TO THE SOUTH POLE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 901, 22 August 1910, Page 5

TO THE SOUTH POLE.

CAPTAIN SCOTT'S EXPEDITION. ', THOROUGH IN ALL DEPARTMENTS, The Terra Nova, which left her berth ia ' the Thames recently bound.for the Ant-.■'■',-arctic, carries the majority of thoss who are to accompany Captain Scott in his endeavour to reach the South Pole. Captain Scott rightly counts himself leader of the most thoroughly organised expedition in the history, of Polar exploration.. . Captain Robert' Falcon -Scott is a man . of keen sentiment and enormous enthusi-; asms, but they are hidden below the surface of a, very placid and unconcerned demeanour. The traditions of the naval service on tho one hand and of the great explorers on the other inspirehini.' Clean-'. shaven; -with a strong and determined" face, tight firmlins, and keen but kindly light-blue 'eyes, he is nearly forty-two years of age, and it is his birthday on June 6, though he may forget the circuinv stance. He has. more to think- of now than the slow or quick passing of his own years. He was thirty : thrce when he first set out towards the-South Pole ■ in the wonderful but too expensive and not over-satisfactory Discovery, in which he made the great expedition. which, penetrated farthest south for the;.time being. '. , . '. . . .As a good captain .he liked ; tho Dis--covery, despite her faults, and'if sentiment had been given full opportunity he ' might have taken her with him this time. . By a curious coincidence she has lain in. ,the docks within hailing distance of the ' Terra Nova, being in the service of theHudson's Bay Company, to whom sha' was sold when she had done her work,in the Antarctic. - ' Relief to the Discovery. '■■■':.; The first time he ever saw her he:resented her appearance.' He was out in the lonely Antarctic. then, cut off from./ ■ the world. It .was on a sunny morning in January six years ago, the Discovery wo« fast in the ice," and her situation, : and: indeed that of the whole expedition; was' a little serious. The Government had : guessed this, and had sent this old'but carefully chosen whaling vessel racing' through the Mediterranean and -Suez Canal, tugged along at top speed by . cruisers and more cruisers until, with.' the other relief ship, the Morning, she:' came up to ■ the edge of the Antarotio . pack. Captain' Scott and some of hi« companions were discussing after break-'. ■ fast-their plans for the day, whensud--denly.they saw a ship. Then Wilson' ex^' . claimed,""Why,..there's another!" and'• there was the Terra Nova. . The sight meant safety and'home again, but there were considerations which -made tho reflection not completely- delightful. Th» Antarctic has its ■ claims" and its hold, and the- explorer' has: a very .sensitive pride; and bo, before he turned in that night, Captain Scott, wrote in his diary: "In spite of the good home news, and in spite of the pleasure of'seeing'old friends ■ again; I was happier last night than I'.' am to-night." ~-■■ i "... :, Fitting Out the Terra Nova. ,However, he marked the''Terra Nova'' for her sterling worth,' and he paid' .£12,000 for her when he. determined on , this new expedition. In Hhe meantime, she 'had gone back to. her whaling and . he'had returned to the Navy to command - battleships, and oruisers. A fair amount - of money has now been spent oh her— - most carefully spent—and she has- be-, .come.a ship of good looks and some excellent conveniences. She has'to accom--modate nearly sixty officers, scientists and, crow, and with the three'years' provi- : sions that she, takes with her—all selected this time with the most exceptional thprv oughriess and packed in special cases,'so that no case is too.heavy for one'man • to. carry—there is -no- room to spare for anyone or anything. And yet. the scientists' laboratories and special ;• departments which have been constructed in her are big enough and well fitted and' complete. ' There is ; nothing wanting. . ~Tho ship ( was a schooner':bef6re, but she' is : rigged now as a barque. To -a 'niosV h unusual extent the. Discovery, while not a ship of the F.oyal Navy,'enjoyed rank • as such. She flew the naval ensign.; The ' .Terra Nova does not fly: that; but by' a .special grant of., privilege,- which .is very useful. as . well as ornamental, she be-' comes a member of: the Eoyal Yacht ' Squadron and flies its white ensign. It is a point also that she has officers and men aboard her .who are of the Navy, being lent by the Admiralty and remaining on-full pay. so that they may' avear their uniforms aboard. :; i ■.•■'.> ; A Well-organised Expedition. ■■ . -.• ; The'worthiness of the Terra"'Nova for" the work that is before her has been proved. And the men are splendid—in . all departments. Captain Scott -does not betray his own beliefs .and enthusiasms..but I have heard him say with; high/ fervour-in his words, "1 am. immensely ' pleased.with the organisation, the whole ' thing. : It. is most excellent." Second in command to him he has a bright and eager young officer nr Lieutenant Evans"•' who went out. to the' Antarctic before in': the Morning-relief ship; Mr. Skelton,. .' who, was chief engineer in the Discovery,' ' is with-, him also, and,a few others of old Antarctic'. associations. The rest, have been chosen from among hundreds Who volunteered. '."•"■■ ,V\' Little facts 'like these show' the: extraordinary ' thoroughness and. ■ determina,'' tion that characterise- this new enter-'' prise. Captain Oates, of the -Dragoon ■ Guards, is to be in charge, of the ponie.*-' that ore taken out. There is a 'man for everything,, biit not a'particle of waste-, lir man or. material.. , And the , whole , thing,'will cost less than' 250,000.. which is .not; half of the expense of the Dis-i covery expedition—The "Daily Mail'." '■'