limax was reached when McLean, working on the
steeply inclined roof, lost his footing and, in passing, seized hold
of the wire-stay of the chimney as a last hope. Alas, that was the only
stay, and as he proceeded over the end of the roof into a bank of snow,
Ninnis, within the hut, convinced that nothing less than a cyclone had
struck the building, gallantly held on to the lower hot section amidst a
shower of soot.

Everybody was in the best of spirits, and things went ahead merrily. On
January 30 the main building was almost completed, and all slept under
its roof. Bunks had been constructed, forming a double tier around three
sides of the room. For the first time since coming ashore we retired
to sleep in blankets; fur sleeping-bags had been previously used. That
night the sky which had been clear for a fortnight banked up with nimbus
cloud, and Murphy, who was sleeping under a gap in the roof, woke up
next morning to find over him a fine counterpane of snow. He received
hearty congratulations all round.

Regular meteorological observations began on February 1. The various
instruments had been unpacked as soon as the outer shell of the Hut was
completed. The barometer and barograph were kept running inside. Outside
there were two large screens for the reception of a number of the
instruments. It was important to erect these as near the Hut as
possible. The standard thermometer, thermograph and hygrograph were to
occupy one of the screens, a convenient site for which was chosen about
twenty yards to the east. Close by there was also a nephoscope for
determining the motion of clouds. The immediate vicinity of the Hut,
being a gully-like depression, was unsuitable for the wind and sunshine
recorders. A more distant site, on a rocky ridge to the east, was chosen
for these. There were set up a recording anemometer (wind-velocity
meter), a sunshine-meter and the second screen containing the anemograph
(wind-direction recorder).

Madigan was to take charge of the meteorological observations and he,
assisted by Ninnis and Mertz, erected the two screens and mounted
the instruments. Special care was taken to secure the screens against
violent winds. Phosphor-bronze wire-stays, with a breaking strength of
one ton, were used, attached to billets of wood driven into fissures
in the rock. Strong as these wires were, several breakages had to be
replaced during the year.

Webb was busy with the magnetic work. For this two huts we