INTERVIEW WITH A MEMBER OF THE CREW.

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

INTERVIEW WITH A MEMBER OF THE CREW.

THE TOTAL OF THE MOTOR OAR

Tho Nimrod was in 13 fathoms. "Please go further in," said LientcnaJit Shackleton. "It is impossible," said Captain England. After somo argument the .lieutenant ~iadk> towards tihe telegraph as if intending to si_nal "Full speed ahead," hut tlio captain got in „he_d of him. and said, "I am master of this ship. It is mot posGiblo to take h<w nearer land with safety." Then they had somo moro t«!-k aaid went below. This statement made at 'Melbourne on .Saturday, 10th inst., by Mr H. B Bull, one of tho crew of the Nimrod, just arrived in Melbourne on furlougih, affords comrmantary on a cablegram published'-on Mard. 10th (telegr_plhs the Melbourne correspondent of tho "Sydney Morning Herald")- "Interviewed at Lyttelton. yesterday, Oa.ptain England said, 'You may announce my resignation as commander of tho Nimrod "on the ground of ill-hoalth.'" Mx Bull was at tho wheel at the time or the reported misuinderstaiidi'ng. "Nothing was mentioned to us men about it,'" he 6ta.ted, "until we got back to Lyttelton. Tlhon on© night beforo we made port the skipper called us aft, complimented us on the way in which" wo had worked the ship, and hoped we sfiiould enjoy ourselves during our nine months' stay in port. We got in on a Sunday morning. He called the men again, and said, 'I have to cay good-bye. The unexpected hsK happened sine© I saw you last;' and h© did not say much more,"for his feelings got too much for him. I could see he was nigh crying. Wo men were very much troubled about this, and when wo got forward several said they'd leave with tihe captain, and nine out of the crew of seventeen have left. The boatswain, carpenter, and several others told the 'old man' so at once: Tie advised iheni to wait and see how tuniwl out, but by now I think all nine havo resigned—ono engineer, one 6nilmaker, two firemen, four sicmiMi. and the carpenter. "Of course it' the captain takes charge again we shall all like to serve under him. He is a splendid master, and we hope when he sees the owners of the Nimrod and tlie manager of the expedition in London that whatever dispute there is will be settled." Mr Bull corroborates Lieutenant Shackleton _ account of-the hardships of the voyage out. In the estimation of the men the trip from Lyttelton to Cape Royds was one of the most trying that any man could experience. Battered by dee the Nimrod leaked. Xearly every berth in t_io forecastle dripped. All hands were engaged twice for over forty-eight hours wit-b----out a break in working the ship against bH.j-.ards. Six never to be forgotten hours were devoted to setting up a new fore-top callnctiit backstay in an icy gale. .Most of the heaviest work had to be done at a temperature of 19 degrees below zero. "We nursed the rend-off which the land party had intended to give us before the Nimrod failed, and only just in time to escape the pack ice. because a storm came on. Tlie rum cask was smashed, and tho liciuor lost before we were half-way. We had not a single hot meal from leaving New Zealand till we got back. "We missed a sight wo had looked forward to. the motor car. The wheels would not grip, the snow was fo soft. They cr.ly skidded, and so instead of seeing it whizz down to the okl Discovery quarters we had to haul it back. _n<3 we missed being frozen-

in, -which, savors', of us had been hoping for. W© wished the pack would catch the- eibip, end so force us to stay with tiho explorers. All boing wetl tho will set out to fotclf Lieutenant Shac-kleton in time to make Ot-ago Heads some time next MarchNews as to her commander may bo expected as soon as Captain England reaches London in May.-"