THE FROZEN SOUTH.

Gisborne Times, Volume LX, Issue 9779, 12 April 1924, Page 5

THE FROZEN SOUTH.

WHALING FLEET’S ADVENTURES. LOST CHASER’S ESCAPE. _ The boats of the whaling expedition left Hobart on November 30 and proceeded 'to Macquarrie Island, which was reached seven days later. Two days were spent there coaling and provisioning the chasers, and then the journey was resumed. Stormy weather was met with, and big seas were continually breaking across both the ships. On December 14 the Sir J. C. Ross entered the ice pack with the five chasers in tow. Fcr four days she went crashing through, making a passage for the smaller boats. Then progress was barred, the ship being held fast by an impenetrable barrier. Several attempts were made to crash through the obstacle, but to no purpose, and ice saws had to be commissioned to cut a passage. The ship again got into open water, hut seven days had elapsed. Though many whales had been seen no attempt had been made to capture them, the main object being to get clear of the floating dangers. Everything went well until December 23,‘ when Star 2 was lost to view owing to fog. For several days great anxiety was felt for her safety. On Christmas Eve the Bay of Whales was reached, and further progress was impeded by the great ice barrier.

No tidings of Star 2_ having in the meantime been received, Captain Larsen made arrangements to establish a depot to leave ten tons cf coal and provisions on the ice in the hope that if the missing boat, did put in an appearance it would not be short of supplies. Within a few hours of tlie work having been completed, however it was noticed that the icc was on the move northward, and steps had to he taken to recover the stores. Within a short distance of where the depot had been established was tlie spot, where Captain Scott set up One Ton Camp. Eleven miles further south lies his body, and the bodies of Dr Wilson and Lieutenant Bowers. On the. morning of December 27 the wanderer returned. She bad been caught in the ice' and only a miracle bad saved her from being crushed to pieces. All hands turned 1 out to greet their comrades and fresh heart was put into the men to go on with their work. They needed it- because that night the cry of “There she Blows” was heard.

“Everyone clambered on the forecastle head,” said the narrator, “and ‘■what a sight met. our eyes. Two hundred yards away off the port bow was a big blue whale, spouting and moving along pis leisurely as you like. Four out of the five Star boats hastened off to earn the honor of capturing the first, whale, but “flukey,” as he was known to us, contemptuously disappeared. However, on the following day another monster was sighted and Star II- secured it- It measured S3ft long; and when boiled down gave 1440 barrels of oil. “After that- we did not want for work as the chasers were out. scouring tlie waters in all directions and bringing them in as fast, as we could deal with them.” During the stay at the wlialirig grounds it was but natural that some exciting incidents should occur. One of these was when the parent ship, with 32 whales ranged alongside, commenced to drag her anchors in the teeth of a blizzard. Owing to the great depth of water and the large amount of chain required it was impossible to check the boat drifting until she was within a short distance of tlie great ice barrier, with towering cliffs office overhanging and threatening at any moment to drop directly down on to the vessel and engulf her. Expert seamanship, however, enabled her to get clear. The coldest snap experienced occurred on February 10. when' the temperature dropped to 35 degrees below freezing _ point. The blubber froze into a solid mass and was almpst as hard as iron. The cold _ weather continued to hamper operations and as whales were not so numerous as they had been it was decided to return northward, ’• Terrible weather was experienced on the iourney, but through Captain Larsen’s skill and knowledge of Antarctica, tho nark ice was missed and the lonelv Campbell Islands were reached after a 14 days’ journey.