Scott's Last Expedition Part 54

Date Camp No. Note. Distance.

Nov. 15, 16 12 One Ton Camp 15 Nov. 17 13 15 Nov. 18 14 15 Nov. 19 15 15 Nov. 20 16 15 Nov. 21 17 Mt. Hooper Depot 15 Nov. 22 18 15 Nov. 23 19 15 Nov. 24 20 15 Nov. 25 21 Mid Barrier Depot 15 Nov. 26 22 15 Nov. 27 23 Nov. 28 24 15 Nov. 29 25 15 Nov. 30 26 15 Dec. 1 27 Southern Barrier Depot 15 Dec. 2 28 11 1/2 Dec. 3 29 13 Dec. 4- 30 8 Dec. 9 31 Shambles 4 Dec. 10 32 Lower Glacier D

Date Camp No. Note. Distance.

Feb. 17 R. 31 4 Feb. 18 R. 32 4.3 Feb. 19 R. 33 7 Feb. 20 R. 34 8 1/2 Feb. 21 R. 35 11 1/2 Feb. 22 R. 36 8 1/2 Feb. 23 R. 37 6 1/2 Feb. 24 R. 38 11.4 Feb. 25 R. 39 11 1/2 Feb. 26 R. 40 12.2 Feb. 27 R. 41 11 Feb. 28 R. 42 Lunch, 13 to Depot 11 1/2 Feb. 29 R. 43 Lunch, under 3 to Depot Mar. 1 R. 44 6 Mar. 2 R. 45 Nearly 10 Mar. 3 R. 46 Lunch, 42 to Depot 9 Mar. 4 R. 47 9 1/2 Mar. 5 R. 48. 27 to Depot 6 1/2 Mar. 6 R. 49 7 Mar. 7 R. 50 Lunch, 8 1/2 to Depot 4 1/2 Mar. 8 R. 51 Mar. 9-10 R. 52 6.9 Mar. 11 R. 53 7 Mar. 12 R. 54 47 to Depot 5 1/4 Mar. 13 R. 55 6 Mar. 14 R. 56 4 Mar. 15 R. 57 Blizz'd Lunch, 25 1/2 to Depot Mar. 17 R. 58 Lunch, 21 to Depot Mar. 18 R. 59 Mar. 19 R. 60 The Last Camp

The numbers are Statute Miles.

Marches

Out Return Lower Glacier to Southern Barrier Depot 5 6 1/2 Southern Barrier to Mid Barrier Depot 5 1/2 6 1/2 Mid Barrier to Mount Hooper 4 3/4 8 Thereafter 4 8

It will be noted that of the first 15 Return Marches on the Barrier, 5 are 11 1/2 miles and upwards, and 5 are 8 1/2 to 10.

NOTES

[1] It was continued a night and a day.

[2] Captain Oates' nickname.

[3] A species of shrimp on which the seabirds feed.

[4] The party headed by Lieutenant Campbell, which, being unable to disembark on King Edward's Land, was ultimately taken by the Terra Nova to the north part of Victoria Land, and so came to be known as the Northern Party. The Western Party here mentioned includes all who had their base at Cape Evans: the depots to be laid were for the subsequent expedition to the Pole.

[5] The extreme S. point of the Island, a dozen miles farther, on one of whose minor headlands, Hut Point, stood the _Discovery_ hut.

[6] Here were the meteorological instruments.

[7] Cape Evans, which lay on the S. side of the new hut.

[8] The Southern Road was the one feasible line of communication between the new station at C. Evans and the Discovery hut at Hut Point, for the rugged mountains and creva.s.sed ice slopes of Ross Island forbade a pa.s.sage by land. The 'road' afforded level going below the cliffs of the ice-foot, except where disturbed by the descending glacier, and there it was necessary to cross the body of the glacier itself. It consisted of the more enduring ice in the bays and the sea-ice along the coast, which only stayed fast for the season.

Thus it was of the utmost importance to get safely over the precarious part of the 'road' before the seasonal going-out of the sea-ice. To wait until all the ice should go out and enable the s.h.i.+p to sail to Hut Point would have meant long uncertainty and delay. As it happened, the Road broke up the day after the party had gone by.

[9] Viz. Atkinson and Crean, who were left at Safety Camp; E. Evans, Forde and Keohane, who returned with the weaker ponies on Feb. 13; Meares and Wilson with the dog teams; and Scott, Bowers, Oates, Cherry-Garrard, and Lashly.

[10] The favorite nickname for Bowers.

[11] Professor T. Edgeworth David, C.M.G., F.R.S., of Sydney University, who was the geologist to Shackleton's party.

[12] This was done in order to measure on the next visit the results of wind and snow.

[13] Scott, Wilson, Meares and Cherry-Garrard now went back swiftly with the dog teams, to look after the return parties at Safety Camp. Having found all satisfactory, Scott left Wilson and Meares there with the dogs, and marched back with the rest to Corner Camp, taking more stores to the depot and hoping to meet Bowers rearguard party.

[14] The party had made a short cut where in going out with the ponies they had made an elbow, and so had pa.s.sed within this 'danger line.'

[15] Bowers, Oates, and Gran, with the five ponies. The two days had after all brought them to Safety Camp.

[16] This was at a point on the Barrier, one-half mile from the edge, in a S.S.E. direction from Hut Point.

[17] I.e. by land, now that the sea ice was out.

[18] Because the seals would cease to come up.

[19] As a step towards 'getting these things clearer' in his mind two spare pages of the diary are filled with neat tables, showing the main cla.s.ses into which rocks are divided, and their natural subdivisions--the sedimentary, according to mode of deposition, chemical, organic, or aqueous; the metamorphic, according to the kind of rock altered by heat; the igneous, according to their chemical composition.

[20] Viz, Simpson, Nelson, Day, Ponting, Lashly, Clissold, Hooper, Anton, and Demetri.

[21] See Chapter X.

[22] The white dogs.

[23] I.e. in relation to a sledging ration.

[24] Officially the ponies were named after the several schools which had subscribed for their purchase: but sailors are inveterate nicknamers, and the unofficial humour prevailed. See Appendix, Note 18.

[25] Captain Scott's judgment was not at fault.

[26] I.e. a crack which leaves the ice free to move with the movements of the sea beneath.

[27] This was the gale that tore away the roofing of their hut, and left them with only their sleeping-bags for shelter. See p. 365.

[28] Prof. T. Edgeworth David, of Sydney University, who accompanied Shackleton's expedition as geologist.

[29] See Vol. II., Dr. Simpson's Meteorological Report.

[30] This form of motor traction had been tested on several occasions; in 1908 at Lauteret in the Alps, with Dr. Charcot the Polar explorer: in 1909 and again 1910 in Norway. After each trial the sledges were brought back and improved.

[31] The Southern Barrier Depot.

[32] Camp 31 received the name of Shambles Camp.

[33] While Day and Hooper, of the ex-motor party, had turned back on November 24, and Meares and Demetri with the dogs ascended above the Lower Glacier Depot before returning on December 11, the Southern Party and its supports were organised successively as follows:

December 10, leaving Shambles Camp-- _Sledge_ 1. Scott, Wilson, Oates and P.O. Evans.

_Sledge_ 2. E. Evans, Atkinson, Wright, Lashly.

_Sledge_ 3. Bowers, Cherry-Garrard, Crean, Keohane.