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Thoughts through Space – Sir Hubert Wilkins and Harold M Sherman

The weather on the 16th disappointed the forecasters as much as it disappointed us: it suddenly turned for the worse instead of the better, and we were grounded-without option. It grieved me considerably, since I had set my heart on a flight in the December moonlight. But, on the ground, I was able that night to keep my appointment with Sherman. There was little of a striking nature to review except that Gillam, the pilot, with his patched-up machine, had come in safely; that we were stymied, and that a mail plane from Fairbanks had brought some personal mail.

Sherman’s report on the night of the 15th of December included:

 "Though this is the day you announced for your take-off can’t feel you this moment in the air; standing by - impression you disturbed account time of moon favourable - definite 'grounded' sensation - temporary stand-still nothing you can do about it.

Another pilot, not connected with your expedition . . . can he be mail pilot? See you reading quantity of mail. Triangle impression - are you to fly out from a point or base which represents apex of triangle, then veer right or left as case may be, and come back to original base? I see such lines drawn on a map . . . on next flight you appear to invert the triangle with its straight line base in line with your starting point. This has been given much study."

I had no thought of 'willing" to Sherman anything about the direction of flights. It was my custom to try to "get across" only the things that had happened. Yet, together with the two strong thoughts- "grounded" and "another pilot"-he had actually picked up what had occupied my mind most of the day.

Just as he described it, I was pondering whether to go out from Point Barrow, follow a triangular course which would return us to Barrow, or to fly a triangular course which would take us back to Aklavik. I had marked off both routes on my map, and decided that the weather experienced on the flight plus information reported from Point Barrow and Aklavik (while at the farthest point out) would have to determine the direction of our return.

All of this obviously was beyond the possibility of having reached Sherman in New York by any mechanical means. My mind alone had been occupied by this particular problem, and I was at Point Barrow more than three thousand miles away from Sherman in New York.

From the 16th to the 21st of December-the full-moon period-the weather was so bad that there was no possibility of going out over the ice. The delay was certainly irksome-to say the least.

Sherman, on the 20th, recorded the "irksome" symptoms, and a number of incidentals which were correct. Such as, "Dyne winning a game at cards . . . and you have some rare wine. "

The men played cards occasionally, and we had wine at one or another of the homes now and again. That particular night we had some locally made blueberry wine which was very good.