THE OFFICIAL NARRATIVE

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3000, 10 February 1917, Page 10

THE OFFICIAL NARRATIVE

A RECORD 0? COURAGE AND ■ ENDURANCE. (Sir Ernest Shaokleton's Copyright. — Press Association.) Last night Sir Ernest Shackleton provided a : further official report dealing with the adventures of the ten men who were marooned in tho Antarctic when the Aurora was driven out of M'Murdo Sound by a, blizzard parly in May,' 1915, not to return until January, 1917. On March 14, 1915, three days after the Aurora-left Hut Point for Capo Evans (further down the Sound), .T. L. Cope, ice'vtlij J'ack, and V. G. Hayward, .who., had taken part in the preliminary .sledging journey, arrived from tho Barrier'with;,two dogs. On March 22, Captain . A. E. Mackintosh, E. Joyce,'and H.'E.'Wild arrived badly frostbitten.. : All their dogs wero dead. Thev had experienced consistent bad "weather, "with furious blizzards' And 'temperatures of 30 degrees below zero, hut despite' difficulties thev had laid: a depot in latitude 80 south. Open water or thin ice! in tho Sound'.prevented the party reaching Cape Evens until June I.' They found the Aurora gone. The party <I.shorn had ample provisions, matches, snd fresh meat, with blubber for fuel. Sledging provisions and kerosene had been landpd; Tho main copl supply had also-been landed, but was washed away by a wave from a. capsized berg. The only serious .result of tho ship's disappearance ivas duo to. clothing not having been landed. Winter passed with the usual blizzards. Joyco and AVild made clothing and fur bouts from materials left by the Scott Expedition. Keith, Jack,. Richards, and Stevens carried on the .scientific work, "while Cope, Hayward, and Gazo "were engaged in seal hunting. In view of the loss of all oxcept four dogs, Mackintosh made a, programmer for early extensive sledging. They' started on September 1 and made fivo .journeys to Hilt-Point, with stores. On 'October ,'.9';irino men, in three- units, started sledging in order to stock the Bluff depot in latitude 79 south. Four journeys- were made. Afterwards all 110 unis proceeded south. Tho . first party contained .-Mackintosh, Wild and, Spencer-Sinitli ;• tho second,, in charge 'of. Joyce, consisted. oF Hayward. Rich- I ards, Cope, Jack, iind Gazq. with four dogs. In latitude 80 south Joyce sent back Jack, Gaze,- and Cope. This party readied Hut Point on January 15, 1916, covering 150 miles in nino days. From latitude-80 south Mackintosh joined up the parties. On January 22, in latitude 83 south, Spencer-Smith suddenly., broko down with scurvy. He was left : in a tent with provisions, and on January 26 the last depot was laid' at Mount Hope, at the foot of , the Bcardmore Glacier. Tho'party found here two of Captain Scott's sledges, tho only traces fouud of the Scott Expedition, though tho .party followed the same track. Tho snowfall evidently is heavy on the Barrier. • On January '29'-t-ho returning party picked-up gpenceiv • lie was lashed ori'a sledgo'.iri d sleeping-bag. Scurvy symptoms generally' appearing, the greatest..possible; speed was made .hqmewards. " . Mackintosh was badly •attacked,' but continued pulling in his trace. ■ Despite lost traction-power and tlie •"weight of the sick mail progress was rapid over the-next 180 miles. Then the strain "was ; telling, combined with the bad surface and bad weather. The I length of the marches grew shorter, : ana : the hours marched longer. In Latitude 80 south, owing to the condition of the party and knowledge of tho bad .weather conditions in this area, extra food was taken from the depot. This precaution was fully justified, for within thirty iniles of wli6ro Captain Scott perished the party was overtaken, by a furious blizzam, eleven miles from the safety !of Bluff Depot. The blizzard raged from February. 17. to March with a temperature of 30-degrees below'zero. For tiio first' six' days • the. party remained camped. Then,:as fuel and provisions were practically exhausted <~nd the 'inen- ; ;wcfe . weakening • rapidly in their frozen sleeping-bags, camp was broken on February 23. After three hours' digging tho buried sledges were got out, and tho-.inon started in the blinding : drift in an attempt to reach the depot eleven iniles away. Now began a -fight against death, which called forth - qualities of : self-denial, endurance, and comradeship worthy of tlib highest~:tradiiioris of Polar service. Soon after Starting, Mackintosh fell in- his tracks, having endured to the.limit.' ' He ; was:left with Smith, with Wild to attend them both, wMsu Joyce,- Richards, and ' Hayward, with four starving dogs, struggled on to reach tho depot. A few biscuit crumbs and tea were the only food left. On February 26, in. a momentary clearance drift, tho depot was sighted, and the party returned with food and oil. ' Hayward had now brokon down. ' The blizard continued.. Joyce and Richards' with the : dogs putting, on the 29th arrived at' tho camp, and found tho party without food. The t'jv'o sick men were full of appreciation of Wild's self-denying care, they being quito helpless. rAn immediato start was made again for the depot, Mackintosh and Spencer-Smith lashed on tho sledge, and Hayward staggeitjng along besido it. Tho blizzard drift ceased on March 1, but the wind continued. On March 2 thoy left the depot with stores replenished. Mackintosh, Spen-cer-Smith, and Hayward wero now lashed 011. tho sledges. The party was helped Jjy a slcdgo sail, but on March 7 the wind dropped, and the sail was useless. Tho three men pulling were unable to move- tho sledges with their sick comrades. Mackintosh, seeing the gravity- : of tho situation, decided unselfishly...to remain behind, in order to give the other sick mep a-chance to roach -safety,- • a decision in keeping

with his behaviour throughout. On March 8 they left him in a tent with three weeks' provision, forty . miles from safety. ' The party pushed on with Hayward and Spencer-Smith, all now weakening from scurvy and the low temperature. .The weather ivas Arte.' Spencer-Smith died on the 9th, atfcr forty-seven days', sickness. He was cheerful to the end. On March 11 Hut Point was reached, and fresh meat and dried vegetables procured. On March 14, after a bad blizzard, Joyce,' Richards, and "Wild started back for Mackintosh, and' on the 18th they were all safe in Hut Point. \ The lives of Maointocli and Ilayward wero saved by the devoted efforts of their comrades, and by the endurance and work of the four dogs, Gunner, Con, Towser, and Oscar, under the worst conditions of weather, and temperature, with short food arid'sometimes none at all, Thd party had practically been sledging from September 1, 1915, to March 18, 19lG, covering 1560 statute miles in spite of abnormal difficulties. They laid a depot at Mount H,opo thus carrying out the object of their expedition. The scurvy svmp'toms rapidly disappeared with a diet of fresh meat and vegetables, and by the end of Apm all were ivelJ. J consider the scurvy to have been due to the length' of 'time the party was without iresli food, combined witn the abnormally heavy sledging undertaken without the help ox sumcient &og\s or other .tractive power. 'ihe dearth or ciouiuig and comfort caused by the uuexpecteu breaking away of the Aurora'uuuoubieuiy una iu' tji'ccc upon the health .of t'ho party. jj'rom iUarch ib until the end of April tho sea ice; was steadily lofhiing between -Point and.'Cape livans, only -to ho mown .out uy each succveamg blizzard. At the bigiiimug or i\iay- ». caiui period cusiied, una ui« lco iorineu. to a. unicliiiess or lour incnes. On iua-y b Jiacittntosii' and iiaywiim' d'eciueu to cross tile sea lco to Jiivans. 'jtno wearlier was hue when uucy- started at 1 p.m. w.Hu liu equipment.. 'liny veio uy j, >uuuiai unzzaiu ai j p.m. when tuey would-he approximately xJiu- 11114:0 IJUJU IJ.UC.' I'OllH. . uii >i/uy .nj 1110 renianiuei" of the party ut, ilut i'.oiht, uenig anxious ais lo liio saieiy u) tuesu 1..u men, loiiuu'uu ;\iacKiuCObn's tracks 10 tne norm until tuey louiiu luem' auiUpiiy l6lniinating in open' water, iheir worst rears Wuro realised, wnen oh January iu they arrivcu at tape .aim loiuui ihat iuuvkuitoaii. aim naywaru uiiu not arrivea. • After aayiignt returned searches were couuucteu an any traces or tile two men, hut none were round, 'luo loss ot iuaeuitosh and iiaywaru was unis tv the break-up aud driving liortii ot young ice under the imiuciice ot a blizzard. me remainder of 191G was spent mauiiy in sledging stores from my, iiiit w Uiipc ltoyus,' m view 01 pbssimo detention for another year, on January lU,'.l l Ji7, the Aurora arrived at tho last ice, livemules from Cape Avails, picKed up tho sovcii. survivors, all well, and learned of. tiiQ loss, of jlackintosh iyid .ttajward inoiiths; previously.. . reeogniaiiig"' tiie hopelessness.' of niiding ""ahy ' traces, the' Aurora remained until January i'J. i/urmg the nuie days an examination was mado pf, the .juisearchcd part of iU'Muruo-Sound a£fiir. .north as Uran-, lto liaroour. i was landed uyOaptaiii' Davis with search parties, but i discovered no traces. The ship moved along the coast, but found notuing. I am deeply grateful to. the'lmperial, Dominion,' and Commonwealth lio\ernments for, coming' to tho Assistance of the -members ot my expeditions who .were lelt in tho Antarctic; -and to Cap-" tain j. Ji. i>avis„and- \the omeers .and. crew of idi© Aurora.