South: The Story of Shackleton's Last Expedition, 1914-1917

South THE STORY OF SHACKLETON’S LAST EXPEDITION 1914–1917 by Sir Ernest Shackleton C.V.O.

Illustration note

[Illustration: IN THE PRIDE OF HER YOUTH. Colour Photograph by F. Hurley]

TO MY COMRADES WHO FELL IN THE WHITE WARFARE OF THE SOUTH AND ON THE RED FIELDS OF FRANCE AND FLANDERS Contents PREFACE I. INTO THE WEDDELL SEA II. NEW LAND III. WINTER MONTHS IV. LOSS OF THE _ENDURANCE_ V. OCEAN CAMP VI. THE MARCH BETWEEN VII. PATIENCE CAMP VIII. ESCAPE FROM THE ICE IX. THE BOAT JOURNEY X. ACROSS SOUTH GEORGIA XI. THE RESCUE XII. ELEPHANT ISLAND XIII. THE ROSS SEA PARTY XIV. WINTERING IN McMURDO SOUND XV. LAYING THE DEPOTS XVI. THE _AURORA’S_ DRIFT XVII. THE LAST RELIEF XVIII. THE FINAL PHASE APPENDIX I: SCIENTIFIC WORK SEA-ICE NOMENCLATURE METEOROLOGY PHYSICS SOUTH ATLANTIC WHALES AND WHALING APPENDIX II: THE EXPEDITION HUTS AT McMURDO SOUND INDEX LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE PRIDE OF HER YOUTH. Colour Photograph by F. Hurley The Leader The Weddell Sea Party Young Emperor Penguins A Huge Floe of Consolidated Pack Samson Ice-Flowers Midnight off the New Land New Land: Caird Coast Close Under the Barrier Trying to cut a way for the Ship through the Ice to a Lead ahead (February 14, 1915) The Night Watchman’s Story The Dying Sun: The _Endurance_ firmly frozen in The Rampart Berg A Bi-Weekly Performance: Scrubbing out the “Ritz” Pylon Avenue The Long, Long Night The Pups Ice-Pressure Approaching the Ship Ice-Rafting The Returning Sun Wild and Shackleton in the Heavy Pressure Exercising the Dogs Crab-eater Seals The Beginning of the End “Within a few Seconds she heeled over until she had a List of Thirty Degrees to Port” Almost Overwhelmed [Attack of the floes] “The Driving Floe, moving laterally across the Stern, split the Rudder and tore out the Rudder-Post and Stern-Post” The End A Week Later “The Wreckage lies around in Dismal Confusion” The First Attempt to reach the Land 346 Miles Away Ocean Camp The Look-out at Ocean Camp The Emergency Sledges being packed in case of a sudden break up of the Ice The Sledges packed and ready Relaying the _James Caird_ Potash and Perlmutter “Loneliness”: Patience Camp The Kitchen at Patience Camp The Stove at Patience Camp constructed out of old Oil-drums Worsley taking Observations of the Sun to determine our Position “We cut Steps in this Twenty-five Foot Slab and it makes a fine Look-out” “There was no Sleep for us that Night, so we lit the Blubber Stove” Hauling up the Boats for the Night The Reeling Berg Sailing South Again The First Landing ever made on Elephant Island, April 15, 1916 “We Pulled the Three Boats a little Higher on the Beach” Rough sketch map of landing place and first camp at C. Valentine, Elephant Island The First Drink and Hot Food for Three-and-a-Half Days Mount Frank Houlder, Elephant Island Launching the _James Caird_ The _Stancomb Wills_ In Sight of our Goal: Nearing South Georgia Landing on South Georgia [Cave Cove on South Georgia] [Surroundings of King Haakon Bay] [Plan of Sleeping Berths in Cave] Sea Elephants on South Georgia The Cliffs we descended whilst crossing the Island One of the Glaciers we Crossed A Typical View in South Georgia [Rough Memory Map of Route Across South Georgia] Panorama of South Georgia The _Yelcho_ Arrival at Punta Arenas with the Rescued Men Frank Wild, Second in Command of the Expedition Our Dugout The Hut on Elephant Island View of Interior of Hut on Elephant Island Marooned on Elephant Island Elephant Island The Rescue Ship Sighted “All Safe! All Well!” View through a Cave on Elephant Island The Aurora Ice Stalactites at the Entrance to a Cave on Elephant Island A Newly-frozen Lead The Ross Sea Party Mackintosh and Spencer-Smith being dragged on the sledge “The Rudder was bent over to Starboard and Smashed” “Next Morning the Jury-Rudder was Shipped” Ice Nomenclature: 1. Young Ice (Bay Ice of Scoresby) in the Middle Distance 2. Light Pack 3. Heavy Hummocked Pack 4. Hummocky Pack and Frozen Lead of Young-Ice 5. Close Pack 6. Open Pack 7. Very Open Pack, approximating to Drift-ice 8. Drift-Ice “The Rookery” The Anemometer covered with Rime Map: The Voyage of the _Endurance_ PREFACE After the conquest of the South Pole by Amundsen, who, by a narrow margin of days only, was in advance of the British Expedition under Scott, there remained but one great main object of Antarctic journeyings—the crossing of the South Polar continent from sea to sea. When I returned from the _Nimrod_ Expedition on which we had to turn back from our attempt to plant the British flag on the South Pole, being beaten by stress of circumstances within ninety-seven miles of our goal, my mind turned to the crossing of the continent, for I was morally certain that either Amundsen or Scott would reach the Pole on our own route or a parallel one. After hearing of the Norwegian success I began to make preparations to start a last great journey—so that the first crossing of the last continent should be achieved by a British Expedition. We failed in this object, but the story of our attempt is the subject for the following pages, and I think that though failure in the actual accomplishment must be recorded, there are chapters in this book of high adventure, strenuous days, lonely nights, unique experiences, and, above all, records of unflinching determination, supreme loyalty, and generous self-sacrifice on the part of my men which, even in these days that have witnessed the sacrifices of nations and regardlessness of self on the part of individuals, still will be of interest to readers who now turn gladly from the red horror of war and the strain of the last five years to read, perhaps with more understanding minds, the tale of the White Warfare of the South. The struggles, the disappointments, and the endurance of this small party of Britishers, hidden away for nearly two years in the fastnesses of the Polar ice, striving to carry out the ordained task and ignorant of the crises through which the world was passing, make a story which is unique in the history of Antarctic exploration. Owing to the loss of the _Endurance_ and the disaster to the _Aurora_, certain documents relating mainly to the organization and preparation of the Expedition have been lost; but, anyhow, I had no intention of presenting a detailed account of the scheme of preparation, storing, and other necessary but, to the general reader, unimportant affairs, as since the beginning of this century, every book on Antarctic exploration has dealt fully with this matter. I therefore briefly place before you the inception and organization of the Expedition, and insert here the copy of the programme which I prepared in order to arouse the interest of the general public in the Expedition. “_The Trans-continental Party._ “The first crossing of the Antarctic continent, from sea to sea via the Pole, apart from its historic value, will be a journey of great scientific importance. “The distance will be roughly 1800 miles, and the first half of this, from the Weddell Sea to the Pole, will be over unknown ground. Every step will be an advance in geographical science. It will be learned whether the great Victoria chain of mountains, which has been traced from the Ross Sea to the Pole, extends across the continent and thus links up (except for the ocean break) with the Andes of South America, and whether the great plateau around the Pole dips gradually towards the Weddell Sea. “Continuous magnetic observations will be taken on the journey. The route will lead towards the Magnetic Pole, and the determination of the dip of the magnetic needle will be of importance in practical magnetism. The meteorological conditions will be carefully noted, and this should help to solve many of our weather problems. “The glaciologist and geologist will study ice formations and the nature of the mountains, and this report will prove of great scientific interest. “_Scientific Work by Other Parties._ “While the Trans-continental party is carrying out, for the British Flag, the greatest Polar journey ever attempted, the other parties will be engaged in important scientific work. “Two sledging parties will operate from the base on the Weddell Sea. One will travel westwards towards Graham Land, making observations, collecting geological specimens, and proving whether there are mountains in that region linked up with those found on the other side of the Pole. “Another party will travel eastward toward Enderby Land, carrying out a similar programme, and a third, remaining at the base, will study the fauna of the land and sea, and the meteorological conditions. “From the Ross Sea base, on the other side of the Pole, another party will push southward and will probably await the arrival of the Trans-continental party at the top of the Beardmore Glacier, near Mount Buckley, where the first seams of coal were discovered in the Antarctic. This region is of great importance to the geologist, who will be enabled to read much of the history of the Antarctic in the rocks. “Both the ships of the Expedition will be equipped for dredging, sounding, and every variety of hydrographical work. The Weddell Sea ship will endeavour to trace the unknown coast-line of Graham Land, and from both the vessels, with their scientific staffs, important results may be expected. “The several shore parties and the two ships will thus carry out geographical and scientific work on a scale and over an area never before attempted by any one Polar expedition. “This will be the first use of the Weddell Sea as a base for exploration, and all the parties will open up vast stretches of unknown land. It is appropriate that this work should be carried out under the British Flag, since the whole of the area southward to the Pole is British territory. In July 1908, Letters Patent were issued under the Great Seal declaring that the Governor of the Falkland Islands should be the Governor of Graham Land (which forms the western side of the Weddell Sea), and another section of the same proclamation defines the area of British territory as ‘situated in the South Atlantic Ocean to the south of the 50th parallel of south latitude, and lying between 20 degrees and 80 degrees west longitude.’ Reference to a map will show that this includes the area in which the present Expedition will work. “_How the Continent will be crossed._ “The Weddell Sea ship, with all the members of the Expedition operating from that base, will leave Buenos Ayres in October 1914, and endeavour to land in November in latitude 78 degrees south. “Should this be done, the Trans-continental party will set out on their 1800-mile journey at once, in the hope of accomplishing the march across the Pole and reaching the Ross Sea base in five months. Should the landing be made too late in the season, the party will go into winter quarters, lay out depots during the autumn and the following spring, and as early as possible in 1915 set out on the journey. “The Trans-continental party will be led by Sir Ernest Shackleton, and will consist of six men. It will take 100 dogs with sledges, and two motor-sledges with aerial propellers. The equipment will embody everything that the experience of the leader and his expert advisers can suggest. When this party has reached the area of the Pole, after covering 800 miles of unknown ground, it will strike due north towards the head of the Beardmore Glacier, and there it is hoped to meet the outcoming party from the Ross Sea. Both will join up and make for the