Mrs. William H. Hoover was the wife of a scientist from New York (U.S.A.) in 1930. The couple had an 18-month-old daughter, Betty. Mr. Hoover was starting a three-year project for The National Geographic Society and The Smithsonian Institute on a mountain in South Africa. Mrs. Hoover and Betty accompanied Mr. Hoover. She chronicled their adventures in "Keeping House for the Shepherds of the Sun," National Geographic Magazine, April, 1930.
Along with observatories in Chile and California, the purpose of this expedition was to "report daily variations in the heat of the sun that reaches the earth. Every activity on the face of the earth is dependent on the sun's radiation" (p. 483). Two scientists, along with local help, planned to "set up and operate a solar-radiation observatory on Mount Brukkaros, a lonely volcanic mountain that rises from an arid plain of South West Africa" (p. 483).
After a long journey to Africa, Betty and Mrs. Hoover stayed in the town of Keetmanshoop for ten weeks while their house on the side of the mountain was made ready. They enjoyed the company of many new friends in the town. "Only business people have telephones; so rather than trudge to the other end of the town through the heat and glare and sand to invite your friend to morning tea, you send your house-boy with a note" (p. 486). Every household had at least one servant. As the temperature in town frequently surpassed 100 degrees, Mrs. Hoover looked forward to being in the country.
Mrs. Hoover's first problem in her new home involved a cow; she would not go without milk for her child. It was so dry in the district that cows were not giving milk. The scientists bought a suitable cow who refused to go up their mountain; they went to the cow and brought milk up the mountain. Cow #1 apparently was found dead of a snakebite in a short time. Cow #2 readily came up the mountain, gave milk, but broke its leg. Cow #3 worked out well.
Life in a remote location was not easy. "The first seven or eight months were indeed discouraging. The flatness, the dryness, the barenness, the cruelty of that seemingly endless desert plain struck me full force. My heart sank at the idea of three years in this" (p. 486).
Another problem occupied much of their time. Water was the expedition's biggest problem. Not enough rain could be caught from the roofs to supply the family. Donkeys brought two ten-gallon cans of water every day, up the mile-long, blistering trail, from the water hole" (photo caption, p. 488).
There were several amenities the wife/mother enjoyed in her small kitchen. "They had set up the sink with a trap and outlet, although we couldn't have running water. The water was stored in two big forty-gallon cans just outside the kitchen door. We soon got used to stepping outside the door and dipping out what we needed. The gasoline stove was a joy. Wood and coal were out of the question; the donkeys had enough other things to bring up the trail" (p. 491).
Without electricity, there was no refrigerator and no ice. For food, "we had to use lots of tinned things, and cook or eat anything which wouldn't keep, as soon as it arrived. Dried beans and peas, onions, squash, cabbages, and pumpkins were frequently on our menu that first summer" (p. 494).
Finally the freezer they ordered arrived. It had a gasoline motor. "Such a celebration when it was all finished and began to run!" (p. 495). During Christmas, the group heard tales from town of heat 118 degrees in the shade" (p. 493).
Mrs. Hoover had little time for leisure; "The days were busy ones. I had to be Betty's playmate" (p. 495). One adventure involved a leopard. It was stealing chickens from their coop. The men hunted and killed the leopard which was seven feet long. "Our only other dangerous creatures were snakes. The men killed several black ringhals, cobras that spit poison. . .Once we found one coiled in Betty's doorway. We screened the house immediately (p. 503). . .we always keep a supply of snake-bite serum on hand" (p. 505).
In addition to the severe heat, the area had a rainy season during which the local rivers became impassable. After a storm lasting four days, there was relief. "On a beautiful, clear, crisp morning, a great calm after one of these gales, we awoke with a feeling that everything had relaxed during the night. . .We went out on the stoop for some deep breaths. On the ridge opposite the house were three beautiful cliff springers silhouetted against the sky. They are the swiftest and most graceful bucks of all, their eyes the softest and most beautiful of any animal I know" (p. 506). Mrs. Hoover enjoyed the sun and dreamed of home in New York. Then suddenly she realized, "I had become acclimated!" (p. 506).
No longer will I take for granted my home and my lifestyle! And I look forward to the official report of the Mount Brukkaros expedition in a future National Geographic Magazine!
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