BRITAIN HOLDS HER OWN
A Capable Crew--A Modern Franklin--Early Discoveries--Frozen in--An
Historic Journey--The Record of "Farthest South"--How the Record
was Won--Speedy Travelling--Receding Ice Limits--A Dying
Glacier--The Secret of the Barrier--A Fatal Gale--Lost in the
Snow--An Antarctic Chute--Prolonged Slumber--Antarctic Coal--Home
with Honour.
The British Expedition, despatched under the international agreement,
was destined, not only to surpass the achievements of the other two, but
also to establish a series of records superior to anything that has yet
been accomplished in Polar exploration, either in the northern or
southern hemispheres.
The members of the expedition, consisting of Naval officers and men,
officers of the Mercantile Marine (Royal Naval Reserve), and civilian
scientists, sailed from Cowes on August 6, 1901, on board the
_Discovery_, a vessel specially built for the purpose. The ship
proceeded to New Zealand, and left there on November 28, 1901, for
Victoria Land. They arrived there December 24.
[Illustration: MAP OF SOUTH POLAR REGIONS.
The black line marks the voyage of the _Discovery_; the dotted line the
course of the record-making Southern sledge journey. On the right of the
map are seen the winter quarters of the German Expedition under Prof.
von Drygalski.]
In selecting the members of the expedition, great care had been
exercised, and the excellent results of the voyage may, in a great
measure, be attributed to this. No other qualification than fitness was
allowed to rank with the selecting committee, so that every one on board
the _Discovery_ knew what he had to do and was capable of doing it. This
is particularly true in regard to the commander, Captain Robert F.
Scott, R.N., of whom the President of the Royal Geographical Society
justly said: "the skilful and bold navigator, the ideal director of a
scientific staff, the organiser of measures securing the health and good
spirits of his people, and the beloved commander of the chosen band of
explorers who are ready to face hardships and dangers to secure his
approval." Throughout the entire period the expedition was away, the
attitude of the commander was entirely in keeping with the grandest
traditions of the service to which he belonged, and would serve to place
his name in the brilliant list of Polar heroes quite apart from the
splendid feats he personally performed while in the Antarctic. Prominent
amongst these stands the record of "farthest South," achieved by Scott
and two comrades, in September 1902, when the flag was carried to 82 deg.
17' S., or some 250 miles nearer the Pole than it had yet been.
[Illustration: THE _DISCOVERY_ LYING IN WINTER QUARTERS, FROZEN IN.
The large hut could accommodate the whole crew, and was built in case of
a disaster to the ship. The smaller huts in the foreground were used for
magnetic and astronomical observations.]
The first point touched by the _Discovery_ on her voyage along the coast
of Victoria Land was Cape Adare, where the Newnes expedition, under
Borchegrevinck, passed the winter of 1899. Here a brief landing was
effected, a collection made of the rocks in the neighbourhood, and a
cairn built to hold a record for the information of the relief ship,
which was to be sent out in the following year. Continuing the voyage to
the South, the explorers visited Wood Bay, and, subsequently, discovered
an excellent harbour as far south as 76 deg. 31' S.
Landing at Cape Crozier on January 22, and leaving another record there
for the information of the relief ship, the _Discovery_ went east along
the ice barrier until the 165th meridian of longitude was passed, when
the barrier was found to trend to the north, the sea becoming rapidly
more shoal. The coast line was followed to 76 deg. S., or 150 miles further
than the expeditions before had gone. The ship was then turned, and, in
174 deg. E. longitude, a place was seen where an inlet ran into the barrier.
A sledge party went on the ice and penetrated as far as 78 deg. 50' S., the
point reached by Borchegrevinck in his sledge trip.
By this time it was realised that winter quarters must be selected, and
the _Discovery_ sailed to that part of the sea where Mount Erebus and
Mount Terror reared their lofty heads on the land. Examining the land
for a suitable site for the camp, it was learned that both Erebus and
Terror are situated on an island, and not, as was formerly believed, on
the mainland. At the opposite end of the island another smaller volcanic
mount was seen, with a still smaller one between it and the two giants.
The larger of these was named Mount Discovery, and, near its base, the
site of the camp was chosen. The ship was worked in as close to the
shore as was possible before the heavy frost set in, and, as she was
well constructed to withstand the pressure of ice, she remained in this
position until, after the second winter had been passed, the relief ship
arrived with sufficient explosives to blast a way out of the ice.
As soon as the members of the expedition had settled down and all was
made snug, trips were taken in all directions along the coast and over
the ice. The longest trip, taken in the following September, was
arranged for, food depots being established as far to the south as the
stores could be conveyed.
On this trip, the historic one of the expedition, only three went. These
were Captain Scott, Lieutenant Shackleton, and Dr. Wilson. They had dogs
with them at the start, but the animals grew sick and weak, and were, at
last, quite useless in dragging the sledges. The three harnessed
themselves to the sledges in place of the dogs, and, handicapped with
this weight of 240 lbs. each, they pushed on until they reached 82 deg. 17'
S. From the position they then occupied they were able to see as far as
83 deg. 20' S., and would have gone as far, if not farther, but for an
insuperable obstacle that confronted them. The route they followed was
over rough ice, often yawning with deep crevasses, down which the
sledges had to be lowered and then hauled up on the other side. Some of
them were veritable chasms, but they faded into insignificance when
compared with the one which opened before the explorers at the end of
the march. For a time they examined this mighty ice ravine to see if it
were not possible, one way or another, to get across. The descent might
have been possible, and there was no great difficulty in crossing the
floor of it, but the far side rose in an unbroken precipice, and they
recognised it as insurmountable, even to such daring and intrepid
climbers as themselves.
From the latitude they had attained they were able to learn that
Victoria Land is traversed by a range of high mountains, which, in 82 deg.
S., were from 10,000 to 14,000 feet high. A line of foot-hills, closely
resembling Admiralty Mountains in appearance, rose in longitude 160 deg. E.
The route gradually ascended, as the party progressed, until a level
unbroken plain was reached, the altitude of which was 9000 feet. The
coast line could be seen stretching away due south to the 83rd parallel.
On the way back Lieutenant Shackleton unfortunately ruptured a
blood-vessel during an unusually heavy strain at the sledges. The
strength of all the party was severely taxed by the hardships of the
journey, and the sudden incapacitating of one of the three was a matter
of grave anxiety. He was relieved of the weight of his sledge, but they
all realised that if they were to get back alive to the ship, Lieutenant
Shackleton would have to walk, as the other two were utterly unable to
drag the sledges, with the food and supplies, and his weight as well.
With heroic determination he followed them on foot, only complaining
that his injury effectively prevented him from doing his share in the
hard work. So they journeyed, arriving at the ship after an absence of
ninety-four days, during which they must have covered quite a thousand
miles. The speed at which they travelled, when the ice conditions would
allow them to proceed, was as high as thirty-two miles a day, a speed
far greater than has been attained by other explorers, with one
exception, even when the sledges have been drawn by dog-teams.
[Illustration: THE "FARTHEST SOUTH" SLEDGE PARTY IN A BLIZZARD.
_Drawn by Stanley L. Wood._]
The exception was the record set by another party of the _Discovery_
explorers, who, without dogs, and with heavy sledges (240 lbs. a man),
covered thirty-three miles a day over the inland ice. This party went
out in a westerly direction and passed over the interior of Victoria
Land, which they found covered with an ice-cap forming a great plain
9000 feet above the sea-level. They were fifty-three days absent, and,
at their farthest, were 142 miles from the ship. When they turned back,
the plain on the horizon seemed to be higher than where they stood, and
rocks occasionally showed. Between this plain and the coast they had
several magnificent views of glaciers. In following one down they had an
interesting evidence of the fact that the ice in these regions is
receding, though at a rate that will require many centuries to pass
before it is all melted and the land made available for human
settlement.
They had followed down the glacier for a day, and the ice became so very
rough they were obliged to leave their sledges behind them and proceed
with the greatest care. As they continued to descend, the glacier
gradually dwindled and then suddenly ended in a low wall of ice. In the
valley beyond were some frozen lakes, beyond which the valley changed
into a series of deep, narrow gorges, filled with long lines and
confused heaps of stones and other debris, shed from the glacier as it
melted. Perhaps in this valley, more than anywhere else, lay the
evidences of what was happening and what had been. There lay the
glacier, inert and dead, while the summer sun was gradually wasting its
huge mass. On either side its shrinking tributaries had already severed
their connection with it, and receded up the mountain sides. Everything
pointed to receding glaciation. Not only were the gorges filled with the
stones and debris of the moraines, but thousands of feet up the
hill-sides they lay in clear-cut lines, showing how vast the proportions
of the glacier had once been.
Other glaciers observed gave the same indications. One of these, named
the Ferrar Glacier, after the discoverer, was described as containing
probably as much ice as any hitherto known in the world. Two others, the
Barnes and the Shackleton Glaciers, each contained a great deal more;
but all were greatly shrunk from the tremendous proportions they must
once have had, and which could be traced by the lines of moraines. It
was from observing these glaciers and speculating upon the immeasurable
quantity of ice that once must have slowly flowed along them to the sea,
that a theory was formed as to the real significance of the great ice
barrier lying to the south of the Antarctic Circle. The opinion was
generally entertained that the ice in this barrier is afloat. It had
receded from the time when Ross first discovered it. Even while the
expedition was in the neighbourhood it receded. In September 1902, a
depot was established on the ice at a line drawn between a volcanic peak
at the extreme end of Minna Bluff and the top of Mount Discovery. In
November 1903, this spot was found to have moved 608 yards out of the
alignment, moving east of north. On the sides of Mount Terror, 800 feet
above the existing surface of the barrier, moraines marked its original
height. From these facts it was reasoned that at one time the ice
forming the cap over the Antarctic continent was enormously deeper than
it is to-day, and that it then extended out into the Antarctic Ocean for
probably hundreds of miles further than it now reaches. The slow but
steady flow of the great ice stream had absolutely filled the sea off
the coast of Victoria Land, and the barrier, now existing, was the
remains of this once mighty mass.
It was on one of these exploring journeys that a curious experience
befell one party, a member of which, unfortunately, lost his life in
consequence. The party were out with sledges and had halted for the
midday meal when a violent gale sprang up. As usual, the wind set the
snow in motion, and soon the men found themselves in a whirling cloud of
finely powdered snow which entirely shut out their view in all
directions. Believing themselves to be in the vicinity of the ship, they
left the sledges and set out to march to the vessel. Soon they found
themselves on a slope which they fancied they recognised as the one that
led down to where the ship lay in the ice. As they cautiously advanced,
one of the men missed his footing. What with the force of the wind, the
insecure foothold on the moving snow, and the declivity of the slope, he
was unable to stop himself, and slipped past his comrades and out of
sight in the whirling snow with the speed of lightning.
The officer in charge halted the other men, and all crouched down,
expecting their comrade to rejoin them as soon as he secured his
footing. After waiting some time without his appearing, the officer
advanced to find him. With the first step he also went out of sight as
though he had been shot from a gun. Then a third went forward, and was
at once lost to the sight of the others in the same way. The remainder
of the men, after waiting for some time, concluded the three had
reached the ship, and determined to set out after them. One man, a young
New Zealander named Hare, set off to reach the sledges and recover his
mittens. In the confusion of the whirling snow his absence was not
noted, and the rest of the party set out for the ship, which they were
satisfied was quite near. As a matter of fact, they were entirely out of
their bearings. The man who took the lead walked very cautiously down
the slope. He had heavy tacks in the boots he was wearing, and was thus
enabled to get a firm hold of the snow. To this he owed his life, for,
through the drifting snow, he suddenly saw an open chasm yawn at his
feet. He threw himself back and shouted to those behind to stop. All
tried to do so, but the man next to the leader was unable to pull up.
His feet shot from under him, and he was seen to dash past them like a
flash.
Out of the nine who had originally formed the party, four now remained
together. Warned by the sudden disappearance of the man Vince, who had
shot past them over the precipice, the four moved with the greatest
deliberation and caution. At length they were able to reach the shore
and locate the ship, whither they hastened with the news.
[Illustration: A DRIFTING ICE FLOE ATTACHED TO THE _DISCOVERY_ BY A
ROPE, WHILE THE CREW ARE DIGGING SUFFICIENT ICE TO REPLENISH THE FRESH
WATER SUPPLY OF THE SHIP.]
The alarm was at once given, steam was got up, the siren was set to
work, and its shrill notes penetrated far and wide, while relief parties
were organised and despatched. Knowing the route the men were to have
taken, no difficulty was experienced in tracking down the abandoned
sledges. But on arrival there the relief party was astounded to find the
officer and the two men who had vanished from the others while
descending the snow slope. The astonishment was increased when not one
of the three could explain how they had succeeded in returning to the
sledges. They remembered their experiences as they were hurled down the
snow slope, and each one told the same tale. Immediately they had stood
up against the gale they felt their feet go from under them, they rushed
forward with incredible speed, so fast, indeed, as to have absolutely no
control over themselves, and then they plunged into a mass of soft snow.
There they found themselves and one another. They were still dazed when
found. Subsequent examination showed that the slope down which they had
been hurled extended for a distance of five hundred yards and terminated
with the bank of snow, into which they had plunged. The bank was within
fifteen feet of a cliff which had a clear drop of two hundred feet to
the shore-ice below.
It was over this cliff that Vince had gone, and no trace of the
unfortunate fellow was ever found. Nor were the relief parties
successful in discovering Hare, the New Zealander. When all had returned
to the ship he was also given up as lost, but to the amazement of every
one he was seen returning to the ship on the second day after the gale.
He explained that on his way back to the sledges he had fallen in the
snow and had lost consciousness, returning to his senses some time after
to find himself completely buried in a snow-drift. He had struggled out
and made his way to the ship. It was his turn to be amazed when he was
told he had been searched for during the whole of the previous day. It
was some time before he would believe that what he referred to as to-day
was in reality yesterday. He had lain in the snow for a period of
thirty-six hours. When he fell, the heavy snow had apparently covered
him, and so kept the heat of his body from leaving him. He had thus sunk
into a heavy snow-sleep, and his physical stamina had done the rest in
helping him towards recovery. His escape, without even a frost-bite, is
unique in the annals of Polar experiences.
During the second year of their stay, a discovery was made, which, from
a geological point of view, exceeded in value all the others put
together. It was in October that a sledge party set out to penetrate
into the interior of Victoria Land. They travelled over the ice plain at
an average altitude of 9000 feet until, in 78 deg. S. and 146 deg. 30' E., they
were at a distance of 270 miles from the ship. The interior of the land
seemed to stretch in a vast continental plateau continuously at a height
of 9000 feet. In one of the many ravines examined, sandstone strata were
discovered, in one of which there was a narrow seam of fossil plants.
The "coal measure" was only one-eighth of an inch in thickness, but
within it were found specimens of plants belonging to the Miocene
period.
In February 1904 the relief ship _Morning_ arrived at the station, and,
with the explosives she brought with her, the _Discovery_ was freed from
the ice and commenced her homeward journey. She had completed a stay of
two winters in a latitude 500 miles further South than any other ship
had wintered, while the expedition had reaped a success such as no other
expedition has ever achieved in either Arctic or Antarctic regions.
THE END
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End of Project Gutenberg's The Romance of Polar Exploration, by G. Firth Scott