The Washington herald., 1915-02-08
GETLAST Word
OF SHACKLETON
Mail Dispatch from South
Georgia Gives Explor-
er's Plans.
ICE BAD, HE FEARS
Picks Party Which Will Go with Him.
May Not Return Until
1916.
ICE BAD, HE FEARS

London. FeFb. S CMonday).-The las
ton before he left South Georgia for the
ice on his trans7Antarctic trip, wa.
printed this morning by the London
Daily Chronicle. The dispatch fol.
lows:
By SIR ERNEST SHACkLETON.
South Georgia. Nov %, 19I4-News
which awaited the expedition when it ar
rives here finally decided me in plans
which have now made.
''All reports show taht the ice is fur
thcr South than it has been for years
and taht means that the pack has not
broken up.
Il see no chance of our getting through
this season.
You must not look for us until about
the beginning of March, 1916.
From New Zealand the Endurance will
return TO South Georgia about that
time and do some work scientifically and
then so to Buenos Aires.
Picks His Party.
THE party whom think will cross the
ice with me are Wild, Cream, Marston,
splendid men, fit and capable of looking
after the dogs. They indeed spend their
whole time with the dogs and the lat
ter know them and are amenable to
them. All excepting Macklin, who is the
surgeon, have done a lot of sledglng
Macklin is a splendid, strong fellow and
a good companion. Hurley is a great
worker and l think it will be a good
stroke to take him, for he has a splen
did camera that is right for 1000 feet
of film and never have moving pictures
been taken on such a journey,
The other men are all good keen
workers. Clark, the biologist, Wardie.
geologist and James, the magnetician,
have been doing much good work here
that is important to science and which
will make an interesting record when it
becomes written.
"One notable thing that can be done
is the erection of a set of true meridian
posts. SO that the twenty-one whalers
and other steamers which are in use IN
the islands can correct their compa sses.
This is badly needed and the informa-
ton will be of use to the admiralty.
Sail December 2.
Now. as to the future:
What l expect will happen is this: We
will sail from here about December ,.
nat Will give d SldiIt lOl lllt lSG ~
be breaking up in the south. and we
ought, with luck, to get a landing about
the end of the month. If the ice had
been up north we would have landed
about the beginning of December.
We shall at once investigate the road
to the south, and if Filchener's landing
place proves to be any sort of a harbor
suitable for the ship, l shall put down
both anchors and wait for her to freeze
in. Then l shall know that the ship will
be handy TO take off the remainder of
the shore party about February l. 1916.
l am not going to risk them later.
The ship will go north, and then TO
South Georgia.
As We are not any too well of for
Goals. during the winter the hands will
be employed in skinning seals and TAX
ing the dubbed which will be put in
empty boxes and this will be used to
stoke the boilers on the way up.
The cross-cOuntry party will save the
depots laid out asd be ready to start
about November l next and We ought to
cross in four months and be met on
the other side in February
So far for my hopes. What God may
arrange. no one may say. Things have
not worked well so far, as the ice con-
ditiOns are so bad. but that is a matter
which it is impossible 10 fOretelI from
year TO year.
South Georgia is a cold but inhabited