VOYAGE OF THE QUEST

Otago Witness, Issue 3592, 16 January 1923, Page 24

VOYAGE OF THE QUEST

“ ONLY ONE ENGLISHMAN.” TERRIBLE MENACE IN PACK ICE. BOY SCOUTS ON THE LONELIEST ISLAND. (From Oca Own Correspondent.) LONDON, November 30. Commander Frank Wild gave the first of hispublic lectures on the Quest expedition at Queen’s Hall this week. Although the huge auditorium was not crowded the number present was great enough to be considered flattering. His story was much on the lines of that told before the Royal Geographical Society a week or two ago, with here and there a few more details and a few extra pictures. Several points of interest which he omitted from his former lecture are worth recording. Speaking of the personnel, Commander Wild said in Capetown they received an invitation to a dinner for all the English members of the party. “By English, I suppose you mean British,” said Commander Wild to the one who conveyed the invitation. “No,” he said, “only the English.” “Well, ’ said Commander Wild, “I am the only English member of the party; all the rest are either Scotch, Canadian, Australian, or New Zealanders.” The lecturer added: "Needless to say, we didn’t accept the invitation.” “As we came into the harbour at South Georgia,” said Commander Wild, speaking of Shackleton s " last hours, “Sir Ernest Shackleton was pointing out the points of interest associated with his former expedition, That evening Shackleton went ashore and arranged with the whaling station manager for stores. The manager, and the magistrate and his assistant were invited to come on board the ship next day to take part in the Christmas dinner which had been postponed owing to storms at sea. Early next morning Sir Ernest died. It was a terrible shock to us all. If he had been able to express an opinion ho would have urged us to continue the voyage.” Killer whales were always to be seen in the ice lanes. Some idea of the capacity for food of these tigers of the sea may be realised when it is mentioned that the Quest party saw one swallow a 9ft seal in one mouthful. ICEBERG PLOUGHS THROUGH PACK ICE. During the 11 anxious days the Quest was frozen in the explorers had an alarming experience. An iceberg was seen evidently forging its way towards the ship. Aithough it was several miles away, the roar of the breaking pack ice could be heard as the berg travelled relentlessly at two miles an hour. As the wave in front of the iceberg was 50ft or 60ft. high, there would have been no chance for the ,Quest had it been in the line of progress, and though the creiv might have had time to escape , across the ice their plight subsequently

would have been a hopeless one. Fortunately, the berg took another course, and it was probably its action in the pack ice which opened a way to the free sea and saved the party from a winter in the Antarctic. The lecturer mentioned a peculiar thing with regard to the ice which forms on the surface of the ocean. Immediately after the crust has formed the ice is salt. In the course of a month or two, however, the salt entirely disappears, and the water obtained by melting the ice is fit for drinking. “No one, so far,” said Commander Wild, “has been able to give a satisfactory explanation of this phenomenon.” TRISTAN DA CUNHA. One of the motion pictures showed the interesting ceremony of Scout Marr presenting a flag sent by Sir Robert Baden-Powell to the scouts of Tristan da Cunha, the lonely and inhospitable island in the South Atlantic. On this island settlement there are now 127 people, and since the five British marines settled there in 1816 with their five negro wives there has been no outside importation of women. A few sailors have been wrecked on the island and have thrown in their lot with the inhabitants, but they represent the only fresh blood brought into the settlement. It was a happy day for the people when the Quest arrived off the coast. The extra supplies which had been taken in case of the necessity of wintering in the Antarctic were handed over, and as Commander Wild said, “There never had been in the memory of the oldest inhabitant so many good things supplied by a single ship.”