HERBERT GEORGE PONTING (1870-1935)

The men laid fish traps baited with seal meat to catch fish to supplement their diet. 'Dr Atkinson took charge of these fishing operations - excavating the hole; opening it each day; securing the catch and rebaiting the trap, and then re-setting it. ... Sometimes I assisted at this operation myself, as it was exceedingly interesting; and once I took out my camera in the midst of the winter night, and made some flashlight photographs of Atkinson and Clissold hauling the trap to the surface. It was an intensely cold job, with the 'mercury' at 42°F. below zero, as the preparing of the flashes necessitated the removal of my thick fur mits. Immediately after taking the picture, I had to hurry back to the Hut to restore the circulation in both hands, which had gone white and bloodless.' (H.G. Ponting, The Great White South, London, 1924, pp.122-2)