Ice: The Antarctic Diary of Charles F. Passel [Hardcover]

Charles F Passel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 1995

"I will never speak lightly of an Antarctic winter night again—I have been through one . . . ." In 1939, Admiral Richard E. Byrd led his last expedition to the Ross Ice Shelf on the continent of Antarctica. A 25-year-old geologist named Charles Passel was one of a small crew of men who took part in this mission, which included a year and a half of isolation from the rest of the world except by amateur radio operators. Passel kept a daily diary throughout the expedition. Days began with the cook prying a frozen griddle from a shelf to make breakfast and the men taking half an hour to dress for work outdoors. Engines had to be heated by blow torch, oil froze while it was being changed, and the crew's tractor ran only in reverse. Though he had come for scientific research, Passel faced additional duties as dog driver, radio operator, and supply officer. With a "warts and all" reality, Passel's journal reveals the adventure and opportunity as well as the danger and loneliness of this historic expedition. Charles and Alda Passel have been married for fifty-five years. They reside in Abilene, Texas. T.H. Baughman is chair of the history department of Benedictine College, Atchison, Kansas. He is the author of Before the Heroes Came: Antarctica in the 1890s.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Ice transports the reader to Antarctica for an intimate portrait of life on Admiral Richard E. Byrd's 1939 expedition of science and discovery. The exploits of earlier explorers (Shackleton, Amundsen, Scott) and the great hardships and perils they endured in their quest to traverse the region are well documented. By the late 1920s, the intent of Antarctic exploration began to change. The expeditions became larger government projects that were beyond the scope of a single person to plan, to generate funds, and to execute. The 1939 Byrd expedition exemplifies the transition from exploration to scientific research as the goal of these missions. 25 year old Charles Passel takes the reader aboard the North Star when the expedition sailed from Boston on 15 November 1939. Passel's simple, direct narrative captures the essence of Antarctic expedition life in the 1930s as few other accounts have, offering the reader insight into daily routine as well as a genuine sense of being at West Base Unit, 1939-41. Unlike many formal published accounts of other explorers that filter out the loneliness and isolation, Ice expresses the real concerns of a young man for his family and fiancee so far from his windblown Antarctic station. Ice is a simple, heroic, personal, "window in time", revealing to the reader what it was truly like to be 25 and a member of the Byrd expedition almost 60 years ago. Highly recommended! -- Midwest Book Review

About the Author

Charles and Alda Passel have been married for fifty-five years. They reside in Abilene, Texas. T.H. Baughman is chair of the history department of Benedictine College, Atchison, Kansas. He is the author of Before the Heroes Came: Antarctica in the 1890s.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 480 pages
• Publisher: Texas Tech University Press; First edition (January 15, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 089672347X
• ISBN-13: 978-0896723474
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,714,719 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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