Mr Boris Daniels, the Russian student, who volunteered to get to Lake Coleridge on skis.
Caption: Mr Boris Daniels, the Russian student, who volunteered to get to Lake Coleridge on skis. The skis were lent by Mr J. J. Kinsey. They were taken to the South Pole by Captain Scott, and are naturally much-prized relics. Mr Daniels, in spite of no practice for seven years, showed himself at once an expert skier, and found no difficulty in working his way up the gorge, until he met Mr Blackwood's party, meeting with no mishaps on the way. He delivered Mr Birks's message, and next day returned to Hororata, where our representative secured the above photograph.
Description: The unprecedented snowfall in North Canterbury brought the breakdown in supply of electricity from Lake Coleridge. The greatest difficulty for the Public Works Department was to communicate with the powerhouse at Lake Coleridge, as the telephone wires were down and the deep soft snow proved to be impassible to all forms of transport, from foot to traction engine. It was necessary to get in touch with the powerhouse so that the current was not turned on until the line was clear of all working parties. Mr Boris Daniels undertook to get through on skis and he got to Point Hut, 13 miles from the powerhouse on Thursday.
Related information: Full details and further photos are found in The weekly press, 10 July 1918 and 17 July 1918.
Source: The weekly press, 10 July 1918, p. 30
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