The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1914-03-01
IS
PREPARING FOR
HIS POLAR TRIP
ONE OF THE STRINGENT RULES
OF EXPEDITION WILL BE INsIs-
TENcE UPON TOTAL A8sTIN-
ENcE FROM ALCOHOLIC STIMU-
LANTS, TEA BEING ONLY BEv-
GRACE.
BY ASSOCIATED pRESS.

London, Feb. 2$.--Total abstinence
from alcoholic slim ants will be strict
~ observed during Sir Ernest Shackle-
toms trip across the south polar con-
tinent, He and his men propose to
work long hours, including eight hours
marching every day, but for stimulant
they Will rely on nothing stronger than
tea or cocoa. The tea will be taken at
midday to refreshen the men for after
noon march and the cocoa the last
thing at night to preserve the body
heat during the hours of sleep. Sugar
will figure largely in the rations. On
his last expedition Sir Ernest and his
companions took two or three Jumps
Of sugar every two OF three hours and
he says ten minutes after eating they
could feel the heat going through their
bodies.
The men thus far chosen for the eX-
petition are between 80 and Al years Of
age. ShaCklet0n, who is 80, believes
that men are at their best between
% and 40. A man, he says, does not
reach his full strength until he is 20,
and whatever may be the superiority Of
youth N the way of spring, nerve and
enthusiasm, these do not weigh against
the staying power of an older man or
the balanced judgment of one who has
experience behind him.
The working day arranged for the
tran continental party calls for an
hour o. preparation after waking, then
a four hour march, an hours rest and
another four hour march. Sleep time,
which in previous trips has been OBJ
served between p. m. and a. m, will
be cut to eight hours.
Sir Ernest is busy arranging for de-
tails of the expedition, which is re-
garded as the biggest undertaking ever
attempted in polar exploration, since
the distance to traverse from Weddell
Sea to Ross Sea is 1900 miles. At first
proposed to return from the
south pole to Ross Sea by one of three
routes, that taken by Scott in his ILL
fated expedition, or by Amundsen in
his successful one, or q new one known
as the western route, croSsing~the great
range of the Victoria chain of noun
tains 1t has since been decided that
unless conditions prevent the eXpedi- |
ton viii laVoid the two old routes and |
come out either through the Victoria |
range or by a route TO the eastward |
IF Amundsen's track. If this can be |
lone the expedition Will open entirely |
new ground.
This greatly increases the difficulties |
party will not have the advantage Of q |
chain of food depots which proved such |
L material aid to their predecessors. |
They WILL however. be Nelped by the !
resources of science to a degree never |
lreamt of by former explorers. The |
expedition will be assisted by a wire
ess installation which will keep it in
ouch with its base for most of the |
lime and will besides have aeroplane |
sledges.
Two steamers viii support the ex-
petition A Norwegian steamer, for
which negotiations have been opened,
Will take Sir Ernest and his party to
he Weddell sea, while the Aurora,
which has seen much Antarctic serv-
&c will go to the Ross sea to pick
hem up when they have accomplished
heir journey.
The first steamer will leave Buenos
Hires some time in October and push
o the Antarctic, reaching if possible
s degrees south latitude. where a good
anding place was found by the Ger
nan expedition. If the ice conditions