A TOLERABLY' FINE TRIP

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

A TOLERABLY' FINE TRIP

Captain J. J£. Davis, commanding tlio Aurora; provided the following report. "The Aurora sailed from Port vjjialmers for tlio Antarctic on tile morning of Wednesday, December -0, 11116. 'l'hc iirs t ice was sighte'd on December 27,' .and, on cecmber 50, JJio Antarctic r Girciu ,v«'jis. crossed, the' vessel,'.entering the Kois; Sea on January .7;':-19i7. Ui "At noon on Jaiiuary 9 'Jiounts Ere--bus,and Terror, on the-Ross Island, were sighted, and on the next day, January 10, the vessel reached tile edgo ot the fast ice in M'Murdo Sound about o miles from Cape Evans and picked up the seven surviving members of the Sliackleton Expedition, namely: A._ Stevens, I], Joyce, J. L. .Cope, E. Wild, W. Richards,\l.o. Gaze, and' A.' K. Jack, who were found-all well, but; bore traces of the ordeal through which they had passed. It was then learned with deep regret, that. A. I'. SpencerSmith had died of scurvy on the Barrier, and when 20 miles,' south, 60deg. E. from Hut Point, and that Captain Mackintosh and Mr. V. G. Hayward had perished on May 8, 1916, bting overtaken-by a blizzard which broke up the sea ice over which they were travelling from Hut Point, in an attempt to reach the.-winter' quarters at Cape Evans, 15 miles to tlio north. ' , "A ireck was spent at Cape Evans,during which a further search for the bodies of Captain Mackintosh ami his companion -was carried out by Sir E. Shacldeton. and party, whilst the ship examined the coast,at Butter Point and Granite Harbour. No traces of any kind were discovered. The Aurora left M'Murdo Sound on January 19. A succession of. nortbprly gales had packed the ice olosely off' Cape Adare, and' occasioned a few days' delay, but she finally forced her way through tlio belt of pack ice into open water on January 29, recrosS'ing the Antarctic Circle in the evening of January 1, after being south of that latitude for a period of thirty-three days. Proceeding northward before fresh south-westerly gales, we reached Wellington at 7 p'.nu on February 9_^]917." Captain Dftvis -paid a. warm : tribute to the officers and'men who had accompanied liim south with the relief ship. _ "Wo had 1 a tolerably fino trip," lie said, "but it was'riot-without its difficulties, and tlio majority of the men were new to Antarctic conditions. They all acquitted themselves very well.. The thorough overhaul and complete equipment of the ship before she left New Zealand contributed in an important measure to tlio success of the voyage." Captain Davis added that all aboard wore very pleased't-o be back again, though they felt keen regret for the three good men who lijid been left in the Antarctic.