THE SHIP, THE HUT AND OTHER NECESSITIES
Before I left Norway I visited Sandyfjord to see whether I
could come to terms with Mr. C. Christiansen, the owner of the _Bjorn_,
a ship specially built for polar work; but much as I wished to try her
I could not afford to pay the price.
So when I returned to London I purchased the _Nimrod_. She was small
and old, and her maximum speed under steam was hardly more than six
knots, but on the other hand she was able to face rough treatment in
the ice. I confess that I was disappointed when I first examined the
little ship, to which I was about to commit the hopes and aspirations
of many years, but I had not then become acquainted with her many
good qualities, and my first impression scarcely did justice to the
plucky old ship. She was at once put into the hands of Messrs. R.
& H. Green of Blackwall, the famous firm that had built so many of
Britain's "wooden walls," and that had done fitting and repairing work
for several other polar expeditions, and day by day she assumed a more
satisfactory appearance. Quarters were provided for the scientific
staff of the expedition by enclosing a portion of the after-hold and
constructing cabins which were entered by a steep ladder from the
deck-house. For some reason not on record these small quarters were
known later as "Oyster Alley."
As however the _Nimrod_, after landing the shore-party with stores and
equipment, would return to New Zealand, it was necessary that we should
have a reliable hut in which to live during the Antarctic night, and
until the sledging journeys began in the following spring.
THE HUT
I ordered a hut (which was to be our only refuge from furious
blizzards) measuring externally 33 ft. by 19 ft. by 8 ft. to the eaves
from Messrs. Humphreys of Knightsbridge. It was specially constructed
to my order, and after being erected and inspected in London was
shipped in sections.
It was made of stout fir timbering of best quality in walls, roofs and
floors, and the parts were all morticed and tenoned to make erection
easy in the Antarctic. Great precautions were taken against the extreme
cold, and the hut was to be erected on wooden piles let into the ground
or ice, and rings were fixed to the top of the roof so that guy-ropes
might be used to give additional resistance to the gales. The hut had
two doors, connected by a small porch, so that ingress or egress would
not cause a draught of cold air, and the windows were double so that
the warmth of the hut might be retained. We took little furniture as I
proposed to use cases for the construction of benches, beds, and other
necessary articles of internal equipment. The hut was to be lighted
with acetylene gas, and we took a generator, the necessary piping and a
supply of carbide.
We also took a cooking-range, manufactured by Messrs. Smith and
Wellstrood, of London, which had a fire chamber designed to burn
anthracite coal continuously day and night.
CLOTHING
Each member of the expedition was supplied with two winter suits made
of heavy blue pilot cloth, lined with Jaeger fleece. An outer suit of
windproof material is necessary in the polar regions, and I secured
twenty-four suits of Burberry gabardine. The underclothing was obtained
from the Dr. Jaeger Sanitary Woollen Company.
PONIES, DOGS, AND MOTOR-CAR
I decided to take ponies, dogs, and a car to assist in hauling our
sledges on long journeys, but my hopes were mainly based on the ponies.
Dogs had not proved satisfactory on the Barrier surface, but I was sure
that the hardy ponies used in Northern China and Manchuria would be
useful if landed in good condition on the ice. They had done good work
both on the Jackson-Harmsworth expedition and in the Russo-Japanese
War. Fifteen of these ponies, practically unbroken and about fourteen
hands high, were selected and ultimately transferred to Quail Island in
Port Lyttelton, where they were free to feed in luxury until they were
required.
[Illustration: Their Majesties King Edward and Queen Alexandra
inspecting the Equipment on the "Nimrod" at Cowes, (_See page 26_)]
As I thought it possible, from my previous experience, that we might
find a hard surface on the Great Ice Barrier, I resolved to take a
motor-car, so I selected a 12-15 horse-power New Arrol-Johnston car,
fitted with a specially designed air-cooled four-cylinder engine and
Simms Bosch magneto ignition. A non-freezing oil was prepared for me
by Messrs. Price and Company. I placed, as I have suggested, but small
reliance on dogs; I did however order forty of the descendants of the
Siberian dogs used on the Newnes-Borchgrevink expedition. The breeder
was only able to let me have nine, but this team proved sufficient for
my purposes.
SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS
On the scientific side the equipment of a polar expedition is very
costly, and I felt the pinch of necessary economies in this branch.
I was, however, greatly assisted by loans of instruments and charts
from the Admiralty; the Royal Geographical Society lent me three
chronometer watches, and three wardens of the Skinners' Company gave me
one chronometer watch which accompanied me on my journey to the Pole
and which proved to be the most accurate of all. We also took with us a
photographic equipment which included nine cameras, and a cinematograph
machine in order that we might place on record the curious movements of
seals and penguins.
For the rest I had tried to provide for every contingency, and the
gear ranged from needles and nails to a Remington typewriter and two
Singer sewing machines. There was also a gramophone and a complete
printing-press; and even hockey-sticks and a football were not
forgotten.