CUT SHORT

Northern Advocate, 30 January 1922, Page 5

CUT SHORT

A GREAT CAREER.

SIR E. SHACKLETON DEAD.

ABOARD THE QUEST,

(Received noon.)

MONTE VIDEO, Jan. 29

Sir E. Shackleton died aboard the Quest from angina pectoris on January 5.—A. and N.Z.

CARRYING ON.

ACCORDING TO WISH.

(Received 2.30 p.m.)

LONDON, Jan. 29

A cable received states that Rowett and Wild will continue the voyage south in accordance with Shackleton's wishes. The Quest's personnel is deeply affected by the leader's death. Sliackleton's last letter from Rio de Janeiro said: "The Quest is all right and the work all done. The next thing you hear, please God, will be success." —Times.

Sir Ernest Henry Shacklcton, the noted British explorer, was born in Ireland in 1874, and was educated at Dulwich college His first servicc at sea was with the merchant marine. In 1001 he acted as third lieutenant in Scott's Antarctic expedition. He commanded both the British Antarctic expedition of 1907-9 and the Antarctic expediion of 1914-1(5. He was a member of various scientific societies

and the holder of many British and foreign orders. Sir Ernest was also known in the realm of literature, his works including "The Heart of the Antarctic," "The Diary of a Troopship," and "South."

Concerning the present expedition a London cable message of September 10

last year stated: —

Shackleton's ship Quest is sailing on the 17th on an expedition to the Antarctic. Sliackleton made an eleventhhour alteration of his plans. For the first time in the history of Antarctic exploration he lias decided to use the Cape as a base for stores. They will be deposited on arrival on the Ist December, to enable the vessel to take in more coal for the voyage to the Antarctic ice. On emerging from the ice, after exploring the limits of the Antarctic Continent, the expedition goes to .South Georgia, and then proceeds, via Bouvet Island, back to Capetown to replenish stores and coal. The ship subsequently proceeds to the Sub-Antarctic Ocean islands and the Crozets. McDonald heard on the way to New Zealand that Shackelton, in a message, recalled the Australasian enthusiasm concerning the Endurance, Nimrod, and Discovery expeditions, adding: "In the meantime the prospects are as bright as possible. We hope to make the Dominions proud of this expedition. There could not be a better augury for British science and navigation than the fact that the Dominions are always interested in the work of exploration. The march of mankind depends on unity, courage, knowledge, and organisation. I believe the present expedition is actuated by all these aims." Sir E. Shackleton was cheered by watching thousands gathered on St. Katherine's Dock as the Quest moved away. The Quest is a stout, specially built little craft, hardly more than 100 feet long. She is fitted with wireless, therefore at least an intermittent touch with civilisation will be kept up during the long and lonely voyage of 30,000 miles. An idea of Shackleton himself and of the nature of the work in which he spent so much of his life is to be gathered from a letter which he wrote to the London "Daily Chronicle" when he was away with his last expedition. In this letter, written from South Georgia, an island in the South Atlantic, about 800 miles south-east of the Falkland?, Sir E. Shackleton sketched his programme for the attempt to cross the Antarctic Continent. He stated: —"The news which awaited the expedition when it arrived here finally decided me in the plans which I have now made. All the reports show that the ice is further south than it has been for years, and that means that the pack has not broken up.

'< T see no ehanco of our getting through this season; by the ice report it is so bad that you must not look for us until about, the beginning of March, IM6, from New Zealand. The Endurance will return to South Georgia also about that time and do some work scientifically, and then go ,to Buenos Aires. "The party whom I think will cross the continent with me are Wild, Crean, Marston. Hurley and Macklin. They •are till splendv 1 men rnd fit and capable of looking after the dogs; they indeed spend the whole time with the dogs, and the latter know them and are amenable to them.

" All but Macklin, who is a surgeon, have done a lot of sledging. Macklin is a splendid strong fellow and a gom! companion. Hurley is a great workei, and T think it will be a good stroke to take hiiu, for he has a splendid