Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-02-10
Story Of Expedition.

oIoTy OF ESpeoItIon.
Capt. SCOTS expedition has been In
| the south polar regions for more than
| two years. The Terra Nova is a stout
little three-masted barkentine-rogged
| steamer and was regarded as unusual
| J. well-equipped for the voyage In
deed, it appears that the vessel an
swered all the demands made upon it,
IN that the disaster that overlook the
party is due to the fact that the in
treLid explorer was not content with
reaching the South Pole but wished to
make further explorations in the dan
eerous and forbidding region. It is
probable that when he found Amund-
sen had reached the goal ahead OF him
he determined to stay in the south
pole region until he had some great
achievement of his own to show the
world.
Captain Scott left the West Indio
Dock, London on June !, 1910. But it
was not until November 20, 1910, Of
the same year, that the actual start
for the South was made. Port Chal-
ners, n. T., was the base from which
|the Terra Nova, with the explorers
on board, plugged her way south
Three days out from New Zealand the
troubles commenced. The deeply loden
vessel encountered a gale, and ship
ped a good deal of water. The bull
warks were considerably smashed, and
the water found its way, below, and
the engine-room fires had to be put
cut. A fouling of the pumps had tn
crew bailing with buckets-a serious
POSITION at the outset. Two Of the pom
les and one dog were lost. The otter
animals essential to an attack on :
zee regions suffered very severely. A
small quantity OF deck cargo was
swept away.
On December 8 the Terra Nova en-.
tered the ice pack, 1t waH phenomen-
ally heavy, the traverse of $50 miles
being the greatest extent Of any pack
yet recorded. Twenty-one days Of ex.
tremely difficult navigation took the
explorers safely through to the edge
IF the Great Continental shelf, and The
open waters OF Rosa sea were enter
ed upon on December 80. A heavy
southerly gale drove the vessel away
to the west. Admiralty Mountains and
Victoria Land were tighted, and Cape
Crozier was made on January 3. The
heavy swell made landing an impos.
sibility, and the Terra Nova beat away
through the tough ice pack to MMun,
II Sound
The First Landing Party
So far the progress of the expedition
had been assailed by big difficulties.
But at MMurdo Sound the .fates were
kinder Exceptionally open water was
met with, and it was decided by Cap
tain Scott to establish his winter
quarters at Cape Evans, IA miles
north of Shackleton's station, and
eight miles south of Cape Royds. A
week of strenuous labor, in which the
ponies, dogs, and motor sledges were
requisitioned, was necessary to effect
the landing of stores for the western
party. 1t was work of considerable
risk, the sea ice being in a treaeher-
Gus condition. Here the expedition
experienced it's first serious loss, one
of the motor sledges disappeared
through a crevasse in the ice. The
depot house was rapidly constructed
and 16 ponies and 80 dogs were quar-
terer The locality chosen was one
exceptionally convenient for the scien-
tific work of the party, which had, up
to the time the Terra Nova left, Sc
cured a good biological collection.
Bad weather, however. occasioned
some trouble. Once the ship was
driven on to a shoal, but escaped dam
age.
When the Terra Nova left, the
sledge party was being organized for
the journey across the ice. This was
to consist of II men. eight ponies, and
two dog teams. 1t was hoped that