CHAPTER 5: IC - At Sea > NYC to Panama

[Mr. Handy]

"No," says Katie, "I'm ready."

[Job]

First Officer Turlow led Katie, Ernest, and George Barrow across the ship's main deck towards the bow and, just across from the fo'c's'le, he stopped at a square wooden hatch, unlocked it with a key, and opened it to reveal a metal ladder leading down a circular tube into pitch-blackness. From below could be heard creakings and echoings accompanied by the smell of fuel oil. "This ladder leads down into the Tweendeck cargo hold number one. I'll follow after you. When you reach the bottom, simply feel along the wall for the light switch; it'll be on your left."


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Job. (the tortured one)

[Mr. Handy]

Katie climbs down the ladder with growing excitement, hoping that the airplanes are stored down here. When she gets to the bottom, she follows Turlow's instructions and feels around for the light switch.

[Job]

Her descent down into the dark cargo hold seemed to extend a long way as she watched the circular opening above grow smaller and smaller. Finally, Katie felt a flat floor under her foot rather than a ladder rung, but could not see a thing. She could hear clinking and groans around her as if she were down in some midieval torture chamber. Feeling along the cold metal wall for the light switch was slow going, and she bumped into something that fell over with a loud echoing clatter causing her to jump!

After another minute of searching, her fingers touched a small metal box with a lever on the side, which she pulled to turn on the lights, such as they were. The area was dimly lit by four single light bulbs, each within an eighteen-inch diameter reflector and covered by sturdy grilles; these electric lamps were spaced equidistant from each other, hanging down on long extension cords from the overhead hatch, swaying back and forth with each movement of the ship and throwing long shadows that danced about the hold.

Number 1 Tweendeck and Lower Hold
As the rest of her group climbed down the ladder, Katie could see that this cargo area held the expedition's heavy equipment, but not her aeroplanes.

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Job. (the tortured one).

[Mr. Handy]

Katie moves out of the way of the bottom of the ladder so that the others can descend. She hides her disappointment at the planes not being in this hold, but she knows they must be in another one and is still eagerly anticipating seeing them for the first time. "Is this where they store the ice drill?" she asks.

[Job]

Katie moves out of the way of the bottom of the ladder so that the others can descend. She hides her disappointment at the planes not being in this hold, but she knows they must be in another one and is still eagerly anticipating seeing them for the first time. "Is this where they store the ice drill?" she asks.

"As a matter of fact, Miss Wright, this is indeed the cargo hold which contains the Pabodie Ice Drill, in that corner over there," and the First Officer points to an area in the back corner, packed with numerous huge crates. Turlow explained that this tween-deck hold contains the expedition's heavy equipment, including the snow tractors, generators, and a number of motorized toboggans from the Eliason corporation. The toboggans are new technology that we added based on the recommendation of Vito Luizzi and approved by Professor Moore for testing on the expedition.



"Below us is Lower Hold #1," said First Officer Turlow, "but the lower hold is almost entirely empty and contains only the oxygen tanks, carefully stowed and covered. There isn't much to see down there, so we'll skip visiting that area.

You'll notice that there are no hatches in the bulkheads that connect one Tweendeck Hold to the next," he said as he patted the sternward metal wall. "This is the same for the lower holds, and the only way to get from one hold to the next is to go up on the main deck and descend back down through the next hold's tophatch. Our girl, the Gabrielle was designed in this way so that if we sprung a leak, only that single affected hold would flood and the ship would therefore remain afloat. You might remember that the U.S.S. Titanic had a similar design so we're not implying that our Gabrielle is unsinkable, but our captain is well aware of the dangers of large icebergs and our crew will be keeping a careful watch around the clock."

"Are we ready to move on to Tweendeck Hold number two?"

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Job. (the tortured one)

[Mr. Handy]

"I'm ready," says Katie.

[Job]

"Alright then, let's be on our way. Ladies first," the First Officer looked at Katie and gestured towards the ladder. After Katie, George, and Ernest had climbed up, Turlow flipped the lever to turn off the cluster lights, then followed the three explorers. When climbing out onto the main deck, he drew forth his keys and locked the #1 hatch, then led the team to the hatch to Tweenhold number two, whereupon he unlocked the tophatch to enter.

Number 2 Tweendeck
Similar to the previous tweenhold, the team climbed down a ladder into darkness, flipping a lever at the bottom to turn on the lightbulbs that dangled from the ceiling's extension cords. A large gleaming silver aircraft was illuminated.

Turlow snapped off a description of the plane as if he were an experienced tour guide, "This is one of the workhorses of our expedition, A brand new specially-modified Boeing 247D with two Pratt & Whitney "Wasp" S1H1-G nine cylinder air-cooled radial engines, 550 horsepower each. The aeroplane has a range of two-thousand miles carrying five passengers plus equipment. Top speed is 200 miles per hour. We have a total of three of these planes; the other two are stored in cargo hold number four."

The craft had been carefully prepared and packed for the trip, with both wings removed beyond the engine nacelles, and the nose removed forward of the cockpit. It was securely lashed to the deck, with the top of its rudder just brushing the 12' high ceiling overhead. The two wing crates are each twenty-nine foot long and fifteen foot wide, and are lying flat on the deck, one on each side of the plane. The propellers and engines were also removed and stowed in large crates secured along the bulkheads, along with the nose and two spare crated engines and propellers.



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Job. (the tortured one)

[Mr. Handy]

Katie whistles appreciatively when she sees the plane and gazes at it in awe. She has long been looking forward to this moment. The Boeing 247D far outclasses her own single-engine Lockheed Vega, which is not quite as fast and doesn't have anywhere near the range. The mere thought of eventually flying one of these sleek machines makes her quiver with anticipation. "I think I'm in love," she says.

[Job]

Turlow laughs at Katie's remark and says, "I thought that might be your reaction, Miss Wright. I probably don't have to tell you, but for the sake of Misters Barrow and Roosevelt, allow me to note that these Boeing 247's are state of the art; the first aircraft to fully incorporate advances such as all-metal, anodized aluminum construction, a fully cantilevered wing, retractable landing gear, an autopilot, and de-icing boots for the wings and tailplane. This is the first aircraft of its size that can be flown on a single engine should the other fail. It has flown from New York City to Los Angeles in a time that was seven and a half hours shorter than that made by any previous airliners, counting stops for refueling. These machines are second to none," he said in a tone of voice almost as admiring as that of Katie Wright.

Number 2 Lower Hold
"Now we'll descend to the lower hold." The First Officer leads you back to the ladder and you climb down another twenty feet in the dark to to set your feet on a wooden floor. When the lights are turned on, you see a different type aeroplane that is sitting on top of wooden planking, and the wooden planks are sitting on top of dozens and dozens of drums of fuel oil that are packed tight within the confines of the hold and surrounded by a wooden structure to hold them in place. In fact, you realize that the plane is sitting on top of three layers of those dozens and dozens of 55-gallon drums of fuel oil... Ominously.


"The aircraft that you're looking at in this lower hold is a Fairchild monoplane, the FC-2W," said Paul Turlow. "This model was introduced in 1926 and uses the very same Pratt & Whitney "Wasp" engine that you saw on the Boeing above, which means that we can repair or replace it with parts from the others, and vice versa. This aircraft may not be as impressive as the 247D, but it has a well-earned reputation for toughness and reliability, seats up to four passengers, and has been specially outfitted with ski landing gear, short range radio equipment, a clock-driven sun compass, motion picture camera rack, and an electric engine heater." Similar to the other craft, the Fairchild was also packed for transport; the wings were folded back and held down by heavy cables, hooks, chains and ropes.

"And now we move back up to the main deck to move on to Tweendeck number three."



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Job. (the tortured one).

[Mr. Handy]

Katie climbs back up the ladder, reluctantly leaving the airplanes behind. I'll see you again, my darlings, she thinks.

[Job]

The group once again climbs up the ladders, Turlow re-locks the hatch for the #2 holds, and everyone moves to the #3 hatch which is directly in front of the midship superstructure. Officer Turlow then unlocks the tophatch and everyone descends again.
Link to ship floorplans


Number Three Tweendeck and Lower Hold
The number three tweendeck hold stores most of the expedition's camping and sledding supplies. Sleds, tents, tools, lamps, and rope are all strapped onto pallets or lashed out of the way. Unlike the previous two holds, however, there is nothing stored in the middle of this cargo hold. The large timber and metal-reinforced hatch cover--approximately 20 feet square--to the lower hold is in place, but nothing has been loaded onto it. Turlow explains, "The lower hold contains the heavy wooden ramp that we'll use to unload the ship alongside Antarctica's Ross Ice Shelf, so that will be the first item that we'll unload from the ship upon arrival, and therefore we're keeping access to it clear. Aside from the ramp, the lower hold only contains additional fuel drums, so there's nothing to really see down there and we'll instead move on to Tweendeck Hold number four and the refrigerated hold, which is more commonly called the reefer space."

The ritual of turning off the lights, climbing up, locking, walking across the main deck, unlocking, climbing down, and turning on lights is repeated.

Number Four Tweendeck and Refrigerated "Reefer" Hold
Tweendeck hold number four contains another large silver Boeing 247 aeroplane, named the "Enderby," with its propeller, engines, and outer wing sections removed, crated, and stowed. Turlow points out two features about this #4 tweendeck hold that are unique from the previous tweendeck holds, "First, you'll notice this twelve-foot-wide sliding hatch set into in the bulkhead; the hatch leads into the refrigerated space that contains our perishable foods. And second, on the far side of this tweendeck hold--on the other side of the Boeing--there is a small, secure room that we'll visit in a moment." Turlow unlocks the large hatch to the reefer hold, slides it open a few feet, and allows everyone to enter the chilled area. Within you see large volumes of hanging frozen meats, stacked wooden crates of foodstuffs, shelves upon shelves of metal tins, and piles of canvas sacks filling any gaps. Along the far wall is a small enclosed area which the First Officer describes as containing the refrigeration equipment. When he unlocks this equipment room, you immediately notice a heavy smell of ammonia and that the area is filled with a large motorized compressor, tanks, ductwork, dials and gauges, steam lines, water pipes, and air vents to the deck above.

Explosives Shed
After everyone completes their inspection of the refrigerated space, the First Officer re-locks the equipment room door, and closes and locks the reefer's large hatch, then he leads everyone across the tweendeck hold past the aeroplane to the structure on the far side. The eight-foot-square shed is a sturdily built of large timbers and is completely surrounded by canvas sacks of cement; its door is locked with a large heavy padlock. Turlow says, "This room contains our expedition's explosives. I am the only one with the key to his room and I won't be opening it for you today, but this is where we store the dynamite. For protection and to minimize shocks, it is packed in wooden crates that rest within a bed of sand."

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Job. (the tortured one)

[Mr. Handy]

"At least once the expedition reaches Antarctica, the reefer space will no longer be necessary to keep things cold," says Katie.

[Job]

The First Officer looks at Katie for a moment, then laughs and says, "Yes, I suppose that is true. Once we reach Antarctica, we may well need the insulated refrigerator space to protect some items from becoming frozen!"

"If there are no questions, let us move on to Tweendeck hold number five, where we keep our dogs."

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Job. (the tortured one)

[Mr. Handy]

Katie heads back up to the main deck to follow Turlow to the next hold. She looks forward to meeting the dogs too, though not as much as she had to seeing the planes.

[Job]

Paul Turlow, Katie Wright, Ernest Roosevelt, and George Barrow continue their tour. They climb up the ladder from tweendeck hold number four to the main deck, then wait for Turlow to lock the hatch and walk to the stern of the ship to Tweendeck hold number five. The hatch was open and the barking of dogs could be heard from below.


One of the ship's crew was playing on the main deck with a large malamute, laughing and tossing pieces of pemmican high in the air for the dog to catch.

"Hello Olav," hailed Turlow, "is Buck behaving himself?"


Olav waved and replied, "Ja! Buck is happy to be here Mr. Turlow! You come to say hello to our family?" He hugged the dog and briskly ruffled its fur, then tossed another piece of food which Buck enthusiastically bounded after.

Turlow responded, "Yes, and I have a few crewmates to introduce! Olav, I'd like you to meet Katie Wright, our new aviator; Ernest Roosevelt, an explorer and writer; and George Barrow, one of our scientists. Everyone, this is Olav Snabjorn, one of our top dog wranglers."

Olav rose and shook hands with everyone, grinning broadly, "Hallo!". The sled dog, Buck, returned to sit at Olav's heel, tilting his head at the newcomers. Olav laughed, saying, "Buck is always the gentleman. Say hello to our friends, Buck! It's OK." Buck stood and walked over to the explorers, smelling and licking the hand of each of the explorers in turn, then he returned to Olav and dutifully waited.

"Please excuse us Olav, while I continue the tour with my group." Turlow then climbed down the ladder into tweendeck #5, followed by his tour-mates.

When descending into the hold, it became immediately obvious from the smell and the noise that this was where the dogs were housed. As everyone climbed down, the dogs became very excited, barking and yelping and jumping in their cages for attention. As everyone reached the tweendeck's floor, the First Officer pointed out that there were a total of thirty-six dogs on the expedition, enough for four sled teams. Wooden cages had been built, stacked two high with ramps to the upper cages. The dog handlers has also rigged an elaborate cage-and-pulley mechanism to raise and lower the dogs from the tweendeck hold to the main deck. Despite the strong smell, the tweendeck hold was immaculate! It was obvious that the dog handlers were taking very good care of the animals and were meticulous about keeping the area clean.

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Job. (the tortured one)

[Mr. Handy]

"Aww, they're adorable!" says Katie. She crouches in front of the cages with her hands on her thighs and smiles at the dogs. "Hey, fellas. How are you doing?"

[Job]

"Aww, they're adorable!" says Katie. She crouches in front of the cages with her hands on her thighs and smiles at the dogs. "Hey, fellas. How are you doing?"

All of the dogs were eager to greet their visitors, each loudly proclaiming that they were the one whom Katie should be spending her time with. All but one. In a cage off to the left, Katie noticed one very large dog that was all black in color; it sat, unmoving, watching her group intently.

Paul Turlow walked over and said, "This one is named Coffee. He not only doesn't ever bark and is huge for the breed, but he is exceedingly smart. He and Chinook, over there, are the lead dogs."


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Job. (the tortured one)

[Mr. Handy]

"They're such an affectionate bunch," says Katie. "Hello, Coffee. Don't be shy." She waves to him.

[Job]

Coffee remains in the back of the cage for a long while, watching Katie. His manner appears calm, relaxed, his ears upright, his back straight, his tail at rest. He was panting from the heat, tongue hanging down. At long last, he rises and moves slowly, cautiously, to the front where he sniffs at Katie's hand. He raises his large head, looks at Katie, tilts his head curiously, turns and moves again to the back of the cage to lie down.

"Aw, he likes you, Miss Wright," says the First Officer. "Normally he keeps his distance from strangers."


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Job. (the tortured one)