THE ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 13096, 22 April 1908, Page 3

THE ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION.

THE MM ROD TROUBLE.

(FROM OCR OWN C-RUESPOXDEXT.i LONDON, March 13. m Numerous messages relative to th-~ Nimrcd have come through from Nf» Zeohind this week and have duly fount, publication in all the paper?. Considerable surprise was expressed when the story of the disagreement between Lieutenant .hackle-ton and Captain England became known. This was altogether unexpected, in view of what the leader of the expedition had him-, self written of Captain England, relative to the stormy voyage experienced -shortly after leaving New Zealand, viz.: -'Captain England managed the Nitnrod a. if she was one of his own hands so cognisant was he of her every movement." This eulogy of t.icCaptain formed a portion of a long account of the Ninirod's experience, sent by Lien tenant Shaokleton to the "Mail." covering _ period from January Ist to Febiuarv l'Jth; this was ptil.l.i.%htHl hist- Saturday. And then, four days later, comes the news by cable of some alleged disagreement which had occurred hoi ween the UaUcr and the eapUiin, which the latter will neither aliinn nor deny. This -sudden return, together with the story of friction, recalls to the mind of a liOiidon waiter an incident Unit occurred to the Greeley relief expedition to the Arctic regions _•> years ago. He soys: "Such trouble all arises from the question of precedence between the-captain of the ship and the leader of the expedition. 'Ihe leader of the expedition cannot be regarded in «ny light, but that of a passenger, ami so long as he is aboard the ship he nmw trust _.s far as navigation is concerned to the captain. 'The captain's word is law,' said an Arctic truveUor who, with reference to the Greeley relief expedition incident. Raid : 'The cir-eum-.t-anee. of the Nimrod's return seem to mc to bo exactly similar to those that attended the wreck of the Portheus in ISB2 or 18S3. In that c;:<--:> the Portheus hod been sent to try to iind .I.i.utonant Greeley's ex]Mdition. : which started in the summer of 1881 for the North Pole. •' 'The Portheus was in charge of Captain Pike, «vn experienced navigator, while the expedition which travelled abroad wa-i under the command of Lieutenant Darlington, a United States cavalry officer. Captain Pike regarded the taking of his thip upon a certain course as extremely dangerous. Lieutenant Darlington insisted, and Captain Pike was prevailed upon to obey his orders, though he did so under'prof est. The result was that the Port hens was nipped by the ice and wrecked, the whole party aboard her having to make their escape across the ice to the Land a3 best. they could. Lieutenant Greeley's expedition was not rescued until 1884, when the Thetis found the survivorssix out of twenty-five in terrible straits in Smith's Sound.' "