Shackleton’s Expedition

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 6, 5 August 1916, Page 3

Shackleton’s Expedition

A THRILLING STORY. I’r s Association—Copyright, Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. , London, August 4. Monish, Vincent, and McCarthy, three of the crew of the Endurance, who volunteered to accompany Sir E. Shackleton in a small bolt from Elephant Island, have arrived in London. Monish, in an interview, was optimistic as to the chances of those marooned on Elephant Island, especially under the able leadership of Wild. The worst feature is that the marooned men may think the small boat had foundered. There was one chance in a hundred that the boat would get through. When they first landed at Elephant Island, Wild prospected and found a camn in the nnvf'i-west and -it was christened Wild’s Beach. It was wild in every sense; the wind blew everlastingly, and they had to crawl on hands and knees v to make headway. In the Weddel Sea there was absolute calm and we called it “windless sea,” but at Elephant Island it was always blowing gales, and. the journey was worse than the expectations. When things seemed hopeless, Shackleton rose as usual to the occasion. “We are going to get there all right,” he said, and they did, but had the greatest*difficulty in making South Georgia through enormous seas on a dead lea slump .-.“lf Shackleton hadn’t set a reeled sail,” said Monish, “we wouldn’t have been alive now. As it was, we had to bale continuously, but the wind shifted at a critical moment, in our favor. Our water was exhausted, we reached the wrong side of South Georgia. All were frost-bitten. We managed to kill three albatrosses, and that gave us a supply of much-needed food. We had tasted nothing nicer since we had clog cutlets, when the Endurance was smashed.” .... ... * ... ■?..*»

thrilling story of the ice. miracles save the party. Pres.? Association—Copyright, Australian" and N.Z. Cable Association. m ■ Biiu vi r » (Received 9.25 a.m.) London, August 4. Morish tells a thrilling story oi Shackleton’s perilous voyage for Elephant Island. Ho says: There was one chance in a hundred that the small boat would ever get through, and only by a miracle did wo escape drowning. Wo decided to push on to the nearest island, and fitted the largest boat with box lids and canvas, but it seemed a crazy craft in which to sail 750 miles through ice and gales. Ice was constantly forming on the boat, and one man was employed all the time cutting it dway. We had to jettison our supplies to keep the boat 1 afloat. We lost a sea anchor owing to the rope being cut by the ice. Wo never saw Shackleton in better form than that day, despite the fact that wo were in fearful peril. We were frostbitten and famished with hunger, and had no water when we reached South Georgia.