TOWARDS THE ROLE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 72, 18 December 1907, Page 8

TOWARDS THE ROLE.

: . ». : V". LIEUTENANT SHA GELETON'S •LEdT'DE.E. | . ' POPULAR ENTHUSIASM. . ■ .Lieritfenaut Sliadklotori. commander of- the Nimrod Antarctic expedition, lectured in the Town Hall last night to a largo-audience,, the. ball beiiifr , filler] in every' part. \ Hia Worship ,the Mayor (Hon. .T. W. Hislop), briefly introduced the lecturer. ; Maps and 'pictures, displayed by'.means of a powerfid,-limelight to illus-t-rnte. the lecture.. Lieutenant'Shackletonfirst sketched the history "of - th<j' Discovery expedition, iii which lie t-ook part; tinder:-the" command of Captain Seott, :and which left London in , August, 1901, "and .'Lyttelt'on in December of the same.,Year.',\ Icebergs a Cood Omen. \ Tho audience showed great interest in, tlio realistic pictures, of- the pack ice and the barrier—that great wall, of ice. from which ;tho bergs • break' off; arid • float northwards. Tli'e'iwtUrer : day's stating that'a multitude of icebergs liad been ;by a ship, sailing from New York to Melbourne. Ha said that this, though it might be inconvenient to some navigators, was, goo/1 .riows for the Antarctic oxpedition, because it betokened aii.operi sunirfier in tlio'so regions.. . " God Bless New Zealand Farmers." | Lieutenant Shackleton spoke 'gratefully, of the ,she.cp which were presented.to. the 'Discovery expedition by N aw' Zealand.. sheepfiirmers.. For several months the explorers had' roast mutton, every Sunday, and !they displayed ■ the motto, " God bless the New Zealand farmers." In the viewof. the Discovery's winter quarters, Lieutenant ;Shackleton pointed ; out the magnietib huts, in ■which -he. said some work :had been done which was .of value to-dav to ev : ery . ship navigating anywhere south' of- the Equator. Ho was most anxious tfl continue this work on the Nimrpd expedition, besides-carrying on the, geographical exploration. ■. ... ' , A Dreadful. March. -The lights-; were turned up ..while Lieutenant- Shackleton- described the. tedious march on short rations, when , they-used to -dream of .food (one that lie' was cutting, tip canda school treat,-arid, another, that he was-.chasing the threc-cprnered ; jam tarts, of ; his lost boyhood, upstairs)./' Their motto iwas, "What docsn't-kill- helps to fill." It went on for a month, • and they had to re duce the number of their sledge, dogs and draw the sledges themselves. ■ A Real Christmas Dinner. •■'A pleasant contrast-to these experi we* was the most southerly Christmas diai.i'r ever eaten, when there was a sprig of t Put holly, and Lieutenant Shackleton produced a' piece of equally genuine plum pudding, which he had brought in the'foot of a sock. The lecturer feelingly told how Captain Scott and Dr. Wilson took care of'him and did his share of the work when he was down with the scurvy-otherwise' he would not have been-in Wellington that night. . The arrival of the relief ships and the Discovery's re- x lease frpm the ice by blasting and sawing made -a graphic close to this part of the story., The Present Expedition. . He then' spoke of some, of the' new features of the Nimrod expedition. 'It would be tlio first-in which, a motor car. would .bo used. .The ice. was for ;many miles quite smooth enough for this' method of locomo- | tion ; if it only served for 100 miles it would bo a great help. 'Then" there'would he the ton Siberian ponies, which were .accustomed in their own country to cold weather and hard living, and thoy would also have dogs to fall back' upon. The little Nimrod' (227 tons-! register), with a. cargo .of "400 tons) was doscribcd, and reference, was -made-to- her one now feature, the four-bla'ded : propeller, which. Newfoundland .experience;pointed to as tlio right thing for the .ice.. ,'Liouteiiant Shackleton outlined, tlio . programme, which lie hopes to carry out, including the magnetic' survey to be .oifccted-; by. the .'.Nimrod, on- the New Zealand .. and Australian trado routes, during tlio winter • whilo the • Antarctic party are pushing over-tlio barrier towards the Pole and exploring King Edward ■ VII Land. New Zealand Thanked. Finally, Lieutenant. Shackleton said he wished to thank the Dominion for the financial holp given to the expedition. . The conntry was aiding in a valuable work, and this assistance would be appreciated by many people at Home who were interested in .the expedition. He had full confidence iii the men who were going with him. They would all work heartily together, and do their very boi<t for the suocess of the expedition. (ApplauaeA