South: The Story of Shackleton's Last Expedition, 1914-1917
Ross Sea base, where the previous Expedition had its winter quarters.
“In all, fourteen men will be landed by the _Endurance_ on the Weddell
Sea. Six will set out on the Trans-continental journey, three will go
westward, three eastward, and two remain at the base carrying on the
work already outlined.
“The _Aurora_ will land six men at the Ross Sea base. They will lay
down depots on the route of the Trans-continental party, and make a
march south to assist that party, and to make geological and other
observations as already described.
“Should the Trans-continental party succeed, as is hoped, in crossing
during the first season, its return to civilization may be expected
about April 1915. The other sections in April 1916.
“_The Ships of the Expedition._
“The two ships for the Expedition have now been selected.
“The _Endurance_, the ship which will take the Trans-continental party
to the Weddell Sea, and will afterwards explore along an unknown
coast-line, is a new vessel, specially constructed for Polar work under
the supervision of a committee of Polar explorers. She was built by
Christensen, the famous Norwegian constructor of sealing vessels, at
Sandefjord. She is barquentine rigged, and has triple-expansion engines
giving her a speed under steam of nine to ten knots. To enable her to
stay longer at sea, she will carry oil fuel as well as coal. She is of
about 350 tons, and built of selected pine, oak, and greenheart. This
fine vessel, equipped, has cost the Expedition £14,000.
“The _Aurora_, the ship which will take out the Ross Sea party, has
been bought from Dr. Mawson. She is similar in all respects to the
_Terra Nova_, of Captain Scott’s last Expedition. She had extensive
alterations made by the Government authorities in Australia to fit her
for Dr. Mawson’s Expedition, and is now at Hobart, Tasmania, where the
Ross Sea party will join her in October next.”
I started the preparations in the middle of 1913, but no public
announcement was made until January 13, 1914. For the last six months
of 1913 I was engaged in the necessary preliminaries, solid mule work,
showing nothing particular to interest the public, but essential for an
Expedition that had to have a ship on each side of the Continent, with
a land journey of eighteen hundred miles to be made, the first nine
hundred miles to be across an absolutely unknown land mass.
On January 1, 1914, having received a promised financial support
sufficient to warrant the announcement of the Expedition, I made it
public.
The first result of this was a flood of applications from all classes
of the community to join the adventure. I received nearly five thousand
applications, and out of these were picked fifty-six men.
In March, to my great disappointment and anxiety, the promised
financial help did not materialize, and I was now faced with the fact
that I had contracted for a ship and stores, and had engaged the staff,
and I was not in possession of funds to meet these liabilities. I
immediately set about appealing for help, and met with generous
response from all sides. I cannot here give the names of all who
supported my application, but whilst taking this opportunity of
thanking every one for their support, which came from parts as far
apart as the interior of China, Japan, New Zealand, and Australia, I
must particularly refer to the munificent donation of £24,000 from the
late Sir James Caird, and to one of £10,000 from the British
Government. I must also thank Mr. Dudley Docker, who enabled me to
complete the purchase of the _Endurance_, and Miss Elizabeth Dawson
Lambton, who since 1901 has always been a firm friend to Antarctic
exploration, and who again, on this occasion, assisted largely. The
Royal Geographical Society made a grant of £1000; and last, but by no
means least, I take this opportunity of tendering my grateful thanks to
Dame Janet Stancomb Wills, whose generosity enabled me to equip the
_Endurance_ efficiently, especially as regards boats (which boats were
the means of our ultimate safety), and who not only, at the inception
of the Expedition, gave financial help, but also continued it through
the dark days when we were overdue, and funds were required to meet the
need of the dependents of the Expedition.
The only return and privilege an explorer has in the way of
acknowledgment for the help accorded him is to record on the discovered
lands the names of those to whom the Expedition owes its being.
Owing to the exigencies of the war the publication of this book has
been long delayed, and the detailed maps must come with the scientific
monographs. I have the honour to place on the new land the names of the
above and other generous donors to the Expedition. The two hundred
miles of new coast-line I have called Caird Coast. Also, as a more
personal note, I named the three ship’s boats, in which we ultimately
escaped from the grip of the ice, after the three principal donors to
the Expedition—the _James Caird_, the _Stancomb Wills_ and the _Dudley
Docker_. The two last-named are still on the desolate sandy spit of
Elephant Island, where under their shelter twenty-two of my comrades
eked out a bare existence for four and a half months.
The _James Caird_ is now in Liverpool, having been brought home from
South Georgia after her adventurous voyage across the sub-Antarctic
ocean.
Most of the Public Schools of England and Scotland helped the
Expedition to purchase the dog teams, and I named a dog after each
school that helped. But apart from these particular donations I again
thank the many people who assisted us.
So the equipment and organization went on. I purchased the _Aurora_
from Sir Douglas Mawson, and arranged for Mackintosh to go to Australia
and take charge of her, there sending sledges, equipment and most of
the stores from this side, but depending somewhat on the sympathy and
help of Australia and New Zealand for coal and certain other
necessities, knowing that previously these two countries had always
generously supported the exploration of what one might call their
hinterland.
Towards the end of July all was ready, when suddenly the war clouds
darkened over Europe.
It had been arranged for the _Endurance_ to proceed to Cowes, to be
inspected by His Majesty on the Monday of Cowes week. But on Friday I
received a message to say that the King would not be able to go to
Cowes. My readers will remember how suddenly came the menace of war.
Naturally, both my comrades and I were greatly exercised as to the
probable outcome of the danger threatening the peace of the world.
We sailed from London on Friday, August 1, 1914, and anchored off
Southend all Saturday. On Sunday afternoon I took the ship off Margate,
growing hourly more anxious as the ever-increasing rumours spread; and
on Monday morning I went ashore and read in the morning paper the order
for general mobilization.
I immediately went on board and mustered all hands and told them that I
proposed to send a telegram to the Admiralty offering the ships,
stores, and, if they agreed, our own services to the country in the
event of war breaking out. All hands immediately agreed, and I sent off
a telegram in which everything was placed at the disposal of the
Admiralty. We only asked that, in the event of the declaration of war,
the Expedition might be considered as a single unit, so as to preserve
its homogeneity. There were enough trained and experienced men amongst
us to man a destroyer. Within an hour I received a laconic wire from
the Admiralty saying “Proceed.” Within two hours a longer wire came
from Mr. Winston Churchill, in which we were thanked for our offer, and
saying that the authorities desired that the Expedition, which had the
full sanction and support of the Scientific and Geographical Societies,
should go on.
So, according to these definite instructions, the _Endurance_ sailed to
Plymouth. On Tuesday the King sent for me and handed me the Union Jack
to carry on the Expedition. That night, at midnight, war broke out. On
the following Saturday, August 8, the _Endurance_ sailed from Plymouth,
obeying the direct order of the Admiralty. I make particular reference
to this phase of the Expedition as I am aware that there was a certain
amount of criticism of the Expedition having left the country, and
regarding this I wish further to add that the preparation of the
Expedition had been proceeding for over a year, and large sums of money
had been spent. We offered to give the Expedition up without even
consulting the donors of this money, and but few thought that the war
would last through these five years and involve the whole world. The
Expedition was not going on a peaceful cruise to the South Sea Islands,
but to a most dangerous, difficult, and strenuous work that has nearly
always involved a certain percentage of loss of life. Finally, when the
Expedition did return, practically the whole of those members who had
come unscathed through the dangers of the Antarctic took their places
in the wider field of battle, and the percentage of casualties amongst
the members of this Expedition is high.
The voyage out to Buenos Ayres was uneventful, and on October 26 we
sailed from that port for South Georgia, the most southerly outpost of
the British Empire. Here, for a month, we were engaged in final
preparation. The last we heard of the war was when we left Buenos
Ayres. Then the Russian Steam-Roller was advancing. According to many
the war would be over within six months. And so we left, not without
regret that we could not take our place there, but secure in the
knowledge that we were taking part in a strenuous campaign for the
credit of our country.
Apart from private individuals and societies I here acknowledge most
gratefully the assistance rendered by the Dominion Government of New
Zealand and the Commonwealth Government of Australia at the start of
the Ross Sea section of the Expedition; and to the people of New
Zealand and the Dominion Government I tender my most grateful thanks
for their continued help, which was invaluable during the dark days
before the relief of the Ross Sea Party.
Mr. James Allen (acting Premier), the late Mr. McNab (Minister of
Marine), Mr. Leonard Tripp, Mr. Mabin, and Mr. Toogood, and many others
have laid me under a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid.
This is also the opportunity for me to thank the Uruguayan Government
for their generous assistance in placing the government trawler,
_Instituto de Pesca_, for the second attempt at the relief of my men on
Elephant Island.
Finally, it was the Chilian Government that was directly responsible
for the rescue of my comrades. This southern Republic was unwearied in
its efforts to make a successful rescue, and the gratitude of our whole
party is due to them. I especially mention the sympathetic attitude of
Admiral Muñoz Hurtado, head of the Chilian Navy, and Captain Luis
Pardo, who commanded the _Yelcho_ on our last and successful venture.
Sir Daniel Gooch came with us as far as South Georgia. I owe him my
special thanks for his help with the dogs, and we all regretted losing
his cheery presence, when we sailed for the South.
CHAPTER I
INTO THE WEDDELL SEA
I decided to leave South Georgia about December 5, and in the intervals
of final preparation scanned again the plans for the voyage to winter
quarters. What welcome was the Weddell Sea preparing for us? The
whaling captains at South Georgia were generously ready to share with
me their knowledge of the waters in which they pursued their trade,
and, while confirming earlier information as to the extreme severity of
the ice conditions in this sector of the Antarctic, they were able to
give advice that was worth attention.