Watertown leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1909-1911, 1909-03-26
Fails TO REACH
R0UTH POLE
SHACKLETON FORCED TO RETURN
WHEN WITHIN III
MILES.
BREAKS RECORDS, HOWEVER.
British Lieutenant Undergoes Great
Hardships Facing Terrible Biz
yards in Mountains
BREAKS RECORDS, HOWEVER
MAKES NOTABLE DISCOVERIES.

LONDON. March 24.-Lieut E.
H. Shackleton of the British navy,
commander of the Antarctic expedition,
which returned on the barkentine MIN
rod to InvercargilI, New Zealand. al
though he did not achieve his object,
succeeded in getting within III miles
of the pole
The Nimrod expedition left England in
July, 1907, and after reaching the ice
fields and making the most elaborate
preparations, the main expedition start
ed on Il sledge journey, which occupied
126 days and traversed 1I0S miles south
ward The explorers reached latitude
SS23 and longitude 1872 east, which was
estimated as Ill miles from the pole.
Find Vast Field of Snow.
At the point where the expedition was
compelled to turn back the land was
5000 feet in altitude, trending southwark
in a vast field CT snow, no mountains
being IN sight.
A second party rushed forward to the
southern magnetic pole at latitude 1925,
longitude 154 east. The British flag was
left flying at both points The ascent
of Mount Erebus was accomplished with
difficulty, and geological discoveries of
great Importance were made.
The results attained have thrown
much light ON the history of the Antarc-
tic continent. The expedition suffered
| no loss of life.
Newspaper correspondents were not
allowed on board the steamer Nimrod
bearing the Shackleton expedition, when
she put into Invercargill. A number
Of the crew were questioned, but they
declined to discuss the expedition; their
greatest interest was to learn who had
won the Burns-J ohnson fight in Aus
tralia.
Describes Dash for Pole.
Lieut.. Shackleton thus describes the
dash for the pole:
The southern party, composed of Adams,
and a supporting party consisting Of Broc-
klehurst, Joyce, Marson, Armytage and
1908. on November we left Hut Point
with ninety-one days provisions, but were
held upon White island, which we reached
on November ), for four days by q blizzard
The supporting party returned to the per-
manent quarters on November Z. Owing to
the bad light among the ice crevasses
Adams and his pony were nearly lost.
Reduce Daily Rations.
A few days later we reached the depot at
latitude 1926, logitude 16S east where we
appropriated the maize and other provis-
ions previously left there We commenced
to reduce our daily rations, and Travelled
south along meridian 1913 over a varying
surface of ridges and mountains of snow
alternating with soft snow in which the
ponies often sank to their bellies.
In latitude Of S1.64 we shot a pony aud
made a depot of oil, biscuit and pony meat,
taking the remainder of the pony meat to
exc out our dried rations. We reached the
discovery s" southernmost latitude on No
vember % The surface now became soft,
with large fluctuations. The ponies were
attacked by snow blindness, and the sec
ond of them was shot. depot being made
in In md 4 tuda On,
Der 30 we killed our third pony.
Steering south and southeast, we were
mountains, trending to the southeast. On
December 2 we discovered a glacier 12O
miles long. and approximately 40 miles
wide, running in a south and Southwestern
" direction, and on December ) we started
to ascend it at latitude 1888, longitude 172.
The glacier was full of bad crevasses as
the result of tremendous pressure. 1t took
the whole next day for US TO fight our way
800 yards. There were many dangers to be
faced, for at any moment one might be
thrown into some unknown depth AS 1t
was, on December the last remaining
pony broke through a snow lid and disap-
peared in a crevasse. Fortunately the
singletree snapped and we saved Wild and
the sledge, which was damaged
The party was now hauling a weight of
25O pounds per man.
The clouds disappearing on December s.,
we discovered new mountain ranges trend
ing south and southwest Moving up the
glacier over the treacherous snow covering
the crevasses, we frequently fell through,
but were saved by our harness and pulled
out with an Alpine rope. The second
Sledge badly damaged by the knife
like edge Of the crevasses, but we man
aged to retain our supplies
Twenty Ounces of Food.
Similar conditions obtained on our wav
up the glacier from December 6 to IS. On
the latter date we reached altitude Of
$500 feet. In latitude So degrees 10 min
utes seconds we made a depot and left
everything there but our food, Instruments
and camp equipment and reduced our ra-
lions to twenty ounces per man daily. On
ing ice falls at altitude of 5000 feet
thence gradually rising in long ridges to
now constant southerly blizzard of wind
and drifting snow with a temperature rang
ing from 81 to 20 degree of frost. On the
9th we lost sight of the new mountains.
Finding that the party was becoming
weakened from the, effects of the short al
lowance of food, the rarefied air and the
cold, 1 decided to risk making a depot on
the plateau. On January 4 we proceeded,
with one tent, utilizing the plOes of the
second tent for guiding marks for our re.
turn. The surface now became very soft
and the blizzard continued for sixty hours.
During January I, and the wind blew
frost.
Members Are Frost Bitten.
1t was impossible to move and members
of the party were frequently frost bitten in
their sleeping bags. On January we left
camp and reached latitude 1923, longitude
s162 east, this being the most southerly
point ever reached Here we hoisted the
Union, Jack, presented to US by her maj
esty the Queen. No mountains were visible
and only plain stretching to the
south.
We then started on the return trip to
pick up our depot on the plateau, guided
by our outward tracks. for the flags at
tached to the tent poles had been blown
away.
Inc nigh winds when Were now blowing
twenty to thirty miles daily, and we
reached the upper glacier depot on the 10Th.
face of the glacier, leaving only slippery