The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-08-04
THRU FIELD OF ICE
ShackletOn Led Party $50 Miles
in Open Boat.
Member of Expedition Brings
Details to London.
RESCUE HIGHLY IMPROBABLE
Little Hope for Men Left on
Elephant Island.
Storms and Ice Constantly En-
dangered Little Party.

London, Aug. 4.-Harry McNish, a
member of the Shackleton Antarctic
bringing details of the terrible e-:-
periences undergone during the escape
from Elephant island.
McNish told how Sir Ernest Shack
Teton led the little party in an open
boat $50 miles through mountainous
seas, driven by great gales and filled
with floating ice. They were forced to
Jettison most of their supplies and
even lost their sea anchors. During
the weeks of struggle they ran out of
water and food, but finally reached
South Georgia island.
McNish has little hope of the rescue
OF the men left behind on Elephant
island. Sir Ernest now is engaged in
second expedition to attempt their
relief.
Perhaps the worst fact we have
to reckon with regarding the men left
on Elephant island" McNish said, sis
that they may think the small boat in
which we reached South Georgia is
land has foundered with all hands and
that consequently the world is still ig-
norant of their fate.
One Chance in Hundred.
at was. 1 suppose, one chance in a
hundred that the boat ever would get
through and time after time it was
only by miracle that we escaped
drowning. It was only by an act of
L
Elephant island at all. Even then the
wind blew everlastingly and we had to
crawl on our hands and knees to make
Roadway against it.
THE chief decided that a push
must be made to the nearest land
where help could be found, and 1 was
set to work to fit our largest boat for
the adventurous voyage. It was q diff
ficult job, but with the help of George
Marston, the artist, and McCarty, a
seaman, who made a great hand at
sewing frozen canvas-the most diff
cult proposition in the way of sewing
that there iS-we managed to make
good.
I'VE decked the boat with sledge
runners, box lids and canvas, and
made 1t as seaworthy as possible, but
even then it seemed a crazy craft in
which to sail $50 miles through ice
and gales.
our expectations. Though we set out
with a fair wind, that was the last
decent weather we had and for a
fortnight there was a constant success
sion of storms and gales. I do not
think we saw the sun half a dozen
times and it was very difficult to get
an observation.
ice was constantly forming on the
boat and was the worst handicap we
had to face.
Lost the Anchor
One man was employed all the time
in cutting the ice away with an axe
but we were never free from ice, and
we had to jettison quite a lot of stuff
even the oars, to keep the boat af1oat
"A week after we started, while
hove to in a gale, we lost our sea
anchor, the rope being cut by the ice
This seemed to be almost the last
straw, but Sir Ernest Shackleton rose
to the occasion and never saw him in
better form than he was that day.
We are going to get there all
right, he said when things seemed
perfectly hopeless. And, sure enough
we did
I'VE first sighted the west coast OF
Georgia 1t was during a great snow
storm and as we knew nothing about
the tide or the island. we had to hold
off until daylight the next day The
wind was blowing a hurricane and we
had great difficulty in keeping the
boat afloat on a dead shore and it was
hopeless to try to land.
After a time we found that we
were drifting onto the cliffs. 1t was
just touch-and-go. and If Sir Ernest
had not set a reefed sail believe none
of would be alive now.
I'VE had to bail continuously and
but for the wind shifting at a critical
moment, we could never have put
ashore alive.
When we got to South Georgia-ou
the wrong side of the island, as it hap
pened-we were just about at the end
| of our water We were all frost bitten
| too, but the main thing we troubled
about was something to fill oul
stomachs and that we found soor
after landing
|