DISCHARGING THE STORED.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 13879, 2 November 1910, Page 7

DISCHARGING THE STORED.

Tho work of discharging the stores innd gear from the Terra -Nova was re- • .snrned in earnest, at eight o clock yesterday morning, and carried on wit.t a short half-hour for dinner, and a cou:.le of well-earned spoils tor ''smokeoii'' and afternoon ten. Officers and [doctors and scientists worked side Dy 'tide with the sailors and stevedores, making up slings of ca.vs and paotcages in tile hold, and wheeling thorn away on bariows in the shed, wnere the huge piles of goods were hourly growing in bulK. Tne main hold was cleared of cargo eariy ye t;u'day morning, and tho nu-n are now engaged in discharging the balance of the stores from the forward hold. Ccal dust and grime, which had filtered through the bulkhead dividing of) the coal bunkers from the holds, was lying thick on tho pigiion ballast in the bottom of the main hold, and the doctors and scientists making up the flings, bared to their singlets, were covered from head to foot with black grit. In the shed was a scene ot uu.-tie and activity. 'live cases of provisions iveic stacked in big square piles ntty teet square and twenty feet in height. To tho uninitiafe-.. it seemed impossible that tne f.ii p c vii i-rry h.ilf of t-h gre.it stacs r.l and boxe.-j and bales, but- careful stowage, win work marvels, and ■when sailinj time conies tne thousands o'" packages will bo safely under ha tones. Figures and details ot the multifarious assortment of provisions are not available and a bare list would occupy a column or more of space. The aim ot CVnain Scott and those responsible lor the purchase of the food supplies has been to secure as great a variety .as possible for use during the long winter months in tho Antarctic. There are hundreds of cases of Cohnan's Avheaten Hour, various tinned meats, ox tongues, pemmican (best beef, with 60 per cent, of fat addeu), roast and boiled poultry, hams, bacon, Danish butter, milk lard, beef suet and beef marrow, sugar, tinned fish, cocoa and milk chocolate, cheese, coffee, golden fyrup, oatmeal, rica, tapioca, sago, preserved vegetables of .all description*!, i assorted tinned soups, preserved fruits i and dried fruits, pickles, chutneys, sauces, thousands of pounds of biscuits, Plasmon cocoa and powder, and dozens iof cast s of limejuice. ! Stored in another part of the shed is a big pile of New Zealand canned meats, corned beef, boiled beef, meat extracts, and other preserved provisions. The thousands of cases are mostly zinc-lined, and have their edges protected with strios of zinc, to obviate damage in handling. Every box and' package is of a convenient size and weight for handling and for packing on sleugos. There is also stored in tho shed, awaiting shipment, a pile of several hundred bales of specially-prepared compressed fodder, for the ponies, and included in tho general stores is a big quantity of special biscuits and other foods for the dogs. At present, in order to hurry on tho work of discharging, no attempt is being made fto specially check or separate the various kinds of stores, but when the reloading begins every box, case and package will bo carefully tallied to ensure that nothing has been missed. As most of the jjear and special equipment is carefully packed, it is impossible to givo any idea of the wonderfully ingenious contrivances which will be used by the shore party. Thero are specially-built cooking-ranges and a number of "N.msen" cookers made of aluminium, which will bo carried by the sledging parties. They are compact affairs, containing spoons, cups and mugs, and tho necessary utensils for making tea and soap over Primus lamps. Specially-mamjfactured sleeping-bags, Jaeger woollen blankets, and a largo supply of special underrlothing and wearing apparel, made by tho Dr. Jaeger Sanitary Woollen Company, are included in tho laTge supplies being taken south for the shore parties. | DOCKING THE~TETVRA NOVA. '< Tho Terra Nova will not go into dry dock until Friday morning. It was originally arranged to dock her toj morrow," but tho steamer Ngahero is at present undergoing her annual overhaul, and as her shaft has to be drawn for sighting she will not bo ready to come out of dock until to-morrow. j Tli© Terra Nova will be given a ' general overhaul, but Mr M. J. Miller, tho sliinwTight who will carry out the I work, does not anticipate that- there will be a great amount to do in eon--1 nection with the vessel. Tho vessel's bottom will bo cleaned of its coating of marine growth and given a coating of tar. It is possible that some caulking 'of souths will be roouired. The prinI cipal work will bo to locate tho leak !in the forward part of the vessel, which developed when the Terra Nova was loaded and ready to leave England. The course of the leak has been traced, and it is not anticipated that there will be nnv difficulty in getting at it and ! remedying the defect. The leak is not at all serious, and is not noticeable when the vessel is in light trim, but when she is loaded the inflow of water 'is such that about four hours' pumping j every dnv is necese-ary to clear the 1 bilges of' water. If the leak is found j and stormed before the vessel leaves ! LvttcltotT, ifc will relieve tho crow of ' four hours extra work each day. Mr Miller oroposes to strip the heavy timber and ironnlate shoathings from the I vessel's bow in order to get at the seat of the leak, which can then easily be dealt with and remedied An important work will be the fatting lup of the stalls for tho ponies and the 1 accommodation for the dogs. About ten -»f the ponies ♦nil be housed nnder tho topgallant forecastle, where thero is nlentv of head room. This spuco . will" be divided off into stalls for each : pony. and the remaining stalls will bo built on the forward deck. The stalls ! will be built of heavy timber, and each 1 one will be just sufficiently large to hold one pony. The timber divisions will bo padded to save the ponies from bcine- chafed or injured by the rolling of the vessel. About six shipwriguts will bo engaged in the work on the vessel, and they will probably find enough work in various departmentsto kcep'them going well on towards sailing day.