冰山，牛奶和穆斯

几个世纪以来，南极洲的神秘大陆吸引了探险家和梦想家。通过科学发现的可能性或在那里生存困难所带来的挑战，冰的警笛声吸引了许多人。但是，有四位无畏的探险家从未问过，甚至不想去那里。从1934年1月到1935年2月，他们在竭尽所能支持探险队的同时，勇敢地吹嘘他们的探险家的寒冷，风暴和异想天开。

In 1928 when Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd, Jr. announced his intention to go to Antarctica and explore the continent by airplane, he quickly found financial backing for his quest from wealthy Americans and private citizens. Among his many accomplishments, Byrd was famous as the navigator on a 1926 trip that he and pilot Floyd Bennett claimed was the first airplane flight over the North Pole. This trip to Antarctica would now make him the first American explorer there since Charles Wilkes’ U.S. Exploring Expedition in 1840. The successful 1928-1930 expedition launched a public revival of interest in Antarctica and more interest on Byrd. Along with the scientific research, the team established Little America base on the Ross Ice Shelf and Byrd made the first airplane flight over the South Pole.

但是，当伯德（Byrd）开始寻找计划于1933 - 1935年计划的第二次旅行的资金时，他发现试图说服潜在的投资者，需要额外的地理探索和科学研究非常困难。尤其是当该国仍然受到抑郁症时代气候的阻碍时。伯德的解决方案是通过合作伙伴关系筹集资金，这些伙伴关系不仅可以为这次探险付费并推销探险，还可以通过产品和宣传来赚钱。派拉蒙电影，CBS广播，通用食品和其他公司签署。他们在金钱和物资上的投资使他们有机会拍摄探险队，赞助广播节目，并通过团队的采访和更新，并制作纪念品。伯德（Byrd）第二次前往南极洲，每个参与的人都在全球宣传。

伯德的另一个想法是，与美国根西岛牛俱乐部合作，将三头牛带到南极洲，“创造乳制品史”。这并不是完全的宣传特技，因为据报道伯德每天喝两夸脱的牛奶，不喜欢更容易运输的粉状粉。乳制品行业进行了一项积极的广告活动，以说服公众对成人和儿童都是健康且必要的食物。伯德的行动将进一步加强这种信念。

The three cows came from prominent dairy farms and were loaned to Byrd for two years. The plan was that a cameraman from Paramount would travel with them to film their experiences for a movie titled “Guernseys Discover Antarctica” and upon their return, the cows would be exhibited around the country at fairs and exhibitions with all the expected media fanfare. At the end of the two years, they would return home to their pastures.

Foremost Southern Girl from New York, Deerfoot Guernsey Maid from Massachusetts and Klondike Gay Nira from North Carolina were the chosen bovines. Klondike was the last one chosen because Byrd wanted a pregnant cow who would give birth to the first cow born in Antarctica. Their supplies were donated by investors and their care was entrusted to ship’s carpenter, Edgar F. Cox, who also owned a small dairy farm.

奶牛在一种社会RUPPERT雅各l shelter built on the deck and then moved inside as the ship approached colder climates. They seemed to have no problems adapting to the voyage, but their more than 15,000 mile journey couldn’t have been very pleasant, especially when their trip was delayed due to severe weather. The delay would also end up thwarting some of Byrd’s plans because Klondike gave birth to her bull calf about 250 miles before they reached the Northern Antarctic Circle. Edgar Cox had spotted icebergs just a couple days before the birth, so he named the calf Iceberg.

当他们于1934年2月3日到达南极洲时，Deerfoot是第一位在南极洲大陆上踩踏或蹄的母牛。不确定自己的成就给人留下了深刻的印象，但是南方女孩绝对不是冰雪的粉丝。一旦她的蹄子碰到它，她就旋转了，朝船的舷梯驶上，在机组人员设法哄骗她退缩之前，它升至顶部。奶牛和探险家不得不行驶2.5英里到他们在Little America Base的临时房屋，所有奶牛都步行了，除了乘车旅行，然后由Edgar携带。

A large tent served as their temporary home on the ice but it didn’t stop the cows from suffering frostbite. At night they froze to the ground and each morning they had to be pried off the ice so they could stand up. As soon as a heavily insulated barn was made from thick bales of hay with a raised platform for them to stand on, they were moved and their frostbite began to heal. But for Klondike, the move came too late. The frostbite damage caused large wounds on her skin that never fully healed. On December 16, 1934 Edgar had to make the difficult decision to euthanize and bury her. Because the explorers had grown so fond of their little herd, the other cows were moved elsewhere and the men held their hands over their ears so they wouldn’t hear the gun. Klondike was buried not too far from Little America.

The cows produced about three times as much milk as the expedition could possibly drink even though their milk production gradually decreased as time passed. Iceberg grew from a calf to a strong bull. And then it was time to head back north. In February of 1935, the two cows and bull were loaded back onto the JACOB RUPPERT, all in good health. Although public interest in the expedition had waned as their time in Antarctica lengthened, their return to Virginia in 1935 was met with much excitement. As planned, the cows traveled across the country, ‘meeting’ dignitaries, state and local officials. They went to Washington DC, Chicago and even attended a luncheon at the Hotel Commodore in New York where Iceberg “grunted vociferously” throughout the speeches. Byrd described their reactions, saying their expressions were the same melancholy look “with which they contemplated the whole expedition.”

之后？牛回到了他们的农场。冰山被送往北卡罗来纳州埃尔金的母亲克隆代克农场的家中，据说他和里基茨一起到达，维生素D缺乏症是如此严重，以至于他没有被“被认为用作牛”。他逐渐受到护理的护理，他仍然是1947年的旅游景点。冰山也成为了美国民间英雄，并以纪念他的奖牌。Deerfoot从未失去过她在南极洲长大的冬季外套。她回到了马萨诸塞州的Deerfoot Farms，一直居住到1942年。最重要的南方女孩返回纽约霍普韦尔交界处的埃马丁农场，在那里她住在350头根西奶牛的宠儿中，这些牛群是为他们提供的，这些牛是由在捐赠基础下建立的捐赠者。著名商人J. C. Penny，农场的所有者。

谢谢阅读！