THE HEART OF THE ANTARCTIC 



slow, as the altitude and cold combined to make respira- 

 tion difficult. The cone of Erebus is built up chiefly 

 of blocks of pumice, from a few inches to a few feet 

 in diameter. Externally these were grey or often 

 yellow owing to incrustations of sulphur, but when broken 

 they were of a resinous brown colour. At last, a little 

 after 10 a.m., on March 10, the edge of the active crater 

 was reached, and the little party stood on the summit of 

 Erebus, the first men to conquer perhaps the most 

 remarkable summit in the world. They had travelled 

 about two and a half miles from the last camp, and 

 had ascended just 2000 ft., and this journey had taken 

 them over four hours. The report describes most vividly 

 the magnificent and awe-inspiring scene before them. 



" We stood on the verge of a vast abyss, and at 

 first could see neither to the bottom nor across it on 

 account of the huge mass of steam filling the crater 

 and soaring aloft in a column 500 to 1000 ft. high. 

 After a continuous loud hissing sound, lasting for 

 some minutes, there would come from below a big dull 

 boom, and immediately great globular masses of steam 

 would rush upwards to swell the volume of the snow- 

 white cloud which ever sways over the crater. This 

 phenomenon recurred at intervals during the whole of 

 our stay at the crater. Meanwhile, the air around us 

 was extremely redolent of burning sulphur. Presently 

 a pleasant northerly breeze fanned away the steam 

 cloud, and at once the whole crater stood revealed to 

 us in all its vast extent and depth. Mawson's angular 

 measurement made the depth 900 ft. and the greatest 

 width about half a mile. There were at least three 

 well-defined openings at the bottom of the cauldron, 

 and it was from these that the steam explosions 

 proceeded. Near the south-west portion of the crater 

 there was an immense rib in the rim, perhaps 300 to 



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