AN ANTARCTIC EPIC.

Hokitika Guardian, 22 November 1919, Page 4

AN ANTARCTIC EPIC.

GREATEST SLEDGING FEAT

KNOWN

THRILLING FIGHT FOR LIFE.

Mr Ernest E. Mills Joyce, at present in Wellington, who has been appointed second in command of the British Imperial Antarctic Expedition, is an ex-naval man with a fine record (says the “Dominion”). He is a man of splendid physique and is well fitted for the position, having been in command of the Ross Sea leg of the Shackleton Expedition of 1914-17, after the death of Captain Mackintosh. Mr Joyce was educated at the Greenwich Royal School, and entered the Royal Navy in 1891. His first taste of polar life was when he went to Iceland in 1893. After that he spent three years on the coast of Newfoundland, and was on H.M.S. Sybil when she was wrecked on the coast of South Africa in 1900. He was a member of the famous Naval Brigade which served in the South African campaign, and when the late Captain Scott called at Cape Town en route for the Antartic, he joined that expedition, returning safe and sound in 1904.

It was his good work on the Discovery which brought him under the notice of Sir Ernest Shackleton, and when in 1906 the latter was fitting out his expedition Mr Joyce, then in charge of the boom defence at Gibraltar, forsook the Navy, and took charge of the sledges, dogs, and stores with that expedition. It was Mr Joyce who published the first book ever printed in the Arctic or Antarctic. There were only a limited number of copies of “Aurora Australis,” and they were all disposed of at twenty guineas per copy. He returned from the Shackleton Expedition in 1909, and coming out to Australia served as. an officer of the. Sydney Harbour Trust for three years. He then joined the Shackleton Expedition of 1914. This expedition (or his half of it) suffered great privation, througn the ship breaking away unexpectedly, but despite the hardships and sufferings the objective of the party was achieved. The story of the sledging journey was described by Sir Ernest Shackleton as “One of the biggest deeds in polar exploration.” THE LONG TRAVERSE.

The party consisted of two sections of three men each. One consisted of Captain Mackintosh, Rev Spencer Smith, and Mr Ernest Wild, R.N., and the other of Messrs Joyce, R.. Richards, and T. Hayward (with four dogs). The parties met in 82deg. south in January after having been out since the previous September. They proceeded, south, and in 83deg. Spencer Smith gave out. He was left in a tent with provisions, and the rest left to lay the depots at 83.30 deg., which was accomplished. On the return they picked up Smith and put him on a sledge, and started back on their 4QO-mile v trek across the ice. They got within two miles of Captain Scott’s grave, when they were overtaken by a blizzard which lasted fourteen days, but on the sixth day Joyce decided to get under way as the provisions were giving out. They had their last feed, and owing to extreme weakness it took four hours to pack the sledges. Spencer Smith fainted as tie was placed on the sledge. After the party got under way, Mackintosh collapsed. Joyce then decided ito leave the two invalids with Wild to llook after them, in order to try and (make the depot ahead, and he left with the blizzard still raging at a rate of from 40 to 60 miles an houlr. All the food was turned over to Wild. It consisted of 16 biscuits and *2) ounces of meat extract. The depot was ten miles away. Joyce started off with Richards and Hayward and four dogs, and practically an empty sledge. After fourteen hours’ travelling three miles and eight hundred yards were covered, whereas six weeks before they had been able to do ten miles a day with 13801 b, on the sledge—now they were only dragging 2001 b. THE HUT SIGHTED. On the fourth day after leaving the sick men the depot was sighted. They had been without food for the whole 1 time, and the dogs for five days, but Joyce would not kjill the dogs, . as- lie knew it would be impossible-to. return and drag back the sick men without their aid, and Joyce says -that they were more human and better companions during this time of stress.than could be imagined. They just crawled to the depot, taking over two hours to cover the last hundred yards. Then followed the struggle of pitching the tent. Under ordinary circumstances it would take five minutes, but owing to their awful weakness the job took over two hours. With the tent up, they were able to light a “Primus” stove, and a cup of hot dried milk! was served.: It seemed to fill them all; up. In the meantime the dogs were given plenty of pemmican, but it was hours before they attempted:to l eat, so extreme was their utter exhaustion All this time the blizzard was raging, and the temperature, 25 degrees below zero,‘made things very uncomfortable. The party got their strength hack gradually by feeding every two hours. On the second day they decided to steer south, again to rescue their comrades, though the blizzard still' continued with unabated fury. When they were all ready they could not get the dogs to budge, so he turned their heads to the north and they went away at high speed, but as soon as they were turned to the south they stopped dead, and looked at one another with such wistful eyes, which said as plainly as possible: “I don’t want to go.” After an hour’s coaxing they went forward slowly, but after an hour’s march Hayward, who had been complaining, collapsed. His legs refused to go—scurvy, had got him. He had spent some years in Northern Canada, and was a very strong man, hut onoe scurvy gets its} grip on a man there is no. cure save fresh food, and the party was over 100 miles from that. Hayward was put on the sledge, and Joyce and Richards, with the four dogs, advanced slowly through the howling blizzard. On the seventh day after leaving the sick' party, they found them again. Wild came out of the hut and reported that j the invalids were still alive, hut ex- . tremely weak. Shortly after arrival j they had food, and Joyce, Richards, ' and Wild dug tents and sledge out of 1 the frozen snow and got going again. ! THE TREK TO THE BASE.

The predicament of having three sick men, and only:three well ones and four dogs to drag them over 100 miles was a