TITLE: ADRIAN de GERLACHE; MADNESS in the ANTARCTIC NIGHT #1
2002 16X20 Inches

Adrian de Gerlache:
1866-1934, Belgian Explorer

"In the obscurity of the midday twilight we carried Lieutenant Danco's body
to a hole which had been cut in the ice, and committed it to the deep. A
bitter wind was blowing as, with bared heads, each of us silent, we left him
there...And the floe drifted on."

On the last day of February, 1898, the Belgica, commanded by Andre de
Gerlache, entered the pack ice and became locked in. For the next few days talk among
the crew suggested de Gerlache intentionally trapped them in the ice. They
knew he wanted the Belgica to be the first expedition to winter-over in
Antarctica. Without warning, they did. The men were crowded together, unable to
speak to each other due to language differences. Panic set in, brought on by
isolation, darkness and poor nutrition. By May the crew was suffering from
muscular spasms, lethargy, acute anxiety and an intense desire to get away from each
other. For thirteen months their situation did not improve, until the ice
finally set them free.