I--SUPPLIES
For a polar expedition the food must in the first place be
wholesome and nourishing in the highest possible degree. Scurvy--that
dread disease--was once regarded as the inevitable result of a
prolonged stay in ice-bound regions, but by selecting food-stuffs which
had been prepared on scientific lines we entirely avoided any sickness
attributable directly or indirectly to the foods we took with us.
In the second place the food taken on the sledging expeditions must be
as light as possible, always remembering that in very low temperatures
the heat of the body can be maintained only by use of fatty and
farinaceous foods in fairly large quantities. The sledging-foods must
also be such as do not require prolonged cooking, for the amount of
fuel that can be carried is limited. It must even be possible to eat
these foods without any cooking, because the fuel may be lost or
exhausted.
As regards foods for use at the winter quarters of the expedition a
greater variety was possible, for the ship might be expected to reach
that point and weight was consequently of less importance. My aim was
to get a large variety of foods for the winter night, when the long
months of darkness severely strain men unaccustomed to the conditions.
I based my estimates on the requirements of twelve men for two years,
but this was added to in New Zealand when the staff was increased.
At first the question of packing presented difficulties, but at last
I decided to use "Venesta" cases both for food-stuffs and as much as
possible for equipment. These cases are manufactured from composite
boards prepared by uniting three layers of birch or other hard wood
with water-proof cement. They were eminently suited to our purpose,
and the saving of weight, as compared with an ordinary packing-case,
was about four pounds per case. In spite of the rough handling our
stores received in the process of being landed at Cape Royds, after the
expedition had reached the Antarctic we had no trouble with breakages.
II--EQUIPMENT
After placing orders for the principal food supplies I went to Norway
with Mr. Reid to secure sledges, fur boots and mits, sleeping bags,
ski, &c. The sledges were to be of the Nansen pattern, built of
specially selected timber and of the best workmanship. I ordered ten
twelve-foot sledges, eighteen eleven-foot sledges and two seven-foot
sledges, the largest being suitable for pony-haulage. The sledges were
made by Messrs. Hagen and Company of Christiania and proved to be all
that I desired.
The next step was to secure furs, but this was not a very large order
as after the experience of the _Discovery_ expedition I decided to use
fur only for the feet and hands and for the sleeping-bags, relying
otherwise on woollen garments with an outer covering of windproof
material. I ordered three large sleeping-bags, to hold three men each,
and twelve one-man bags. Each bag had the reindeer fur inside, and the
seams were covered with leather strongly sewn.
[Illustration: Seal suckling Young, and taking no Notice of the
Motor-car]
The foot-gear I ordered consisted of eighty pairs of ordinary finnesko
or reindeer-fur boots, twelve pairs of special finnesko and sixty
pairs of ski boots of various sizes. The ordinary finnesko is made
from the skin of the reindeer stag's head, with the fur outside, and
its shape is roughly that of a very large boot without any laces. It
is large enough to hold the foot, several pairs of socks, and a supply
of sennegrass, and it is a wonderfully warm and comfortable foot-gear.
This sennegrass is a dried grass of long fibre with a special quality
of absorbing moisture and I bought fifty kilos (110.25 lb.) of it in
Norway.
The sixty pairs of wolfskin and dogskin mits which I ordered from Mr.
Möller were made with the fur outside, were long enough to protect the
wrists, and had one compartment for the four fingers and another for
the thumb. They were worn over woollen gloves and were hung round the
neck with lamp-wick when the use of the fingers was required.