POLAR EXPLORATION TRAGEDIES.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 5, Issue 238, 29 December 1916, Page 8 (Supplement)

POLAR EXPLORATION TRAGEDIES.

IHE FATE SHACKETONS MEN ESCAPED.

The news that Sir Ernest Shackleion had been successful in rescuing the jnembers of his crew who were marooned on Elephant Island was rn--ceived in this country, says the "Scots.aian", with feelings of grtat satisfaction. Possibly owing to tho war, public interest in the affair was not so keen ■as it might have been, and perhaps .1 is only those win have been specially -interested in Sir Ernest Shaekleton's expedition who realise what the brave leadidr and his equally brave followers !iave accomplished. Frank Wild, to whom Sir Ernest •paid a very high tribute for his leadership, tact,' and force of character, indulges in no wild flights of imagination in his report. The trials and adventures of the party are told! in plain, unvarnished language. Disaster to an •expedition means only one thing unless there is a good supply of provisions and help is at hand. The marooned party iiad not a large supply of food, and it was only by drastically economising this that life was preserved until the relief arrived. And the food question was only one of the many difficulties which had to be overoomje. "The •weather continued appalling, say 3. AVild, which meant that fog, heavy' seas, bitter cold, and at i\ie time a blizzard blowing at seventy miles an hour made their position exceedingly .dangerous. Yet witn it all they won •through, and provided another example of high courage and determination, without which exploration in the Polar -regions would have l>een a failure. What we know of the Arctic and Antarctic zones is due to the pioneers of Arctic exploration, who showed •what might be achieved in spite of the tremendous odds. Tragedy upon tra--gedv followed each other in rapid suc.cession, yet there was no holding back.

SEARCH FOR THE NORTH-WEST PASSAGE.

The search for the North-West sage was responsible for a large num!»r of disasters. In 1610 Hudson, the famous explorer, set out on <an attempt to find the passage. His ship, «« vessel of fifty-five tons, was named the Discovery—a frail craft in which to undertake such a voyage. He discovered the bay which bears his name and •there the ship was hauled ashore, and the company settled down for the winter. . Provisions soon ran short, and the ignorant and cowardly crew, alarmed at the Arctic cold and the gathering ice, mutinied. In all the history of Arctic exploration, there is nothing to -compare 'with their barbarous behaviour. They resolved to get rid of "Hudson, and, putting him in a boat with his son, a boy of seven, and some invalid sailors, the little craft was turned adrift and the occupants were seen no more. Strange to relate no action was taken against these men :for their murderous conduct. In 1670 a. chanter was granted to certain noble parsonages giving them and their.successors the exqlusive right to the territories drained by the rivers Hailing into Hudson Bay, and the trade .thereof. Certain conditions were imposed, one of them being the promotion of geographical discovery. The Company were loth to do anything n 'the matter, until pressure was brought to bear upon them. In the course of •time several expeditions were fitted •out, and one of them undertaken in 1719, was entrusted to James Knight, who was described as being "most zealous in the cause of discovery, but ■ whose age had reached th<3 mature period of eighty years.''

A MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE

This enterprise left from Gravesen-1 f in two vessels —the Albany and the Dis. rovery—in June 1719, well supplied with provisions. Everything seemed favourable for a successful voyage, but the vessels mysteriously disappeared. No message came to throw any light iipon their fate, and many years passed before the mystery was cleared up. In 1767 the wrecks of these ships were found in the vicinity of Marble "Island. Two years later, Samuel Hearne, while engaged in the iwhale fishing in that quarter, met several Eskimos, greatly advanced in years, who were able to give him an account •of what happened to the ill-fated men. It seemed that the vessels arrived late in the autumn, and the larger of the two sustained severe damage in entering the harbour. The men, to the number of fifty, immediately set about building a house. Next summer the natives paid them a visit, and found numbers reduced, and the survivors ill. At the beginning of the second winter only twenty were living. That winter the' Eskimos built thenhousas on the opposite side of the hai - hour, and supplied the Englishmen with such (provisions ps th*y could v^pore. The Eskimos left in the spring, and on their return in the late summer, found only five survivors, who wei'e in such distiess for want of food that they ate the seals' flesh and whale's blubber raw as they purchased it._ This so upset them that three daed in a few 'days. The remaining two lived for many days, then one died. In attempting to dig a grave for his companion the other fell down and died also. A tragic story, but one which did not in any way deter others from exploring the tracts of the great unknown. In 1728 Vitus Retiring discovered the strait which bears his name, thus proving that America and Asia were two separate continents', and not joined together as was supposed to be the case But disaster overtook him in a later voyage in 1741 while exploring th" coast of America. He was shipwrecked, and died in December of that year.

FRANKLIN'S FIRST EXPEDITION

There was a great revival of interest -n Britain in Polar research in the oarly years of the nineteenth centnrv. Numerous expeditions sailed to the frozen North. In 1818 we first hear of Franklin, whose name was destined to become a household word in later yo&rs. He was then in command of the Trent-one of four vessels commissioned by the British Government, who had been roused to undertake a nev series of enterprises. The following year Franklin was -planed in charge of an expedition to explore, the North Coast of America. He sailed from Gravesend on May 22, 1819, in the Prince of Wales, a ship belonging to the Hudson Bay Company. Then began for Franklin amd his brave followers a time of hardship and suffering which almost proved too much for their powers of endurance. "The story of these days makes sad roading. Starvation loomed over before tlie travellers. Plans aarefullv made had to be abandoned. Had it -not been for tire bravery and self-sacri-fice of Lieutenant Back, who volunteered to co and make the neoessnrv arrangements for transporting th«

stares expected by Franklin at Fort Enterprise, the whole party would undoubtedly have perished. This necessitated a journey of over 1100 miles on snow-shoes by Back and his comrades, with no other covering at night than a blanket and a deerskin, with the thermometer frequently 40 degrees below zero.

Leaving Fort Enterprise on June 14, IS2I, the party sailed down the Coppermine River to the sea, and with the intention of returning at the close of the summer Franklin arranged with the Indians to lay in a store of provisions. A month later they embarked on the Arctic Ocean, and here a hitherto unexplored coast lay open for survey. Proceeding eastwards, they travelled for a distance of 650 miles. On 18th August they reached a point which Franklin suggestively named Cape Turuagain.

A PERILOUS RETREAT. Winter was showing signs of approaching, so Franklin decided to retreat. It was a terrible march, each day being filled with dangers and fears. Beset by storms, cold, and hunger, it was marvellous that anyone came through alive. Franklin suffered severely, but it was with difficulty he was persuaded to take even his share of the food. Several members of the party became so weak that they were unable to keep up with the others. When within a few days' journey of Fort Enterprise, Franklin and six of his companions set out to reach the fort and bring relief. Two of the party turned lock at the end of a day's march, but Franklin and the other four pressed on. They reached the fort after enduring terrible suffering, only to find the place deserted. No sign of the Indians, and no sign of the stores —it was a heartrending blow to the hopes of the dauntless explorer. However, Back, who had reached Fort Enterprise by another route two days before, had. left word that he was going in search df the Indians. It was weary work waiting upon tho expected relief, but Franklin's fortitude and undying courage did much to cheer his comrades. Of "those who had been left behind, two struggled into camp (With a pitiful tale. One had died, and the two who had left Franklin to rejoin the others were never seen again. On November 7th the expected relief came. Back, successful in his search for. the Indians, had dispatched a number of them with a light load of provisions in order that they might travel quickly. A few days later, a further batch of Indians arrived with a plentiful supply of provisions, and under their caw the dying men were nursed back to life. Thle small band of explorers reached England in the following October. Thus terminated the Idng, fatiguing, and disastrous travels iji North America, Franklin and his companions having journeyed by land and water 5550 miles, and being absent for three years. In 1825 Franklin embarked upon his second enterprise, which was successfully accomplished. On his return he was made the recipient of many honours, including a knighthood.

FRANKLINS LAST VOYAGE. After an interval of about twenty years Franklin ventured .once again into the Arctic circie. The story of the enterprise has been referred to as one of the most pathetic in the histoy of Polar exploration, involving as it did the death of the gallant leader and of all who accompanied l him. In 1846 the Admiralty expeditions were resumed, with the intentiojn of discovering if possible a north-west passage from th; Atlantic to the Pacific. Two ships, the Erebus and the Tenor, were commissioned, and Franklin was appointed to command, in spite of the fact that he was in his sixtieth year. Amid the thunder of the guns of the Fleet, the vessels set out joyfully upon the journey which was to be their last. All went well until the expedition crossed to Lancaster Sound. It then disappeared for ever into the mountains of ice. Two years passed with no word from Franklin. Then began the search for the missing explorer which interested the whole world. Relief parties wero