THE RETURN JOURNEY.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LV, Issue 13921, 26 March 1909, Page 5

THE RETURN JOURNEY.

DASHING WORK.

CHRTSTCHURCH. March 26. I ,w n SI' 1 " m ? rU J° llrnp y-" continued Lieut. Shaekleton, "we picked up our outward sledge tracks and this was fortunate because the blizzard had blown away the flags from the poles. Aftor that with a sail up on the sledge (tho sail being improvised out of W of the floorcloths of the tent) wo did marches daily, assisted by tho wind of distances ranging from 20 to 20 miles a day— crossing crevices at full speed. Ue reached the upper glacier depot on January 19. The travelling down the glacier was not so easy a' job as we bad only loft four days' food to carry us to tho depot at tho fool of the glacier. But owing to tho bad crevasses, rendered worse by the snmv which covered them lower down, our travelling was very slow On tho morning of January 26 we had finished all our food. Our last meal consisted of boiled pony and maize. Seeing the absolute necessity of reaching tho depot, we tried to make forced marches, hut through the deep snow and among the crevasses wo only succeeded by 2am on the morning of the 27th in 'covering 16 miles. # j ! "In twenty-two hours' hauling we eventually reached within a mile of our depot. On the afternoon of the 27th and whilst some of us pitched camp, Dr. Marshall went on and got somo food consisting of horse meat and biscuit from the depot. Adams fell half an hour before we came to camp in his harness, but directly he had recovered a little he went on again pulling. "After leaving the depot we got soon on to the ice barrier again and reached Gresi depot on February 3. Wyld during this tipio was suffering from dysenJerv due t ( 0 something being wrong with ttfo horse meat. After leaving Gresi depot the whole party was similarly affected and for one whole day we were unable to leave camp at all. Helped by strong southerly winds we eventually reached Chinamen depot with no food. Remaining at Chinamen depot we loaded Lorsemeat and digging down in tho snow found the frozen blood of the horse.

SHORT RATIONS

"This we added to our stock of food tho daily ration now consisting of (for tho whole day) one pannikin of halfrooked horse-meat with blood and four biscuits, two pannikins of ten and half a spoonful of cocoa in warm water per man. We reached deuot A with no 'food left. We reached the bluff det pot, Helped by strong southerly winds, lon February 3. This was made by Joyce in January and hero for the second time sinco tho middle of November we had a square meal. The othor time was on Christmas Day on the plateau when we had a full feed consisting of pommican, pony ration, emergency oxol, and a small plum pudding weighing about half a pound. We boiled the plum pudding in the cocoa water to give it oil. "Leaving the bluff depot we made a forced march on the second day of 24 miles. As Dr. Marshall had a' relapse of dysentery and we were very anxious to get to tho shin as early as possible, though he was suffering much, ho kept going in his harness all that day. On the 17th in the afternoon, he was too ill to proceed, but though he wished to go on. I decided to leave him in- camp with Adams in charge whilst Wyld and I pushed on to the ship for relief. We reached Hut Poin> in a blizzard on the night of tho 2?Hh aiul on tho morning of March I heliographed the shin, which had been lying at shelter at Glacier Tongue •At two o'clock the samo nfterroon. with a relief party of threo non. Mackay, Mawson and M'Gillan. wo started b-jek to pick up the rest of our party. We found Dr. Marshall much better find' eventually we all arrived at Hut Point late on March 3. burnt a flare to the ship which 'picked us up early on tho 4th.

"During the morning we sailed north and only just in time, for we were two days pushing through heavy now pancake ice. Wo tried to push to the westward beyond Capo North but were held up by heavy old pack ice not before we had found 4o miles of iipw coast mountains ranging from 5000 to 7000 feet in height. Aftor n boisterous passage wo arrived at Half Moon Bay, Stewart Island, on March 23."

THE MAGNETIC POLE

In answer to a question regarding the expedition resulting in Ibe attaining of the magnetic polo, Lieutenant Shaekleton said that this had been >• very important part of the work and was a most difficult one for those whr wore engaged in it. This party did $00 miles of relay work over tlie sen ice. Thoy hauled ono sledge for a certain distance, then returned and hauled up the other sledge and they did this from October 5 to December l->. And under tho relay system every mile of ground had, of course, to be covered three times. The surface of the sea ice was very .sticky with salt and madte the sled ye travelling extremely laborious.

"What about the provisions?" asked tho reporter.

"The party had," Lieutenant Shackleton said, "to eke out their provisions. They lived on seal and pongu.n meat. One of them tasting the seal oil in the blubber lamp pronounced it oxooilcnt and from that time on seal blubber was alwaj's part ot the menu. The party was entnely supported by ponies and their provisions were much the same as ours excepting that they had dried milk instead of plasmon. The equipment was similar to ours." "Would you say a word as' to the importance of the attainment of the Polo?" asked the reporter.

"Mawson wiih the. Lloyd Cr'-nk dip circle absolutely fixed the position of tho south magnetic Pole which is a matter of great interest to science and helps the forwarding of that branch of knowledge," replied the Lieutenant. "It is a matter of great importance in all magnetic Survey work. This party arrived at a point on tho sea coast on a glacier 180 miles from w inter quarters with practically no provisions except a few biscuits. On arrival there thov obtained seals and > penguins. I had loft instructions at winter quarters that if they had not returned there by February 1. the ship was to search tho coast for them. This seems a fairly simple thing to do, but one must realiso that it was a practically unknown coast with heavy pack ice extending out from it.

"On our return Captain Evans had a most trying job manoeuvring in bliz.zards and through the pack. Whilst &oing up that coast to search for a black flag only about 2ft. wide, ho went as far as Capo Washington. And then keeping inshore again on the way south searching overy inlet and nook he arrived at, tho spot where tho northern party had come to camp only sixtoen hours earlier.

"Ho sighted tho tent, fired a double detonator, and tho three men came rushing out. Mawsin immediately fell down a crevass, and held up on a snow abutment twenty foet below, and was pulled out by tho party from the ship. So that in a moment tho gloomy prospect in front of thorn was changed and they wore m comfort."

AN ICE FLOE

"Previously to picking up tho northern party," continued Lieut. Shackleton," in answer to further questions, "as iho Nimrod was steaming across M'Munroo Sound on January 24, a heliograph was observed flashing on the western shore. Pushing through tho broken pack of ico. Captain Evans picked up tho western party, consisting of Armytago, JBroeklohurst and Priestley. His party had boon exploring and doing geological work in tho west. On tho 22nd thoy woro camped off Butter Point on tho apparently fast ico. Waking up on the morning of tho 23rd they found tho ico had broken up in the night and thoy woro drifting north on a floo.-

"Fortunately tho current sot south that night and at midnight one corner of the floe touched land and ico and in three minutes thoy had all their equipments across into safety, and immediately after the floe wont north to tho open sea for good. Noxt day thoy had observed tho ship in the distance, eleven miles off, and heliographod to her. When tho ship first arrived in M'Munroo Sound on January 5, Captain Evans dispatched a party of four men with M'lntosh in charge to convoy the mails to Capo Royds over the apparently fast ico. Tho same night two of the men returned to tho ship, and, continuing tho next day, M'lntosh found the ico breaking up. By jumping from floe to floo they just managed to roach the land and ice (with tho mail bags} in safety.

"After rom -Wrung warly <a week by Mount Bird they decided to push overland across the mountains to Capo Royds, 28 miles distant. They got into yory much crevassed country, and M'Gillan went down a crovass, being hauled up by M'lntosh, who improvised a rope out of a bolt and a bit of lino.

"AH the equipment was lost in this crovuss except a camera and a stick of chocolate. However, they pushed on, glissading down ice slopes amongst crevasses and eventually reaching tho vicinity of Cape Royds in a blizzard the following day, whore they were found j.;reatly exhausted by Day, who happened to havo left tho hut at the time. They were not aware that they wore so close to Iho hut and wore walking round and round in a circle trying to keep warm. Captain Evans, with tho Nimrod, had arrived at Capo Royds on on March 6, and hearing that M'lntnsh was not there, loft at once in search. Tho Nimrod was caught in the pack and subjected to sovere pressures for ten days. Eventually she was extricated and returned to Royds."

EMINENT GEOLOGISTS.

Asked regarding the general rcsu'!* of the expedition. Lieutenant Shackleton said that "the geology of the country had naturally been well looked after, as we had three geologists on board — Professor David, F.R.S., Douglas Mawson, B.E. and S.C., and Raymond Priestley. Very good collections were made, but at the present moment we cannot say the full value of the various finds, because they have 1o be examined microscopically in the Biological Department. There is a distinct new feature in the finding of the microscopic animals in the lakes. Murray, the biologist, is an authority in this particular branch. One peculiar thing about the roti?feros is that instead of laA'ing oggs as they do in temperate climates they l.ring forth their young alive and thoy% can exist in the very lowest temperatures and even in ice, and yet water of 200 degrees heat will not kill them.

METEOROLOGICAL RECORDS

"Professor David considers thr>t the meteorological records and information trained are one of the most important features of the scientific work and will be especially important to New Zealand and Australia, as the upper currents of atmosjhoro have an effect on Australasian weather. Observations of the steam cloud on Mount Erebus have been of great importance in determining the direction of movements of the tipper currents of the .atmosphere. The other physical scientific branches have been carefully worked and if is interesting to note that tho New Zealand and Australian magnctieians predicted good auroral displays in tho south, and we had exceptional brilliant aurorae. In fact, we havo a photograph takeu with an ordinary camera, which shows distinctly the auroral light.

ZOOLOGY.

"As regards Koology, Jouv loofcod particularly after tin's braiifh find \v'-> lave a good eolloH ion of penguins nrr? and various museums in Australasia will be giv-:n specimens of tlio fauna and geological collections ; also the marine animals. As far as exploration is concerned, the expedition has been eminently successful. . No one, of course, is satisfied with his work, but

certainly, as adding something to our kuowlr Uge o! tho l.ir south, tho expedition has been .suc(o.s'»ful. 3^ had drawn back tho veil a httk> more trom the lour million square ir.iio.s that has been hiddvn Irom man,

WORST WEATHER IN THE WORLD.

"lip to tho present there is one thing v, e are certain of — that tho gcographicil South Polo is situated on a high piateau, which experiences tho coldest and stormiest we:ithor in tho world; \ihere in tho height of summer it is possible to got 70 degrees of frost, and one can realise - little from this what Iho weather rnu^t be like in, tho winter."

A FRIENDLY PARTY.

In on.swer to a question regarding tl(o work of the .stiff, Lieut. Shackloton .said that everybody got on splendidly together. Everyone not only was interested in his own department, but '•rady to he]ip in othor dopartmentr ■when the need arose. A man who had i' ono down there to engage in a particular branch of science was quite willing to give a hand wherever it was wanted. "Yes," ho said, "it is always possible to do everything in the world, oven to loach tho South Polo. Wo gained a .crcat deal naturally from tho Discovery's expedition, and the next man will gam much* from tins _ expedition. There remain only 97 miles to be done, and one thing is certain, that the food must be increased if the party arc to do the distance, becnu.se on a plateau such as that with intense cold our food ws» -• not sufjieient."

Irofessor David interviewed said there can now be little doubt that the barrier is formed partly of glacial ice and partly of snow. This view as to its origin is rendered highly probable through the discovery by Lieut. Shackloton and his party of a vast glacier ntty miles wide and 120 miles long, descending frtmi an elevated inland plateau over 10.000 feet above sea level. This glacier is probably one of the many winch K o to feed the Great li-arrier. The great glacier described by tho southern party is fed from snows near tlie South Polo and by its forward movement presses up the surface of the barrier for twenty miles from the shore lino or inland odgo into a series of long pressure ridges like a continuation of largo ocean waves. Important evidence was found by M'lntosh and tho depot laying party as to the actual seaward movement of tho barrier caused by tho. pressure ofg tho inland glacier. Further south it was found that UrrPV*" 1?1 ?' 01 "*"' 8 (lopot A near Minna Jilutt had travelled two geographical miles to oast north-east in a period of six years and two months. It was also proved by the same party that eight feet two inches of snow had fallen during the same interval of time at tho present site of ■ depot A.

TABULAR BERGS.'

This may bo considered to be a fair average estimate of the snowfall for the

barrier in this latitude. It is obvious therefore that as the head of the barrier is approximately 300 or 400 miles south of the seaward front, there is time for many hundreds of feet of thickness of snow to accumulate on the surface of the slowly moving glacial ico before it traverses the above distance in order to reach the sea front from which icebergs are from time to time broken off. Observations by the expedition and soundings round typical icebergs by Captain Evans, showed that bergs most typical and common in the Antarctic are large tabular bergs grounded in what subsequently proved' to be 18 fathoms of water. l*his goes to show that probably most of the bergs launched from tho gre,at ic© barrier, are in their upper portions, at all events- if not throughout, formed of snow rather than from glacier ice.

CONTINENTAL AREA.

Glacier ice on which snow was originally deposited has probably •»' dissolved away in sea water on which the barrier floats probably for many scores of miles before its northern limit is reached. One of the most important geological results of expedition is to prove that tho Antarctic region from Ross Sea to tho South Pole is a great continental area in the nature of a high plateau, its northern extremity near Capo North being from 6000 to "000 feet above sea level, over 7000 foet near the magnetic Pole, over 8000 feet where it was traversed by Captain Scott's expedition, and about 10,500 feet at the' furthermost point reached by Lieutenant Shaekleton. and party, BSdog. 23min. south. This plateau continues across to the South Pole for somo distance and probably extends onv.ards in the direction of South America towards Coates Land, discovered by Bruce. The discovery of coal measures and of thick measures of limestone as far as 80 degrees south is obviously of extreme interest as showing a "

FORMER MILD CLIMATE

close to the South Pole for. both limestone and coal occur only under such conditions. This coal measure and. the limestone formations extend in almost an uninterrupted sheet from 85 deg. south, across to the magnetic Pole, a distance of over 1100 miles. Under the coal and sandstone formation is widely spread foundation of very -old rocky granites nices schists and coarse crystalline marble. Mineral monazite from which thorium is commercially extracted for incandescent gas mantles is so common in places that it is one of local rook forming mineral like black bica in granite. This mineral was discovered by Mr Douglas Mawson at several spots along the coast on the west side of Ross Sea. Professor David said that the ringed penguin found a.t Cape Royds probably came all the tremendous distance from Grahams Land and was the only bird of the sort seen at this particular spot. Tho speaker -also stated that the results of the meteorological observations \vore beine: worked up and it was hoped fhev would prove eminently useful both to New Zealand and to Australia.

Tho solving of many important questions as to tho bearing of Antarctic conditions upon tho weather in these latitudes, tho observations would be worked up hero by the local and expedition scientists, and they would be enabled to compare a series of observations taken .simultaneously over a period of fifteen months in the south polar regions and here, and to ascertain tho effect of tho tremendous bUzzards experience in the south upon the weather conditions of Australasia.

CLOUDS OF SMOKE.

At Cape Royds tho northern party. Lieutenant Shaekletou's party and tho ship all took observations.. Their situation at Capo Royds was most favourable for studying tho effects of tho

•VM- air currents. A most interesting feature in this respect was tho fact that they woro enabled to watch the clouds of smoko moving over the top of Mount Erebus.

I Another rwinber of the expedition 'says tlut w hen the Nimrod reached the base iiiivv leaving Lyttelton last DcciNiibcr, there were only three men lin the hut, Messrs. Joyce, Marston and Day. They had been laying down depots. The northern party which discovered the' magnetic pole, viz., Proiessor David, Dr. Mackay, and My. Ma warm, were given up as hopeles-,iy lobt by the ship, as they were l'ni'j; overdue. The ship searched 3UO milt^ of coastline, and eventually piclied up the party in a little inlet of Ihe Drygaleki Barrier. They had had a very rough time They only, arrived there the ni^ht before, and were staying in the hope of being picked up. It was the \biggest piece oi luck in the world that we managed to find them. They were due back in January, and it was then February 4. After landing them at the hut the ship proceeded to the great ice barrier, to search for Lieutenant Shackleton'.s .southern pa/lty, which should have been back -by February 15. The JSimrod got a severe gruelling j in going round, and many days were occupied about between the Discovery hut and the base hut in waiting for them to turn up. All hope of seeing them again was abandoned, as it turned out they were not picked up until March 1, and were found through their heliographing to the ship. Only Shackleton and -"Wyld could be seen, they having come in after a forced march to get rejief for Dr. Marshall, who was suffering from dysentery, and Lieutenant Adams, who was staying with him, they being camped 28 miles away.

A FORTUNxVTE ESCAPE.

Naturally those on board received a terrible shock, thinking that the other two members of the party had been lo3t. However, the matter was quickly explained, and Lieutenant Shackleton, after getting a little to eat, set off again with a relief party two hours later and picked them up. All returned safely to the ship at midnight on March 3. They were all .terribly thin, but as soon as they came on board they were given decent food, and you coiild almost see them putting on flesh again. Everybody was tremendously proud of Lieutenant Shackleton's achievement of beating Captain Scott's funhercst south record by 366 miles.