THE ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIII, Issue 9090, 9 March 1908, Page 5

THE ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION.

LIEUT. SHAOKLETONS’ REPORT.

Press Association. Christchurch, March 7. In Saturday’s issue appeared the first portion of Lieut. Shackleton’s report of the arrival of the Nimrod in sight of the great ice barrier. He continued:—At noon we were close to the wonderful rampart, which had so far guarded the secrets of the South from the attack of ships. Rising sheer from the water to a height of 150 feet, and stretching east and west as far as the eye could see, it truly is one of the wonders of the world. At once we turned to the eastward and steamed along the ice wall, and passing a deep inlet, towards midnight we turned a sharp corner opening into a wide bay filled with ice on which were numbers of seals, and penguins. The whole bay was alive with huge finned backed whales. To the South about seven miles and across packed ice, rose a steep cliff of ice, beyond which to the eastward were high undulations terminating in very steep hills, and rising to heights of 1000 feet approximately. No bare rock was visible. Pack ice lay thick to the

eastward and northward interspersed with huge bergs and land ice, but an open lead gave us a passage to the north. Passing this section of the pack we steamed down close to the barrier again. At 8 p.m. we turned another sharp corner, round which we went. The barrier trended northeastward. Now'we passed the position of the inlet, where we hoped to have wintered, but found it broken away. This matter was the first serious check, as everything was ready for discharging, but our prospective port had disappeared. We steamed on eastward to try and reach the actual laud—King Edward YII. Land—but soon were barred from this route by ice, which pressed up close against the barrier. To add to my anxiety the pack was rapidly closing in behind us. With the knowledge of what this would mean to our little ship, I turned round just clearing the corner of the barrier by a bare 50 yards. What we escaped can be realised if one imagines one in a little boat close under the white cliffs of Dover, and one sees great solid masses, some as large and high as the Royal Exchange, the Bank of England or the new War Office, and some as long as Fleet street or Northumberland Avenue, all moving down to crush the little vessel, then one can gather the seriousness of our position. On clearing the point we steamed back along the barrier in the afternoon, entering _ the bay again, and found the barrier broke away, taking some 15 miles of [ice, leaving a sheer ice face of 150 feet in height. It -was not until 8- p.m. that we found an opening to the north through heavy ice. Again I turned east to try and reach Eastern Laud. All night wo pursued a zigzag course, sometimes steaming into an apparently open sea only to be brought up by close-screwed, hummocked up packs of huge bergs. At (5 p.m. next day, we went further west than the day before, and well to the north. In the evening wind sprang up from the northwest with squalls of driving hail and snow, so thick that we had to go slow, our horizon being limited to a few yards. Once it cleared up, and I saw the ice rapidly closing round us, so reluctantly I gave orders 'to turn back. It was not until 1 a.m. next morning that we cleared the ice to the north. The only thing I could do was to seek winter quarters in Macmur’s Sound. Our very limited and rapidly decreasing coal would not allow further time to go anywhere else and the strained condition of the ship caused grave anxiety to me. There seemed absolutely no prospect of reaching King Edward YII. Land, which was barred by impenetrable ice. The only expedition which was fortunate enough to find clear water was the Discovery in 1902. Foiled in reaching either of these places, we, slowly battling against a strong west wind, made to“Macmur’s Sound, which lay under the shadow of the mighty active volcano Mount Erebus. We steamed down the Sound on the morning of January 20th. We might reach the winter quarters of the Discovery, but 10 a.m, found ourselves held up 20 miles off the goal. When the Discovery entered in 1901, she had an absolutely ice free sea to her®winter quarters. We tried ramming the ice, but in a few minutes realised that we might as well have tried to ram through the Great Pyramid, so I tied the ship up to the ice face, and prayed for a northerly swell to break up the ice. We lay at the edge of the ice till February 3rd, making only a trip west to see if there posisbly was a place to winter in on the ,western shore, but we found the ice extending all round. During this time, about one mile of ice broke away. On the return of the party which I sent to our old quarters, they reported that the ice was solid all the way in. I felt I must not delay longer but must seek new winter quarters on the eastern shore in the north ice. Whilst getting some stores on deck an unforunate accident occurred to one of the landing party, Mr Macintosh, who was struck in the right eye by a hook, necesitatiug the removal of the eye. He is now doing well, and has returned in the Nimrod. I am deeply grieved about him, and appreciate fully the great loss he is to us as a valuable member of my staff. I eventually decided to make winter in Cape Royds, and the work of discharging sfores, building huts, etc., began. It was under great difficulties, for a great proportiou*had*to be done in boats under exceptionally trying conditions. The weather was very unsettled and boisterous. The temperature was low, falling daily. On February 19th the Nimrod was blown away. For three days continued thick driving snow, with a temperature of 16 deg. below zero, and a very high short sea continually breaking over her, freezing on all ropes and sides and accumulating in great masses of ice fore and aft the ship. I had to cut away part of the bulwarks to allow the ship to free herself of the water which was frequently up to the men’s waists, All the ports were frozen fast in the trunk. The men were continually working. to keep clear with axes and crowbars.. All hands were wearing the ship about every four and six hours, avoiding great bergs and heavy floes ot’land ice"with great difficulty. The ship was blown over 40 miles N.N. W. in spite of trying to work to windward under full steam. Men, ponies and dogs ae all fit and well. Two of the ponies were nearly lost, one falling between two huge floes of land ice when the ice broke up in the bay. He was saved with great difficulty, and had

-to he literally, lifted'out with a rope. A" hufc was built in a sheltered valley at the foot of Mount Erebus on Cape Reds, about 20 miles north of the Discorvery’w-' quarters. It- is well sheltered from the .southerly winds. The Nimrod-wili return in January 1910. (Signed) Shwckleton.