PRESSING ON.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 79, 2 April 1912, Page 3

PRESSING ON.

MOTOR AND PONY PARTIES. • A motor-sledge party, consisting of Lieutenant Evans, Mr. B. C. Day (motor engineer), Mr. W. Lashley (assistant engineer), and Mr. F. Hooper (steward) started five dajs ago with two motor sledges dragging fuel, forage, and ■motors. They experienced unexpected difficulty on the sea ice, where it waa very thinly covered witli snow, but were last seen going well on the surface of the* barrier beyond the bass of the camp of last season. They have, therefore, already placed the possibilities of motor traction beyond ' question. A pony party, consisting of myself, Dr. Wilson (the chief of tie scientific staff), Captain L. E. G. Oates (in charge of ponies and dogs), Lieutenant Bowers, Mr. A. Cherry Garrard. Surgeon Atkinson, Mr. C. o. Wright. Lieutenant Evans, and Mes&rs. T. Crean and K. Keohane, will about Ist November. Independently of the success of the motors the ponies will be worked with light loads in easy marches to tho Corner Camp, with full loads and easy marches to the One Ton Camp, and with such pressure as necessary thereafter. The dog teams, starting later, will rejoin at One Ton Camp and help to advance the leads. By 'these meane w© hope to get thirty unite of food to the foot of the Beardmore Glacier, a unit being a week's provision for four men. Then, with three divisions of four* men and twenty-one units of provisions, I. hope to extend the advance to the required distance if the weather conditions are Jiot wholly unfavourable. ■ EAGER TO GO FORWARD. Of the ten remaining ponies one is unreliable and one doubtful. The remainder are in very fine form. The officers and men are in splendid health and eager to go forward. Owing to my decision to postpone ihe diate of departure there is the obvious chance that the most advanced southern party will be unable to catch the Terra Nova before she is forced' to quit the sound. Under these conditions, having regard to the important scientific work to be done and the facilities offered for further work, I decided to maintain a. station for the second year. The majority of the shore party will probably remain, but the details depend on the dates of returning from the journeys and on the home news as to the extent of fresh transport provided. I shall greatly regret the departure of any member, as we have lived ill the happiest .social accord. Mr. H. G. Ponting probably returns with a large mass of photographic material, whereto a second year might add little of importance. Owing to MrPonting's photographic work, the results of tho expedition" are most remarkable. , A. large series of ■ kinematograph ,- films, give a comprehensive record of our Polar life. The plans arranged for the scientific work of the expedition have been, carried out so far almost in thris. entirety. MOTORS ABANDONED. BUT Dllr -GOOD WORK. 24th November, Lat. 81.15 South. We left Hiil Point^on the evening of 2nd November, having decided •to ro«"* by night and rest during the d — tc give the ponies the benefit of Hhe warmer day temperatures. Wa reached Comer Camp this moming. For sixty miles we followed. the tracks of the motors; then found the machines abandoned. The party had proceeded . onward as directed. They were delayed by a blizzard on the Bth, but reached One Ton Camp on the morning of the 16th. The dog teams had caught us up some days earlier! The whole part?y then proceeded in company. A- day's rest was given the animals at One Ton Camp, which we left in the evening of the 17th. Having regard to the weight of the loads, the heavy surfaces, and the limited number of animals, I decided to march fifteen miles only every night. This distance had been, maintained for eight nights, and as far as we can foresee it should be continued. , The ponies are going very steadily and keeping their condition remarkably well. The first- pony was now shot for expediency, but it could have travelled further. The animals have 101b of oats and 31b of oil cake daily. We are hopeful of getting the men's food supply to the glacier according to programme without great difficulty, but shall be a day or two later thansanticipated. We found the motor party waiting in latitude 80£. Two of their number now leave us. The sole cause ot tho abandonment of motors was owing to the overheating of the air in the cooled engines. Time did not permit of defects being taken in hand. The system of propulsion by motors had proved entirely satisfactory. Tho machines dragged the heavy" loads over the worst part of the Barrier surface, and crossed several crevasses. Considering the inadequate trials their success has - been remarkable. With the experience now gained, a reliable tractor could be constructed which could travel anywhere in this region, and save the sacrifice of animals. SNOW CAIRNS FOR A GUIDE. We are building snow cairns at intervals of four miles to guide the homeward parties, leaving a week's provisions at every degree of latitude. The Barrier's top surface was-ex-tremely bad and trying to the pomes up to One Ton Camp, but has been comparatively good since. The greater number of .ponies have been dragging over 6501b. 10th December, Lat. 83.37.After the return of the motor party in latitude 81.15 we pushed steadily South, hopeful of better conditions. The second pony was destroyed in latitude 82.10, the third in latitude 82.45, and two more near tho 83rd parallel. Neither of these animals was exhausted, but each was fcacrifked, ou account of tho lightening of the load*, as food for the doge. As we "approached the weal her grew woifip. Snowstorms were frequent, and the bky was continually overcast, the Jand being very rarely visible. Under these circumstances it was most difficult to keep a straight course and maintain steady marches. Th 9 ponies continued to pull splendidly. The excellent condition they retained under severe work I attribute entirely ta the management of Captain gat*- J "

UNPRECEDENTED STORM. In spite of delays, we reached latitude 83.24, within 12 miles of Mount Hope. We could have reached the glacier with five ponies the following day but for the intervention of a southerly gale, which lasted four days, during which we did not eight land, although it was only a few miles away. The wind was very violent at times, and a prodigious amount of snow fell. We had to continually dig out the ponies and tents. The tempd'atuie rose to plus 35. Tho snow melting on the equipment .completely [soaked everything with water. No such prolonged storm had hitherto been recorded in these legions in December. On the 9th, after the storm, 18 inches of wet enow covered the originally soft surface. We could not have advanced at all had not the leading pony worn snow' shoes. It took fourteen hours without^a meal to do eight miles. PONIES DESTROYED. At tne first halt the ponies were destroyed, as wo had no more forage for them. To-day we have come through the Pass, descended on. Beardmore glacier, but only with infinite difficulty. After twelve hours' work 'in the soft snow brought by the storm, w© continued ovgr the Pass. The men on foot sink to their knees, and the sledges sink to their cross-bars continually. The dogs have given some help, but could only be lightly laden on such a surface. I. send this note by the returning teams. All in the party are very fit, but we cannot keep up the hours which we had been working. The storm ha 6 already cost us five days. Its effects may yet delay us further which is a serious matter. Otherwise everything has worked as planned. We hope to find better conditions as we advance. up the glacier. We are • necessarily dependent on . tho weather.' and the season 'go far has been very unpromising.