WITH THE QUEST

Greymouth Evening Star, 5 June 1922, Page 5

WITH THE QUEST

ADVENTURES IN THE ICE AN ARDUOUS JOURNEY. (“Times” Service;.

Recd 9.30 a.m. LONDON, June 4.

The Quest, in which Commander Wild is carrying forward Shakleton’s expedition, sailed'on January 18 from South Georgia, to Sandwich Group, touching at Zavodovski, where the members of the crew, while ashore, were overcome by sulphurous fumes from some caves near which no penguins were caught, ’ though other parts were swarming with the birds. Proceeding eastward, the Quest had to manoeuvre along the sea lanes, between innumerable icebergs of all shapes and sizes. Many were flat topped with straight sides, obviously pieces of a barrier recently broken off. Others were beautiful and fantastic. Rough weather caused the Quest to roll badly. The decks were constantly awash, several members of the crew having narrow escapes of being washed overboard. Some suffered minor injuries. In one case where a boat broke away and took charge of the deck Worsley was washed against the briuge house. Several of his ribs were brok en. Continuing tho journey towards the pack ice, the Quest made for the reported position of Pagoda Island, but saw no sign of it. Soundings in the vicinity gave 2950 fathoms, suggesting that the island does not exist, at any rate, in the proximity of the charted position. At the end of January the ship emerged from the iceberg area into the open sea. Early in February she encountered ice in latitude 65 degrees eighteen minutes longitude, fifteen degrees twenty-three minutes east; this soon proved to be pack ice. The explorers soon began to meet old friends in crabeaters and most elegant southern seals which lay asleep on the floe, whilst emperor penguins greeted them with peculiar cries and killer whales abounded. Soundings showed the sea was shoaling from 1500 to one thousand fathoms in twenty-nine miles, indicating land at hand. On February 12 in latitude 69 19, longitude 17 —11, the Quest entered a cul de sac and was unable to make a foot of headway. The crew went ashore, stretched their legs and awaited the opening of the pack. The temperature fell and the pools between the floes began to freeze, lhe ship could not push on and if she remained she would be frozen in and crushed, therefore Wild reluctantly retreated northward, and a week later entered comparatively open waters. He skirted westward seeking Rosss “appearance of land ’ as charted. The ships worked through several hunare miles of pack ice and within thirtyfive miles of the charted spot became frozen in. All hands were excused duty and played football on the ice. Despite cruel winds and driving snow, Wild, M’llroy and Macklin took long walks. While Naisbit, the ship’s clerk was footballing on the ice, he fell into the water but was quickly rescued. Dark water appeared northward on March 21, but several miles of solid ice intervened. However the crew got up steam, And the ship punch and bored into the narrow read. Unfortunately gigantic old flow- closed her path. Wild put the men overside with long poles to try \o push the vessel off sufficiently to wedge in the ship s nose. This attempt was unsuccessful. He then sent a man on floe 'with an ice anchor. All hands went to the capstan and every ounce of steam was g® up. By this means the Quest gradually got her nose into the lead, and made her escape 'northward.