THE OFFICIAL NARRATIVE.

Colonist, Volume LIV, Issue 13381, 2 April 1912, Page 5

THE OFFICIAL NARRATIVE.

CAPTAIN SCOTT STILL IN THE

SOUTH

SERIOUS DIFFICULTIES EN-

COUNTERED

VALUABLE SCIENTIFIC WORK

[ United Press Association.]

(Special Summary—Copyright.)

Akaroa, April 1

Tli© Terra Nova arrived lioro at 7.30 a.m. unheralded, in command of Captain Pennell. Captain Scott, the story shows, when last heard of was making a gallant effort, despite adversities, to achieve his objective. Captain Pennell expressed the utmost confidence in his success. The scientific work of the expedition was of the most valuable character. The southern party was compelled by bad ice conditions to leave behind Lieutenant Campbell's party, who were landed at Drygalski Barrier. Thence they sledged into the interior. The parties, however, were fully prepared for this emergency, and no alarm need be felt. Two geological expeditions to the west coast produced good results, finding coal and fossils,' which latter had not been discovered beforo. The health of the expedition was excellent except that of Lieutenant Evans, who is now convalescent after an attack of scurvy. The Terra Nova returns south in November. Captain Scott's story starts from 30th October, 1911, at McMurdo Sound. Shortly after the departure a depot { | laying party left from Cape Evans on 25th January 1911. The sea ice broke south of the Cape and severed communication with the station depot. A party, consisting of twelve men, eight ponies and two dogs, was occupied till the 30th in establishing a base at Cape Barrier, seven miles E. S.E. of Hut Point. Owing to the heavy weights which had to be transported the main supplies were* left at this camp. -The party proceeded E. S.E. for 27 miles before turning south to avoid the crevasses of White Island. The snow surface was very soft, making hard work for the ponies. A heavy blizzard proved trying to the ponies, which were not in good condition.

On tho Bth February they proceeded south, mai'ching by night and resting by day. The weather was exceptionally bad, but the surface improved. The three weakest ponies were sent back, but theso : were caught in another blizzard and two succumbed.

Latitude 79£ was reached on the 16th with the remaining ponies and dogs. Owing to the condition of the weather and the animata it was decided to make tho depot there, and to return to the base.

On the way back the whole of the dog team fell into a crevasse and was rescued with difficulty. At the base camp they found the single pony well, and received news of the Terra Nova and the Fram.

: They started again on tho 24th of February with Sky, the single pony. Storms and blizzards raged on the journey to the base camp, which was •reached on the 28th.

There it was found that storms caused enormous accumulations of snow, -and the shifts of tho wind baffled all efforts to shelter tho ponies, which suffered badly.

He decided to return to Hut Point without delay. Messrs Wilson and Moars, with dog teams, reached Hut Point safeoly. Messrs Bowers, Cherry, Garrad and Cream, with the lour best ponies, sot out to follow tho dogs, but on nearing Hut Point they found workings of the cracks in the ice, and hast-

ily turning, marched south. At 2 a.ra., the tired ponies obliged the party, to camp.

During the night Bowers awoke and found the ice breaking all round the1 camp, and moving with a heavy swel). One pony had disappeared and war? not seen again. The party got out with infinite difficulty, the ponies jumping from floo to floe. i

When his party reached the barrier his worst fears were confirmed, when Mr Wilson with the glasses discovered the ponies adrift on the sea ice.

Captain Scott, Avith Messrs Gates anil Cream, sot off to the west, working round the bay. Approaching the barrier edge they discovered the missiiag party on the pack, which had been drifting slowly' N.W. With an alpino rope the men rescued the sledges and the loads were also salved, but thej could do nothing for the- ponies, which were only 30 yards away.

The pack;later began to drift away. The ponies were left with full nosebags. The men then moved north and found the ponies, and-made desperatel efforts to save them, but succeeded only with one. Killer whales hung about within a few yards.

The three strongest ponies were lost by that incident, and it was a severe blow to the 'expedition.

The heavy" swell which caused the disaster broke more than 10 miles "of fast sea ice and two miles of glacier tongue, a feature- -otherwise unchanged since 1902.

The Discovery hut was found to bo almost filled with hard snow; the windows were broken, and the doors unhinged. These were repaired, and it afforded shelter'whilst the party was forced to wait for the freezing of tho sea.

The supply of seals never failed, but they were sometimes scarce.

On March loth the western geological, party returned, bringing the total up to 16 persons. The party had spent.sis: weeks in making a close survey of Dry, Valley in the lower Ferror-Koltlitz glacier regions.

The temperature of the ice barrier had already fallen to minus 40 degrees.. Throughout the month the ice continued to form over the sea, but stormy winds quickly drove it north. After March 26th the ice remained fast in th«> sheltered bays, but continued to drive out of the Sound. Huge land ice falls on the S.W. slopes of Mt Erebus prevented any possibility of returning to Cape Evans by land.

Captain Scott, with eight "companions, started for the station there oil April 11th, and though caught in a storm in tho sea ice, they reached Capo Evans on the 13th. Tho station, which, was left with Simpson in charge, was found to be in excellent order, the1 recording instruments being in full swing, and all the records complete. TJvere had been much wind, the mean velocity for two months being 24 milea per hour, and for 19 per cent of tho wholo time the wmd had been over gale strength. All the observations pointed, to an exceptionally severe season.

Sea ice continued to drive out of tho Sound "until the first week in May, ami it was not till three weeks after tho sun had gone that tho men and anrmals left at that point safely returned to the main station.

The Sound froze solid in' May, and later in the winter tho fast ice &s- -■■ tended to an unprecedented distance to the north. After the return of tho absentees they settled clown very comfortably in the winter hut, the arrangements of which were eminently satisfactory. The temperature- was rarely below minus 40 degrees, and at tb«> lowest minus 6X3. Football was played to within a month of midwinter. *

On June 27th Messrs Wilson, Bowers, Cheery and Garrard started on a sledge journey to Cape Crozior, to observe the incubation of tho Emperor penguins at their rookery. On tho outward journey the temperature wok seldom above minus 60 degrees, anO often below 70. The lowest was minus 77.

Behind the land iidgo.on.the slopes of Mount Terror the party spent threo days building a stone hut, which they roofed with canvas. They managed toreach the rookery at the second attempt, but found few birds, and sohk* eggs, which they secured. The' sani(> nightl, a-violent galo unroofed the hut,, and blew away the tent and othev articles; For 30 hours tho traveller)-) were confined to their frozen sleeping bags, half buried in snow and xock debris. It was 48 hours before they could get a. meal. Fortunately they found the teJnt among some boulders uninjured.

After being held up by another storm the party returned after five week*;* absence, incased in ice and suffering fiom want of sleep, but otherwise well.

Captain Scott considers that thia first winter journey in the Antarctic was a remarkable feat of on durance, and also shows the severe conditions on tho gieat snow plain of the barrier during the sunless season.

After tho return of tho sun in August there was a considerable increase in the wind, but the temperatures remained moderate. Mr Moars' dog tearm* inado their headauarters at Hut-Point

on September Ist, tho dogs leaving in splendid form at intervals. After tho arrival of iho expedition some obscuyo-disea-so robbed it of four excellent dogs. In every ease tho animal attacked appeared to be vigorous antl

honlthy, but diet! in a few hours. It was thought'that the can&o was some mitnito thread of worm entering tho brain. At the end of the month a telephone was set tip over 15 miles, and a bar© wire laid* on to' Hut Point proved vei?y useful.

On October Ist Lieutenant Evans and Messrs Gran and Fordo travelled to the corner camp to rebuild the cairns there. They experienced temperatures

■ botween minus 60 ami 70, and Mr Perm's hand .was badly frost bitten; It is now recovering rapidly. With Messrs jBo wots and Simpson and Petty-OfficerEvaris' Captain Scott travelled west on September ,15th: On ascending the A-orrar glacier they found by stakes planted by Wright that the. stream had-moved thirty feet in seven months. Tbo western geological party, consisting of Me-ssrs Taylor, Debcnham, Gran, and Fordo., will loavo iv a few days for Granite harbour. All plans and preparations for tho southern journey am now complete, and despite the accidents last season "wo havo groat hopu of success," says Captain Soott. "The necessity for getting tho utmost oat of the remaining ponicn has decided mo not to expose them to groat cold, and wo shall therefore start later than was originally intended."