the last seven days, we proposed taking a half- 

 holiday for fishing and washing clothes, or anything 



XO. 2 12 I, VOL. %\ ; 



that the members of the expedition chose to do. But 

 this was not to be, for on finishing lunch we saw an 

 ominous smoke cloud across the sky, and from the top of 

 the bush found that the scrub was ablaze close to the 

 instrument tent. As we came up the flag-pole collapsed, 

 but by much beating we kept the flames from the tent. 

 Within 6 feet of it Worthington's cases — happily empty — 

 were burning furiously, and the large case for the dark- 

 slide of the spectrograph was a mass of flames, as into it 

 had been put all the straw packing from three other 

 cases. 



" Having got the fire under control near the instrument 

 tent, half the party were drafted off to prevent it reaching 

 the camp, and later all but two, who were required to 

 watch the smouldering remains on the top of the hill and 

 the line of fire in the neighbourhood of the cases still at 

 the landing place. In spite, however, of the efforts of 

 these six, the fire reached the bush within 60 yards of 

 camp, and it was only due to the constant wet weather 

 of the previous week that it stopped there, as the trees 

 were so saturated that nothing could burn them. Most of 

 the camp equipment was quickly moved to the shore to 

 be covered with a wet tent-fly, and food was placed in the 

 whale-boat, but happily these precautions were not neces- 

 sary. A constant inspection was kept of the still smoulder- 

 ing hillside, and at 6.30 a fresh blaze started on the edge 

 of the bush close to the bay. This was temporarily 

 overcome by beating and by buckets of water ; but 

 the soil was red-hot, being peat, and only constant 

 attention and lengthy rain can put it out. In 

 addition to this there has been a small peat fire the 

 whole time in the bush within 50 feet of the dining tent, 

 which has been watched, but not considered dangerous until 

 now. 



" The result of the fire is that two of Worth- 

 ington's cases have been burnt and one of mine, 

 and the legs of Worthington's equatorial have been 

 singed. The fire was round more than two sides of 

 the instrument tent, and within 4 feet of it at one 

 point. 



" The spectrograph dark-slide had already had one 

 narrow escape, as, soon after it left W'atson's workshop, 

 the building was burnt to the ground, and now its case is 

 destroyed by fire the day after it was unpacked. It was a 

 near thing, and as we came up the hill we expected to 



nstrument cases irom the shore to the camp on the hill. 



leave by the Wainui the following dav without instruments 

 or kit." 



WiLLI.AM J. S. LOCKYER. 



