THE AURORA

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2893, 4 October 1916, Page 6

THE AURORA

HER RELIEF VOYAGE PROBABLY SAIL IN DECEMBER ' i A. statement was made by the Hon. Dr. M'Nab yesterday regarding a cabled announcement of Sir Ernest Sli.Tcklcton that lie was going to take tho Aurora south to the Ross Sea to bring oIF the men left there. , Lieutenant Sliaeklet.on is reported to have sent to England tho. following' message : — "I atn proceeding by tho first available boat, leaving Buenos Aires on October 9, for England. '1 will spend a few days there to adjust the affairs of the expedition, and then leave with all haste for Australia, and personal]}' lead the Ross Sea rejicf party. I con- '' sider that nothing will be gained ' by- the Aurora leaving New Zealand before the first week in' January, as'the ice conditions will bo much better than earlier, and a speedy passage is possible." "Tho position regarding Ijhe Aurora is this,"' said Dr. M'Nab! "The British Government are finding half tho cost of the refitting, and the Now Zealand and Australian Governments are dividing the, other half. The three Governments have arranged that Captain Davies, who accompanied Captain Scott on his voyage towards the South. Pole, shall command : tho ship. Evidently Lieutenant Shackleton was not aware oT wTiat had been done, and understood that this voyage was part of the original expedition, but it is not. The Aurora is being sent as a relief ship, and has no conncetion whatever with the Shackleton expedition except that the ship goes to relievo some of Shackloton's men. Captain Davies is to arrive from Melbourne by the Palooija, and will probably reach Bluff early nexh Week. Wo anticipate that the Aurora will sail for tho Ross Sea early in December. The actual date of sailing will depend upon the decision of the commander. The work of refitting is now nearing completion, but it has been so distributed that it will probably go an right hp to the sailing date." =====