SIR E. SHACKLETON

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18467, 31 January 1922, Page 5

SIR E. SHACKLETON

DEATH ON BOARD QUEST. V - CREW DEEPLY AFFECTED. EXPEDITION TO CARRY ON. Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright. MONTEVIDEO, January 29. Sir Ernest Shaokleton died aboard tbe Quest from, angina pectoris on January jfe —Reuter. LONDON, January 29. A cable message received states that Worsley and Wild will continue the voyage south in accordance with Sir Ernest Shackleton’s wishes. -The Quest’s personnel were deeply affected by his death. Sir Ernest Shackleton’s last letter from Rio said: “ The Quest’ is all right. The work will be all done, and the next thing, you will hear, please God, will bo success.’’ —A. and N.Z. Cable. BODY TO BE SHIPPED TO ENGLAND LONDON, January 29. (Received Jan. 30, at 7.30 p.m.) Death came at 5.5 a.m. while the Quest was off Gritwicken Station. The body will be brought to Montevideo aboard a Norwegian steamship and will bo shipped to England by another vessel. Captain Hussey will accompany the body Home. Professor Gruvel and other members of the party will continue the v expedition with the Quest. —A. and N.Z, Cable. DAILY MAIL’S APPRECIATION. LONDON, January 29. (Received Jan. 31 ; at 0.10 a.m.) The Daily Mail, in an appreciative article on Sir Ernest Shackloton, says: “His death will cause national sorrow. He was an ideal commander and never exposed his men to unnecessary risk. « He knew what each 'was capable of, and shared every hardship with them. Ho had a wonderful facility for precisely calculating the dangers and possibilities of his undertakings. THE LAST LETTER. LONDON, January 30. (Received Jan. 31, at 0.10 a.m.) Sir Ernest Shaokleton in his last letter, dated Rio, December 18, concluded: “ Should anything happen in the ice it will have. nothing to do with anything wrong with the ship. The ship is all right. Never, for me the lowered banner; never the lost endeavour.”—Times. Sir Ernest Shaokleton, whose name has been closely identified with the work of Arotio exploration for the past 20 years, was 47 years of age. He was a son of Dr Henry Shackloton, and was bom at Kilkee and educated at Dulwioh College. He went to dßa in the merchant service, and as a third lieutenant accompanied the Nautical Antarctic Expedition in 1901, the first under Captain Scott, in the Discovery. He accompanied Captain Scott on his famous sledge journey over the Barrier ice. From that time tho Far South was in his blood. In 1907-09 ho commanded the British Antarctic Expedition which reached within 97 miles of tho South Polo. . , On January 1, 1908, Sir B. Shaokleton left New Zealand on tho Nimrod, and wintered near Cape Royds, the Nimrod returning to New Zealand. Mount Erebus was ascended in March. Ho set out Polewards over the Barrier ice in October, climbed the Beardmore Glacier in December, and reached 80deg 21min S. on King Edward VII Plateau on January 7,1909, an advance on the pre- • vious furthest south record of some 420 miles. A second sledge party, led by Professor David, discovered the South Magnetic Pole. Sir Ernest Shackleton’a expedition to Antarctic in 1914 set out with the object of effecting the first crossing of that continent. Tho main party, on board the Endurance, sailed from South Georgia Island on December 6, and almost immediately afterwards tho struggle with the ice began. Coats Land was sighted on'January 10, 1915. Two hundred miles of coastline, previously unknown, was soon. The name of tho Caird Coast was given to it. The ice conditions wero abnormally bad and the weather was unusually unfavourable, and in the following month the ship was finally beset, and on October 27, 1915, tho ico-paok screwed and squeezed her beyond hope. As all preparations had been made, she was safely abandoned; but it was found impossible to travel, dragging tho boats (oir which escape ultimately depended), over the terrible and unstable surface of the pack, and tbe party was compelled to comp and trust to the drift, which was very slow, Sbacikleton and his companions had to endure those conditions for no fewer than five months; provisions ran very short, seals wore scarce, and the dogs had to be killed for food. On April 8, 1916, tho party, .having at last reached a latitude where tn& influence of tho ocean was felt, wore forced to take to their boats, as the ice was splitting in tho swell, and in heavy weather ana under constant risk from floating ice they fought their way on April 17 to Elephant Island, 'an uninhabited and extremely inhospitable refuge. Shelter was obtained in an ioe-oave, but the party was much exhausted and short of food, and it was felt that if all wore to be saved same must risk the voyage in search of help. Twenty-two men stayed behind, under the leadership of Mr Frank Wild, while Sir H Shaokleton with five volunteers undertook the voyage to South Georgia—a voyage of 760 mileo in winter in a 22ft boat After escaping many dangers they reached a whaling station in South Georgia on May 20. A Norwegian vessel and 1 then an Uruguayan vessel were despatched; but neither vessels succeeded in reaching Elephant Island. Sir Ernest Shaokleton then obtained a third vessel from Punta Arenas, but again met with failure. Nothing daunted he obtained a vessel from the Chilean Government, and on this occasion, he was successful, the party on Elephant Island being embarked on August 30. An integral port of Shackle-ton's original scheme was the provision of a supporting expedition to establish supply depots on Which the party crossing tho Antarctic continent might rely for tho latter part of their journey. This expedition, starting from 'Tasmania in the Aurora towards the end of 1914, reached the Ross Sea in January, 1915. It was. not until March 14. 1916, that she got dear of the ice, and she reached New Zealand on April 3, having left 10 men in the Antarctic. Tho Aurora, under Captain Davis, was sent down to their relief in the following summer, and was successful in rescuing the seven surviving members, three of the men having perished. After his return from those adventures iSSr Ernest Shacldeton was engaged in special war work, notably in Northern Russia, till tho conclusion of tho Great War. Last year another groat voyage of discovery was announced. This time the voyage was to be made in a tiny auxiliary sailing ship, the Quest, of hardly more than 200 tons net, to investigate obscure islands in the Pacific and Atlantic and tho South Polar Seas, besides conducting other scientific investigations. The Quest left the Thames on September 17 last. The email ship had some stormy experiences at the commencement of its voyage, and was at Montevideo when its commander suffered his untimely 1 end. INTERESTING PERSONAL REMINISCENCES. Captain Gerald S. Doorly., of tho Paloona, in the course of a chat with a representative of the Otago Daily Times last night, gave some very interesting particulars regarding the deceased explorer, with whom he bad had an intimate acquaintance that cornea of comradeship in tho solitudes of tho earth. Sir Ernest Shackloton wont with the Scott expedition in 1901, leaving England in that year on the Discovery. Ho went aa one of the executive officers, and was in charge of the victualling department. Ho and Dr Wilson were selected by Captain Scott to make the first sledge journey ever attempted in tho Antarctic. Captain Doorly came into tho story as an officer in the relief expedition which was despatched in the vessel called the Morning, which left London in 1902. This expedition reached the Antarctic (after an adventurous search along South Victoria Land), and found tho Discovery embedded in the ice in January, 1903. On arrival there they found that all tho sledge parties had returned except the southerly one, which comprised Captain Scott, Lieutenant Shackloton, and Dr Wilson. On February 3, 1903, this party returned also, and Captain Doorly regarded himself aa fortunate to be one of the party from the Morning (which was lying 10 miles away from tho Discovery in tho ico-fiold) to go over to tho Discovery to greet tho three intregid explorers on their, retail.

What sort of a. reception the returning travellers met with may be imagined; it has been graphically and simply told by Captain Doorly in “Voyages of the Morning,” a most interesting book deajing with this portion of the expedition. Sir Ernest Shacldeton especially, and Dr Wilson also, were very ill from scurvy. The former, in fact, was practically a dying man, and nothing but his dogged perseverance, fine stamina, and wonderful will-power enabled him to complete the journey and pull through against tremendous odds. There was a dinner party to celebrate the homecoming. Sir Ernest Shackloton tried to take part, but could sit out only one course, and then had to return to bed. Naturally, the returned wanderers were extremely hungry after their 90 days’ sledge journey, and after dinner had been cleared away, and while a _ musical party was in progress Captain Scott kept going into the pantry for further supplies of food. Captain Doorly slept on the Discovery that night, and carlybn the morning he heard Captain Scott waking Dr Wilson and asking him: “How would you like sardines on toast?” Very soon the appetising smell of this preparation pervaded that portion of the snip. It was decided that the Morning should take back to England certain members of the Scott Expedition, and sir E. Shackleton, very much against his will, was a member of this party, which numbered 10, all of whom wero too ill to stand the rigours of the climate and the hardships of exploration work. Early in March they sailed, and duly arrived in Now Zealand. On the we of their departure for England Sir E Shacldeton and the other members of die expedition were entertained at a dinner at Christchurch, at which Sir E. Shackloton presented each of those present, with a silver serviette ring, bearing the initials of the recipient on the outside, while on the inside were the words: “From E. H. S.” Needless to say, Captain Dcorley values this souvenir very highly. He speaks affectionately of Sir Ernest as a very fine man indeed, with a wonderful personalty. He radiated a kind of magnetic power, which impressed those with whom ho came in contact not only with his power and strong character Ijpt also endeared him _to them. During the few weeks with which Ciaptain Doorly was associated with him aa a passenger from the ice-field to Lyttelton ho found him a very bright companion. Many amusing little incidents that occurred during the voyage were recalled. One evening after dinner they induced Sir Ernest Shacldeton to show them some sleight-of-hand tricks. Several years before ho had made the acquaintance of a noted conjuror, who told him his (Shackleton’s) hands wore peculiarly adapted for feats of legerdemain, and persuaded him to take it up. Ho became very enthusiastic, aa indeed ho did with everything he undertook, and became quite an adept. On his voyage with Captain Scott he took a box of tricks with him, concluding that displays would while away the tedium of the winter in the Antarctic. But before the Discovery had loft Madeira he had not only given a display of his skill but could not refrain from explaining to his comrades how they were done, and, of course, the mysticism having gone, the tricks failed to charm as before. _ On the _ Morning they had a very versatile and witty chief engi--1 neer named Morrison. He was a disciple of Kipling, and used to write very good verse, with a distinctly personal touch. One afternoon Dr Wilson hit upon the idea of writing a song to “get one back” on Morrison. Sir E. Shacldeton, Dr Wilson, and Captain Doorly accordingly got into the doctor’s, dabin. and there concocted their skit ‘ upon Morrison’s idiosyncraciea. It was in keeping with his temperament, ho bfeing an Irishman, that Sir E. Shacldeton should write tjio only Scotch verso in the song, Morrison being a Glasgow man. They were fortunate enough to take another rise out of Morrison, One day he came into the wardroom wearing a resplendent uniform; the other officers never wore uniforms, nor did Morrison generally. S|r E. Shackloton and Captain Doorly wero seized with the same idea simultaneously, and Shackloton nudged him under the table and nodded in the direction of the doctor’s cabin. They got up quietly and went in there, where they got the doctor to give them each a pair of enormous green goggles, used to protect the eyes against the glare from the snow. The doctor also put on a pair of the goggles, and thus adorned they retuned to the wardroom and sat down opposite Morrison as though reading. In a Sew moments there was a tremendous upicaval on the opposite aide of the'table. Morrison understood the insinuation that his uniform was so Brilliant as to endanger their eyesight. He called them all sorts' of un-parliamentary names, and left the room; out ho never wore the uniform again. Having thus shown the lighter side of Sir E. Shackleton’s character, Captain Doorly spoke of him as a very fine mate of strong personality, with Irish wit. perpetually bubbling out. His subsequent voyages proved that he was a man of remarkable determination, grit, and pluck, and possessed of a very 'fine physique. Captain' Doorly instanced the wonderful impression made by him upon the people of the South American Latin States as the result of his expedition .for the relief of Mr Frank Wild aind party on Elephant Island. The three trips necessary for -this work displayed , such wonderful _ pluck and perseverance that the inhabitants of the Latin States were marvellously impressed. 1 So patent was this that the British representative at Valparaiso advised the British Government (it was while the great war was in progress, in 1916) that Sir E. Shackloton should bo employed to address the people, as ho would arouse more sympathy with the Allied cause than any diplomat. Tills advice was followed, and with excellent results. Sir E. Shaokleton worked away right up the western coast till he reached San Francisco, and again arrived in New Zealand, only to go south once more in the Aurora to bring book the survivors of his ill-fated expedition. Just prior to his soiling southwards on this t“rip in the Aurora, ( Captain Doorly met him on a troopship and asked him how he managed to get through. In reply he gave a brief account of his journey, such ns staggered his questioner, who knew what the experiences meant. He was then bright and cheerful, but admitted that his one wish was that he could sit down and rest. Yet he was- starting off on another trip that meant untold hardship .and labour. And that was the man. As for Sir E. Shaoklpton’s lectures. Captain Doorly mid, he never lectured; he simply couldn’t; he just took his audiences into his confidence fund told them a plain, straightforward story in a modest manner, and that was just what the people wanted. He was one of the most Wonderful men it had ever been his (Captain Doorly’s) lot to meet. When he was knighted for his labours and his services to science ho did not sit down on his laurels, but went off on another quest in the cause of what he regarded as duty. He finished his life in harness, and it was eminently suitable that it should be so. He would leave behind him many friends, mid all who had ever met him would be numbered amongst his admirers. V