DASH FOR THE POLE

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 52, 26 March 1909, Page 2

DASH FOR THE POLE

ALL BUT ATTAINED LIEUT. SHACKLETON'S EXPEDITION GREAT HARDSHIPS ENCOUNTERED THE STORY OF TH* EXPEDITION. (My Telegraph.-I'ivss Association.— Copyright).

Christcliurch, Lust Xight. The following supplementary narrati\e liiiß been socially supplied to the frets Association:

"We started," said the Lieutenant, "from Cape Uoyd's, having previously laid down at the point, principally BY MOTOK (JAU, 91 day's provisions. We would have started before. Xovenilier 3, but some of thv four pouies ivi-nt lame crossing the ice. The supporting party were, to go nine ilnyis with us, but on November 7 1 sent Uiem back, owing to the. soft snow and four days' blizzards. The weather eleared for half an hour, ami we were under weigh when one of the ponies anil Adlcy Adams went down to the middle in A HIDDEN CRACK.

Wild, going astern with tin' t'edge, n«\v the damage, pulled the sledge alongside, and unable Adams to haul the pony out from the apparently bottomless cavern. Another three or four feet and we should have lost both Adamn and the pony and half our provisions." • EXTRAORDINARY PONIES. The Lieutenant said they had to teth er the animals with wire because tliej would eat through ropes. The llan ehuriau pome* seemed to prefer leathei and buckles and each others" tails t< , ordinary food.

■THE .FOOD. Tin' party use what was called "loosli."' composed of ]>einmieaii, 'i'lnoigi'iii'.v ration ami j«»\v*Uti.'il hiwuil. Sugar is one of the staple things, liccause it is heat-giving, ami all tin- food was calculated by Dr. Jlurshall according to its food value and heat-giving jiroperliets. The ration when they started was :l'2oz per day. They got inside their sleeping Itfljp. clothes and all. He never took oil his clothes for 12ti days. While they had ponies they marched nine hours a day. from H to (i, going to bed at 8 or 8.110 and risr.ig nt twenty minutes to 5. ft was I DAVLKiIIT AIJIj TIIKTI.MH,

For five, days they travelled over the wind-swept snow, ejteh man leading a pony and taking turns to break the trail. Every, hour they had five minutes spell. The. work was very hard for man and beast, the latter sinking to the middle in soft snow.

The explorers 'did not use snow shoes, hut wore fur hoots made of reindeer skin with fur outside. The journey did not become, interesting till they began to

SlrfllfT NEW LAND on about November 22nd, when they deserted mountains stretching away to the south. They had previously laid out depots and reached the first on November 13. The next was in Bldeg. 4min. south, to be used on the way back. There they shot the first pony, cut him up, and took on nltont artlbs to eke u ut the .provisions. At depot "A" they saw that if they were to do a big journey 'they must REDUCE THEIR RATIONS of regular food and supplement them with horse, meat. When, the pony was shot, the man leading him put on his harness and helped to pull the load given to another pony, the sledge being emptied and made into a depot with a black fiag attached. On. November 28 they shot auuthor pony. Asked if they .shot them simply for food, Lieut. Shacklcton said: "Not altogether; we were getting short of horse feud and had to reduce the Slumber to keep the others on full rations. We made a point of giving ithem plenty, so that they did not need the whip. The

PONTES WERE DOIXO. CiOOB WORK,

anil we treated thorn as well as possible. Ak tlie innuiitains trended .southcast ami our course w'as line south, we deciileil to take advantage of any gap anil made n reconnaissance. Alt about HOIK) feet up we saw an apparently smooth glacier with a gentle gradient leading to inliuid ice or plateau, and decided to follow il. We culled the iiiomiitiiiiv MOIXT lIIII'. Wo took the hud pony and started on December 5, but, found 'the glacier nil! of erovioos. and one day did-ouly lidO yards. Wild, who was. leading the'pony and sledge, was in the wake of the party on, December 7 when it foil into the crevice. Host fortunately the 'siwingletrco snapped and e o saved the man and .sledge, Wild managing to hang on to the edge bv his arms. He sa i,| Um't all ho fell, was a Midden rush of wind and all waft , p ver. From this time onward we were crossing crevices, all the time ami the

SLEDOES SUFFERED SEVERELY by, the ice tearing phv wood, which made them harder to pull. Ultimately there was only one whole runner, anil that was worn, on the last sledge, and pulling then became verv arduous. We reached 1)500 feet altitude on December 1!>. and there thought, we could see a plateau level ahead, ami so made « depot, of everything except fund, instruments .to liud the position, and the eldthcs we stood up in. We left our warm clothes behind, which was itnforlunate, because we had to ascend to j 10.5011 feet. From the '.HMftfl level we had

A CiiySTAXT HUZZAItU in our faces, with the. tempcrulure alway- below zero, and .sometimes (ill degrees oi I' iost. The clothes weighed !) I" 1011*,. Ily tliis time we had reduced onr daily ration to 20oz per , nan , w hich was not Millicient lo keep lieut in our ho.lies. All the time we werv sighting new mountains, ami in (ii)dcg r,min YViUI discovered seven distinct SKAMS ()[.' COAI,. Tliii- was irlcrc-iiiiji as showing (he I Antarctic „mc had a voir dilieien'l climate. Dr. M'lirsliall had charge oil tliv surveying and also look aIT the plioto>. On January i we decided to riisk leaving the depot on the plateau. We had then no land to lake our hearing hy. and had to irus't (o Providence to lind our depot, will, (lie help mf guiding poles. To j.nnid,. d,,.*,. „.,, used one lent and cut up the poles of the other with Hags from the provision bags. Thus lightened we

PUSHED RAPIDLY SIXTH till on January V we reached SXdeg .jmin, Tlie constant blizzard then became extivmely violent. Die wind Iraveiling ,it the rate of 70 hides an jiovir aniAhe temperature was down to 7:idcg. ,of fru«l. This io-.itiimeci for lil) hours, and ninny times we had to take our feel [ ou't of the sleeping bags and restore them to feeling after being frost hit-1 ten. ■■''.. tii I'OOI) WAS NOW YK.RY LOW, and when the pile was over we realised it was impossible to continue, both from want of food and diminished strength of onr bodies, the temperature of which showed only !i:i degrees. We therefore decided to leave" eiinii) and make ' a Fonc:Ki> march sorni.

■aid in S.Sdog i'Jniiu hoisted the I'nini, Jack which her Majesty the Queen had given us in Kuglaud before leaving. ARRIVAL AT LYTTBLTUX. ALL WELL OX liOAltl). Christcliurch. La*t Night. The Nimrod was delayed by a eon-1 trary wind, and was uo'f signalled at' Lyttclton until 3.4'.i. A considerable ■number of people went down by train, and the Harbor lioavcl members and offivials with the intention of giving a for | mill welcome to the galla'nl explorers.! On the tug were M.P's. the civic authorities fiisliop Julius, at Ivasl twenty] members of the 'Press, manv iriendsf

I both, .sexes) of tile Nimrod people, and Dr. I'phani. who was lo formally give her a clean hill of health. O.ie' other small steamer also went out full of people. The Nimrod was met at the Heads and greeted with cheer*. Lieut.] ! Whackleton. v tidiant with Ihe sn?cess of] his dash for the pole, which only failed Jiy 07 miles, was heartily greeted, audi with his men. chevied in return. ' There were loud calls fir Professor David, who was described as "below al

(Continued on fourth nag.-V

bis toilette." hut presently he appeared and received a warm greeting. The Ximrod looke<l in excellent order and showed no „(' hard usage. The tug dicw near, and ("veiyone who could scrambled 0.1 hoard, not wailing for what was umici\sto,i.l would

uerely he perfunctory, th ■ passing hv he health oJlicer, who was overborne n tin- nioh. The ship wa» soon swamp•d with cheery talkative visitors, who

vere shaking evervbodc. anil espeeially I .icnt. Shaekletnn. hv the hand. All attempt at the lormally ceremony irigimilly designed went by'the hoard, iml just almut dusk the Antarctic hliip was quickly herllied at a wharf, crowded by people. On the way, the Mnheno passed her and fired a bomb, the signal for more eheerinjr. The reliirn of the explorers was a scene of quiet and pleasurable hcurtilucss. without hysteria. Evcrvone on

■hoard i-.eenicil in splendid condition and the best of spirits, all pleased and proud that, there hail not been a single casually, except that Sir Philip Brocklchnrst mourn* the loss of a big toe from frost-bite.

Tin' manager of tin- Press Association arranged with Lieut. Shac-klcton to furnish n linti)vi supplementary report in extension of Unit which was cabled. Professor David Int. for Sydney bv the Mnhra.i. ' ' SOME XKVI.NtI EXPEUIISXCES. XEW DI.SCOVEItJES. London, March 2-1. "Sl-cring south-south-east from tin; depot made, after shooting snow-blind ponies, we approached a high range of new mountains tending towards the Miuth-casl. and found on December 2 a barrier inlluenwil liv pressure and ridges

of snow. "Je> turned into land, and we discovered a south-westerly glacier 120 liiihw bv JO miles.

"On December 5 we started in latitude 83 degrees 3;l minutes, longitude 172, to ascend the gilaci.T, which was no crevasscd' that we ispent the whole day lighting our way up WW yards. A pony disappeared into a crevasse owing to a swhiglctvee snapping, but we saved the load. We were now hauling 250 pounds each.

"Xew mountains were dis-ovi-ivd o; December 8, to the south - ...ii-wcst and many rescues effected. \ ilh til help of Alpine ropes u.- r aned «; December IS an altitude of feet.

"A depot was made iu latitude 85 and we left everything exee;u loud, instruments and equipment.

'We reduced our rations lo twenty ounces daily and on the 20th reached a plateau 10,01)0 feet in height and experienced many hnrdsnips owing to the shortage of food and rarefied air. "We made a depot on the plateau, on which we took a tent, utilising the poles of a second tent as guiding marks for our return.

"The surface was soft and we encountered a blizzard lasting sixty hours and suffered frcc|iient frostbites. "We left the camp and on December fl reached latitude 83 degrees, 23 minutes, longitude 102, the most southerly point, hitherto, and hoisted the Queen's Union Jack. ".No mountains were visltiie. A plain stretched south. "Fresh severe hardships were undergone; we were also attacked with dysentery on the slow return journey. Dr. Marshall especially suffering. Hut ivith relief from the ship all reached the hut at a, point which was fourth of the total journey—l7oß statute miles.

"Coal measures were found in limestone, and upwards (if a hundred uiou-i----tains ranging from lIOUU to 12,00(1 feet were seen in eight ranges. We discovered glaciers ti ml photographed signs of former greater glaciation. •'Tlie Smith Pule is doubtless on tlie plateau Hl.lllll) to 11,000 feet above the level of the sea." CONDITIONS AT THE POLE. ZOOLOGICAL AM) C.EOLOGICAL DISCOVERIES. COAST MOUNTAINS. London, March 24. .Judging from the violent blizzards in latitude 88, if n ]iolar .calm exists it is small in area and not coincident with the geographical pole. Good zoological and geological discoveries were made.

i Lieut. Shacklcton, on hoard the Mmrod, after encountering the pack ice. discovered from a position in 01) degrees, 4 minutes, longitud,. Kid, 11 minutes, a new range of coast mountain tending towards the southwest then west tor -!."> ii.„ rs nevonu fane Xorth.

IMPORTANT- AND FAR-IiEACUIXd DISCOVERIES. I WORLD-WIDE TRIBUTE PROM -SCIENTIST'S. CAPTAIN SCOTT'S KULOOY. Received 2.5, ll.lj n.in. London, March 2,"i. ""•re i* a world-wide tribute from scientists up,,,, tbc far-reaching importance of Lieut. Shacklvton's discoveries His wile i- overwhelined with congratulations. Captain Scott, of A itaivtic fame, interviewed, coiumciid.'d tin, magnificent journey and tlie .splendid and '.old work.

LIEUTENANT SHACK.LETON"S .STORY

AUSTRALIA IXDKJXAXT. THE PAUCITY OP NEWS. Sydncv. March 2:,. I lie Minister of taternal Afl'airs is surprised that Lieuv, Bhackiclon has lid sent him any report of his explorations seeing that the Commonwealth Government subscribed .17)000 l 0 the expedition. Whatever his co>,»v*jiii <rltli the newspapers might be, Lieutenant Shacklcton nnir-t recognise some obli"atiens to the Commonwealth. *'

FEI.ICJTATKJXS. MKSSAfiK Til LIKL'T. SIkH'KUnUV By Tek-grapli.-Preas Association Wellington. Tin.!-- ' ■■ The Prime Minister has !,..■ . :., flic following message to l.icuL-n m SUcklcton:"1 extend In you ..nil your ollVers nod men hearty welcome back to Xew Zealand. I inn very g |,„] indeed (o her that nil is well will, yon. "To have come successfully throiijrli, I the {.real, cvpoilttii>n that v»u have undertaken rollecfs the jrrcatcst credit on yourself as .-onnnaniler. Anil mi b:--half of my colleagues and nivself, as Wfi; us the people r,r Xew Zealand, 1 extend my heartiest felicitations In yon. "1 .shall look forward to readiii" with Jjrciil. interest the a.-.-ount of what has l« en undertaken l,y yourself and those associated with you in the interests of scientific research.

"Please nccepi for yourself ami convey to your oin.-crs and men niv heartiest wishes."