THE SHACKLETON EXPEDITION.

Press, Volume L, Issue 14917, 16 March 1914, Page 3

THE SHACKLETON EXPEDITION.

MEN BETWEEN 30 AND 40

SELECTION OF TFiE STAFF

(rilOM OW. OWN CORRESro>D f E>"T.) LONDON, rebruary 6. It is possible to give this mail some of the staff chosen by Sir Ernest Shackle.on io accompany him to the Antarctic. The head of the expedition, Sir Ernest himself is 39. Then there are: —Mr Frank Wild, second in command, and surveyor, 39; Mr George Marston, artist, and in chaige ot ciotbmg and iledges, 31; Lieut. A. L. Macintosn, probably ieaoer of the Rose Sea depot' party, 33; Mr A. Cheetham, third oiiicer on the Weddell Sea chip, 36; Captain Ordo Lees, Royal Marines, head of Hie motor school at Deal, expert alpine tlimber, and instructor in physical training, '63, who has accepted pending the decision of the Admiralty; Mr Ernest Joyce, in charge ot dogs on Ross Sea side, 39: Captain J. K. Davis, in command of the Weddell Sea ship. "With the exception ot. Captain Orde Lees, all have had inor/? than one experience of Autarctic work. All are between 30 and 10, for Sir Ernest is of opinion that a man's body is best titted for long continued strain between those ages. •'I don't saj that a man of 26 or '2.1 may not have the physical endurance of older men, but, taking it all round, 1 think 3'J and onwards is the best age. There have been cases of men of older age, such as Peary, who was about 53 when he did his last expedition, and Professor David, who made tho journey to tho Magnetic Pole m my last expedition, and climbed Mount Erebus, two of the hardest possible journeys in the regions." As far as possible, of course, Sir Ernest added, the most valuable men were those of previous experjenck, because experience was tho thing ii- the Antarctic regions upon which they most relied. THE TWO SHIPS. Sir Ernest has practically decided to purchase a new ship, the Polaris, whici lias boon specially constructed for ico work biio is a vessel ot biw tons, and is at present in Norway. She will bo converted so as to carry oil fuel, and, under her new name. Endurance, will be employed on the Weddell Sea side of the Antarctic, under the command of Captain J. K. Davis, who was in charge of the Mawson Expedition ship Aurora. The Ajiroia, which has oeen brought up to date, will probably be the ship selected for tho Ross Sea side of the continent. Failing this, Peary's ship Roosevelt, which has been offered to Sir Ernest Shackletcn, may be eelected. Both aro fitted with a wireless telegraphy installation. It has been decided'that the ship emnloyed on the Sen shall be efficered and manned entirely by men of the Royal .Navy, while the Vessel on the Weddell side will be manned entirely by the merchant service. The expedition will thus nave the l\vo greatest marine services as important units. Sir Ernest Shackleton is at present in communication with the Admiralty, and is meeting with every consideration from that department. The War Office, too, has promised to heTp in every possible way. At the end of March Sir Ernest and Messrs Wild and Marston will go to linse, in the north of Norway, to test the sledge and tent equipment. They will live there exactly as on a sledging journey. BULK IX FOODS. Sir Ernest was asked as to the concentration of foods, and he replied that it was well known and accepted now .that concentrated foods without bulk were practically impossible ior .hard work. If, he said, one could live and march on concentrated foods, threefourths of tho problem of Polar exploration would be solved. Some, ot the food supplies for the expedition had been chosen, but the bulk were under consideration, and there he was glad to say that he had the assistance of the War Office, who had got complete tables of food value of every knoivvn food, and every special food that had been on the market from time to time. Asked if he believed in variety in food, he replied: "Not for a march. One's appetite does not requiro to be tickled on a march. You only require to satisfy it, which I have never yet seen done. The bulk and nutritive value of food are the main things to consider on the march. In winter a variety of food is practically essential, because then, men are not doing such hard work, and Nature'requires more freqiiefffc changes of diet. I consider it is pretty well recognised that the greatest bugbear of Polar exploration, scurvy, can be avoided. Food miist be of the very best. Fresh meat as. a diet throughout tho winter is preferable to tinned meat. Fresh meat is i easily obtainable from seals and penguins, and this can be varied by a certain amount of frozen beef, mutton, etc. Without this x variety of food, scurvy is .almost certain to appear." . . GREATER RISKS TO-DAY. 'Teople have often said to mc," said Sir Ernest, "that with all our modern methods tho lot of- the Polar explorer nowadays must bo-a much happier and easier one than in the olden times. y This, I think, is not correct. In the older days, wit"h their poorer equipment, the Polar explorer had not such a large radius of action to cover. He knew the limits absolutely of his equipment, and when ht> came to the end of this he was always in a position whence he could work back to his headquarters. "Whereas the modern- Polar explorer takes greater risks, for he advances much more rapidly, and much further from his base. And in the event of anything happening to his equipment, his chances of«• returning safefv are not so great. The evolution of the sledge, for instance, has resulted in a weight of 3001b being reduced to 601b, when compared with the sledges used in the north in 18-50. Where wo gain an. increased comfort, which is only recognised as meaning increased efficiency, is in the cooking. In early days, it used to take two hours to cook a breakfast; whereas now our meal is cooked in twenty minutes. In tho old days again, it would take an hour or two to build a snow hut to camp in at night. Now we can put up our tent in five minutes."