CHAPTER XVIII
THE SHIP'S STORY
by Captain J. K. Davis
By sport of bitter weather
We're warty, strained, and scarred
From the kentledge on the kelson
To the slings upon the yard.
KIPLING.
Dr. Mawson's plans, as laid before the
Royal Geographical Society in 1911, provided for an extensive oceanographical
campaign in the immense stretch of ocean to the southward of Australia.
Very little was known of the sea-floor in this area, there being but a few
odd soundings only, beyond a moderate distance from the Australian coast.
Even the great Challenger expedition had scarcely touched upon it; and so
our Expedition had a splendid field for investigation.
The first discovery made in this connexion on board the `Aurora' was the
fact that deep-water work is more intricate than books would make it appear.
Although text-books had been carefully studied on the subject, it was found
that most of them passed over the practical side of the work in a few words,
insufficient to give us much help in carrying out difficult operations with
the vessel rolling and tumbling about in the heavy seas of the Southern
Ocean.
So it was only after a good deal of hard work and many disappointments that
the experience was gained which enabled us, during the later stages of the
Expedition, to do useful and successful work.
Before passing on to the operations of the `Aurora' during the winter of
1912, I shall briefly refer to the equipment provided for oceanographical
work.
The Lucas Automatic Sounding Machine was situated on the port side of the
forecastle head. It was suitable for depths up to six thousand fathoms,
being fitted with a grooved wheel so as to be driven by a rope belt from
a steam-winch or other engine. The wire was wound in by means of a small
horizontal steam-engine which had been specially designed for the `Scotia',
of the Scottish Antarctic Expedition (1902) and was kindly lent to us by
Dr. W. S. Bruce.
The wire as it is paid out passes over a measuring wheel, the revolutions
of which record on a dial the number of fathoms out. A spring brake, which
is capable of stopping the reel instantly, is kept out of action by the
tension of the wire, but when the sinker strikes the bottom, the loss of
tension allows the brake to spring back and stop the reel. The depth can
then be read off on the dial.
A hollow iron tube called a driver is attached to a piece of hemp line spliced
into the outer end of the sounding wire. This driver bears one or two weights
to the bottom and detaches them on striking it; a specimen of the bottom
being recovered in the hollow part of the tube which is fitted with valves
to prevent water from running through it on the way up. Immediately the
driver and weight strike the bottom, the reel automatically stops paying
out wire.
To obtain a deep-sea sounding on the `Aurora', the vessel was stopped, turned
so as to bring the wind on the port-bow and kept as nearly stationary as
possible; the engines being used to balance any drift of the vessel due
to wind or sea.
The difficulties of sounding in the Southern Ocean were much increased by
the almost constant, heavy swell. The breaking strain of the wire being
only two hundred and forty pounds and the load it had to carry to the bottom
weighing nearly fifty-six pounds in air, it could easily be understood that
the sudden strain imposed by the violent rolling of the vessel often resulted
in the parting of the wire. We soon learnt to handle both vessel and sounding
machine in such a way as to entail the least possible strain on the wire.
Of all the operations conducted on board the `Aurora', deep-sea trawling
was the one about which we had most to learn. Dr. W. S. Bruce gave me most
valuable advice on the subject before we left England. Later, this was supplemented
by a cruise in Australian waters on the `Endeavour', of the Commonwealth
Fisheries Investigation. Here I was able to observe various trawling operations
in progress, subsequently applying the information gained to our own requirements
on the `Aurora'.
A short description of our trawling arrangements may be useful to those
who are engaged in this work on board a vessel not specially designed for
it.
We were provided with three thousand fathoms of tapered steel wire (varying
from one and three-quarters to one and a half inches in circumference and
weighing roughly a ton to the thousand fathoms in air); this was kept on
a large iron reel (A) mounted on standards and controlled by a friction-brake.
This reel was situated on the starboard side of the main deck, the wire
being wound on to it by means of a chain-drive from the forward cargo-winch.
For heaving in, our steam-windlass was fitted with a specially constructed
drum (B), which absorbed the crushing strain and then allowed the slack
wire to be wound on the reel (A), which was driven as nearly as possible
at the same speed; the windlass usually heaving at the rate of four hundred
and fifty fathoms per hour.
A wooden derrick (D), provided with topping lift and guys, was mounted on
the foremast by means of a band and goose-neck. At the outer end of the
derrick, the dynamometer and a fourteen-inch block were attached. The maximum
strain which could be supported was ten tons. In paying out, the wire was
led from the head of the derrick to a snatch-block on the quarter (E), constructed
so as to admit of its disengagement from the wire when it was necessary
to heave in. This block kept the wire clear of the propeller and allowed
us to have the vessel moving slow or fast as required, while the trawl was
being paid out. The positions of the various parts of the trawling gear
are shown in the plan on the opposite page.
Plan illustrating the arrangements for deep-sea trawling
on board
the `Aurora'.
Before trawling in deep water the vessel
was stopped and a sounding obtained; then the derrick was hoisted, the wire
rove through the various blocks, the trawl shackled on, and the men distributed
at their stations. When all was ready, the engines were put at half-speed
(three knots), a course was given to the helmsman and the trawl lowered
into the water. When it was flowing nicely just astern, the order, ``Slack
away,'' was given; the wire being paid out evenly by means of the friction-brakes.
In one thousand five hundred fathoms of water, after the two-thousand-fathom
mark had passed out, the order was given, ``Hold on and make fast.'' Speed
was now reduced to one and a half knots and the wire watched until it gave
a decided indication of the trawl dragging over the bottom. The strain was
now taken by the windlass-barrel, controlled by a screw-brake, backed if
necessary by a number of turns round the forward bitts. A slow drag over
the bottom was generally continued for one hour. The engines were then stopped,
and the order came, ``Stand by to heave away.'' This was quickly followed
by ``Knock out,'' which meant the disengaging of the after-block from the
wire and allowed the vessel to swing round head-on to the wire. ``Vast heaving''
indicated the appearance of the net at the surface, and, when the mouth
of the net was well above the bulwarks the derrick was topped up vertically,
the lower part of the net dragged inboard and the cod-end untied, the catch
being thus allowed to empty itself on deck. The contents of the haul supplied
the biologists with the work of sorting and bottling for the next twelve
hours or more.
The form of trawl used on board the `Aurora' was known as a Monagasque trawl,
of a type employed by the Prince of Monaco. As will be seen from the sketch,
it is of simple construction and possesses the advantage of having both
sides similar so that it is immaterial which lands on the bottom.
The winter cruise in the Sub-Antarctic began on May 18, 1912, after we had
refitted in Sydney and taken on board all the oceanographic apparatus, during
the previous month. Leaving Port Jackson, we proceeded to Port Kembla, N.S.W.,
and took in four hundred and eleven tons of coal.
The following was the personnel of the ship's officers on this and the two
following cruises: Chief Officer, F. D. Fletcher; Chief Engineer, F. J.
Gillies; Second Officer, P. Gray; Third Officer, C. P. de la Motte.
During the first dredging cruise, Mr. E. R. Waite, from the Canterbury Museum,
Christchurch, was in charge of the biological work.
My plan was to go through Bass Strait and then to sail towards the Royal
Company Islands as given on the French chart, before heading for Macquarie
Island. From thence we should steam across to the Auckland Islands. At both
the latter places Mr. Waite would be able to secure specimens. It was not
expected that the weather would permit of much trawling, but we anticipated
some good soundings. As a matter of fact, sub-antarctic weather in the winter
may be predicted with some certainty: strong winds, heavy seas, much fog
and general gloom.
We had a fine run through Bass Strait with a light south-east breeze, arriving
off King's Island at noon on May 28. The trawling gear was got ready for
the following day, but the sea was too high and the ship continued south
towards the position of the Royal Company Islands.
On June 1 we were in latitude 53 degrees south, longitude 152 degrees east,
and had been cruising about fruitlessly in heavy weather for days waiting
for an opportunity to dredge. After being at sea for a whole fortnight we
had only three soundings to our credit, and it was, therefore, resolved
to make for Macquarie Island.
On the 7th we reached the island and anchored at North-East Bay in twelve
fathoms, about one mile from land.
After a stiff pull ashore, next day, we landed and found the party all well.
They had built a comfortable hut and were enjoying life as far as possible,
despite the constant gales and continuous days of fog.
We then climbed up the hill to the wireless station, where everything
was in splendid order. Two small huts had been erected, one for the engine
and the other for the receiving apparatus. Sandell and Sawyer, the two operators,
were to be congratulated on the efficient way the station had been kept
going under very considerable difficulty. In addition to the routine work
with Hobart and Wellington they had occasionally communicated with stations
over two thousand miles distant.
I was able to send the following message to Professor David: ```Aurora'
arrived Macquarie Island; all well, June 7; constant gales and high seas
have prevented dredging so far. Royal Company Islands not found in the position
indicated on the chart.''
We were able to land some stores for the use of the land party under Ainsworth.
Meteorological, biological and geological work were all in progress and
the scientific records should be of great value. Up to the date of our arrival,
no wireless messages had been received from Adelie Land. As Dr. Mawson was
in ignorance of its exact location, the position of the Western Base under
Wild was given to Ainsworth to forward to Adelie Land in case communication
should be established.
After Mr. Waite had obtained several birds, it was decided to move down
to Lusitania Bay to secure some Royal penguins and a sea-elephant. Two days
later, the `Aurora' anchored in the bay, three-quarters of a mile from the
beach, in sixteen fathoms; the weather was very misty. Mr. Waite and Mr.
Haines, the taxidermist, were rowed ashore.
The island, above a height of three hundred feet from sea-level, was shrouded
in mist throughout the day, and, before dark, all signs of the land had
disappeared. The mist did not clear until 6 P.M. on the 15th.
We stayed for a whole fortnight at Macquarie Island, during which time the
highest velocity of the wind recorded on shore was thirty-five miles per
hour, although, during the winter, gales are almost of daily occurrence.
On June 22, the date of departure, a course was set for the Auckland
Islands, which lie in the track of homeward-bound vessels from Australia
via Cape Horn.
The group was discovered in 1806 by Captain Bristow of the `Ocean', owned
by Samuel Enderby. It comprises one main island and several smaller ones,
separated by narrow channels. There are two spacious harbours; a northern,
now called Port Ross, and a southern, Carnley Harbour. The islands are situated
about one hundred and eighty miles south of Stewart Island (New Zealand).
After a run of three hundred and forty miles on a northeast course, we entered
Carnley Harbour and anchored off Flagstaff Point. A breeze blew strong from
the west-northwest. Next day, June 25, we stood up to Figure of Eight Island
and found good holding for the anchor in nine and a half fathoms.
The eastern entrance to Carnley Harbour is formed by two bluff points, about
two miles apart; its upper extremity terminating in a lagoon. The site of
Musgrave's house (``Epigwaith'') is on the east side of this lagoon. Here
he spent twenty months after the wreck of
the `Grafton'.
Auckland Island (from the Admiralty Chart) showing
the track
of the `Aurora'
We set off in the motor-launch on the
26th to visit Camp Cove, where we found the two huts maintained by the New
Zealand Government for the benefit of castaways. In the larger hut there
were potatoes, biscuits, tinned meats and matches. The smaller hut was empty
but on the outside were carved many names of shipwrecked mariners. The `Amakura'
had visited the depot in November 1911. The various depots established on
the island by the New Zealand Government are visited every six months.
While in Carnley Harbour we were able to make several hauls with the small
dredge.
After passing up the eastern coast of the main island we entered Port Ross
and anchored west of Shoe Island. On June 30 the depot on Erebus Cove was
visited, where three white sheds contain the usual necessaries for unfortunate
castaways. The New Zealand Government steamer, `Hinemoa', while on
a scientific expedition to the Sub-Antarctic in 1907, rescued the sixteen
survivors of the barque `Dundonald', two thousand two hundred and three
tons, which had been wrecked on Disappointment Island. The captain and ten
men had been drowned and the chief officer had died from the effects of
exposure and starvation.
On July 2 we went to Observation Point, finding there a flat stone commemorating
the visit of the German Scientific Expedition of 1874.
The biologist found various kinds of petrels on Shoe Island, where the turf
was riddled in all directions by their burrows.
At Rose Island, close by, there are some fine basaltic columns, eighty feet
high, weathered out into deep caverns along their base.
In Sandy Bay, Enderby Island, there was an extensive depot. Among the stores
I found a Venesta case marked s.y. `Nimrod', which contained dried vegetables
and evidently formed part of the stores which were sold on the return of
the British Antarctic Expedition of 1907.
After leaving the Auckland Islands for New Zealand, we were fortunate in
having fairly good weather. Five soundings were taken, and, on July 9, the
trawl was put over in three hundred and forty-five fathoms. The net unfortunately
fouled on a rocky bottom and so we gained nothing but experience in the
operation.
The `Aurora' arrived at Port Lyttleton on July 11 and we received a very
kind welcome from the people of Christchurch. Mr. J. J. Kinsey, well known
in connexion with various British Antarctic expeditions, gave us valuable
assistance during our stay. We were back again in Melbourne on the 17th
of the month.
While the first oceanographical cruise of the `Aurora' did not prove very
fruitful in results, chiefly on account of the stormy weather, it provided
the necessary training for officers and men in the handling of the deep-sea
gear, and we were able to realize later how much we had learnt on our first
cruise.
The ship, after undergoing a thorough overhaul at the State dockyard at
Williamstown, Victoria, undertook a second deep-sea cruise.
Leaving Hobart on November 12, 1912, she laid her course to the southward
in order to obtain soundings for a complete section of the sea-floor, as
nearly as possible on the meridian of Hobart. Our time was limited to one
month, during which a visit to Macquarie Island for the purpose of landing
stores and mail had to be made. Professor T. Flynn of Hobart University
accompanied the vessel in charge of the biological work.
An interesting discovery was made two hundred miles south of Tasmania. Here
it was proved that a rocky ridge rose like a huge mountain from depths of
more than two thousand fathoms to within five hundred and forty fathoms
of the surface. A great number of soundings were taken in the vicinity of
this rise, subsequently
named the Mill Rise, until a heavy gale drove us far from its situation.
On November 21 we were not far from Macquarie Island and, at 7 P.M., sounded
in one thousand four hundred and fifty fathoms. As the weather was remarkably
fine for these latitudes we decided to lower the trawl. Before dark it was
being towed slowly towards the east with one thousand nine hundred fathoms
of wire out.
We spent an anxious night hoping that the weather would remain fine long
enough to permit us to get the gear on board again. We had been driving
before a light westerly wind, when the trawl caught on the bottom and stopped
the vessel.
A very heavy strain was imposed on the wire as the vessel rose in the swell;
the dynamometer registering up to seven tons. I decided to wait for daylight
before attempting to heave in the trawl. At 3 A.M. we cast the wire off
the after-block and started to heave away; it was two hours before the trawl
cleared the bottom and the strain was reduced.
At 8 A.M. the trawl was once more on board, the frames being bent and twisted
and the net badly torn. On sounding, the depth was found to be only six
hundred and thirty-six fathoms, so that we had evidently put over the trawl
on to the edge of a steep rise and then drifted across it.
In view of our position--only thirty miles from Macquarie Island0--this
accident might have been expected. But opportunities of trawling had been
so few that risks had to be taken when the weather quieted down for a few
hours. Our only consolation on this occasion was that we recovered the gear.
The following evening, at 7.30, the anchor was dropped in North-East Bay,
Macquarie Island, and we were immediately boarded by our land party who
were all well. They had become very clever boatmen during their stay, using
a small dinghy to make coastal journeys.
On November 24 we left the anchorage
at 9 A.M. and spent the day in its vicinity. More than one hundred soundings
were taken, which Blake, the geological surveyor, was to plot on the
chart of the island
which he had almost completed.
Some idea of the steepness of the submarine mountain of which Macquarie
Island forms the crest may be gathered from a sounding, taken ten and a
half miles east of the island, which gave two thousand seven hundred and
forty-five fathoms and no bottom. In other words, if the sea were to dry
up, there would be a lofty mountain rising from the plain of the ocean's
bed to a height of nearly eighteen thousand feet.
A great deal of work still required to be done off Macquarie Island, but,
as the uneven and rocky nature of the bottom prevented dredging, I decided
to sail on the 25th, continuing the voyage towards the Auckland Islands.
Several people had expressed belief in a submarine ridge connecting Macquarie
Island with the Auckland group. Three soundings which we obtained on this
voyage did not support the suggestion, ranging as they did from one thousand
eight hundred and fifty-five to two thousand four hundred and thirty fathoms,
eighty-five miles south-west of the Auckland group. We were the more glad
to obtain these soundings, as, during the winter cruise, in the same waters,
the weather had forced us to abandon the attempt.
On November 28 we took several soundings on the eastern side of the Auckland
Islands, but did not prolong our stay as we wished to investigate the ridge
south of Tasmania--the Mill Rise. The course was therefore directed westward
with a view to outlining the eastern edge of this submarine elevation.
The first sounding to indicate that we were once more approaching the Mill
Rise was in one thousand and seventy-six fathoms. Continuing west we secured
the next record in one thousand three hundred fathoms, limiting the southern
extremity of the ridge which extends northward for nearly one hundred miles.
From this sounding the water shoaled quickly as we steered north. Thus,
on the same day, we were in eight hundred and thirty-five fathoms at noon,
in seven hundred and thirty-five fathoms at 3.40 P.M. and in seven hundred
and ten fathoms at 7.30 P.M. After the last sounding we lowered the rock-gripper.
On the first trial, however, it failed to shut and, on the second, only
a little fine sand was recovered. As it was blowing hard most of the time,
we were very fortunate in being able to do this piece of work.
An inspection of the chart reveals the fact that the main direction of the
shallowest water is in a north-west and south-east direction, but the number
of soundings obtained was too small to give more than a general outline.
Later, we were able to add to these on the voyage southward to relieve the
Antarctic Bases.
The weather was so bad and the sea so heavy that we were unable to obtain
soundings on December 9, and, as dredging under such conditions was out
of the question, I decided to steer for the east coast of Tasmania, where
dredging might be possible under the lee of the land. The constant gales
were very disheartening, the last having continued for four days with only
short intervals of moderate weather.
On December 12 and 13, in calmer water, some thirty miles off the east coast
of Tasmania, trawlings were made successfully in one thousand three hundred
fathoms and seventy-five fathoms respectively. From the deeper trawling
were obtained a large octopus and several interesting fish.
Just before noon on December 14 we arrived in Hobart and immediately began
preparations for the voyage to the Antarctic.
On December 24, 1912, preparations for sailing were complete. For ten days
every one connected with the `Aurora' had been working at high pressure,
and Christmas Day, our last day ashore, was to be celebrated as a well-earned
holiday.
There was on board a good supply of coal, five hundred and twenty-one tons,
and a very heavy mail of letters and packages for the members of the Expedition
who had been isolated in the far South for more than twelve months. We were
to take thirty-five sheep on board as well as twenty-one dogs, presented
by Captain Amundsen upon his return from his South Polar expedition. Captain
James Davis, of Hobart, of long whaling experience, was to accompany us
to give an expert opinion upon such whales as we might meet. Mr. Van Waterschoot
van der Gracht, who had had previous experience in the Antarctic, joined
as marine artist, and Mr. S. N. Jeffryes as wireless operator. With C. C.
Eitel, Secretary of the Expedition, the whole party on board
numbered twenty-eight.
A very pleasant Christmas was spent ashore. The ship's company of twenty-three
men met for dinner, and we did not forget to wish a ``Merry Christmas''
to our leader and his twenty-six comrades who were holding their celebration
amid the icy solitudes of Antarctica. I was glad, on this festive occasion,
to be able to congratulate
officers and men on their willing and loyal service during the previous
twelve months; every one had done his best to advance the objects of the
Expedition.
The attractions of Hobart, at this season, are so numerous, and Tasmanian
hospitality so boundless, that it gives me great pleasure to place on record
that every man was at his post on the `Aurora' at 10 A.M. on Boxing Day.
As we drew away from the wharf amid the cheers of those who had come to
wish us God-speed, the weather was perfect and the scene on the Derwent
bright and cheering. Captain James Davis acted as pilot.
At 11.30 A.M. we had embarked the twenty-one dogs, which were brought off
from the Quarantine Station, and were steaming down Storm Bay. Outside there
was a heavy swell, and the wind was freshening from the west. The course
was laid south 50 degrees west, true.
For the next two days there was a westerly gale with a very high sea, and
the dogs and sheep had a bad time, as a good deal of water came aboard.
Two of the sheep had to be killed. By the afternoon of the 29th it had moderated,
and a sounding was secured.
This storm was followed by another from the west-northwest. The `Aurora'
weathered it splendidly, although one sea came over everything and flooded
the cabins, while part of the rail of the forecastle head was carried away
on the morning of the 31st. At this time we were in the vicinity of the
reputed position of the Royal Company Islands. A sounding was taken with
great difficulty, finding two thousand and twenty fathoms and a mud bottom.
January 4, 1918, was a fine day, with a fresh westerly breeze and a high
sea. Occasionally there were snow squalls. At night the wireless operator
was able to hear H.M.S. `Drake' at Hobart, and also the station at Macquarie
Island; the ship having been fitted to receive wireless signals before sailing.
Next day the sun was bright and there was only a moderate westerly swell.
Large bunches of kelp were frequently seen drifting on the surface. ``Blue
Billys''** flew in great numbers about the ship. Two soundings were obtained
in one thousand nine hundred fathoms. ** Prion Banksii.
On the 8th a heavy swell came from the south-east. During the morning a
sounding realized two thousand two hundred and seventy fathoms and the sample
of mud contained a small, black manganese nodule. At 8 P.M. a floating cask
was sighted and taken aboard after much difficulty. It turned out to be
a ship's oil cask, empty, giving no clue from whence it came.
The first ice was observed about 6 P.M. on the 10th. The water was still
deep--more than two thousand fathoms.
By noon on January 11 loose pack came into view, with a strong blink of
heavier pack to the south. The course was changed to south-west. At 7 P.M.
the ship was steaming west in clear water, a few bergs being in sight and
a marked ice-blink to the south. Several whales appeared which Captain James
Davis reported were ``blue whales'' (finners or rorquals).
After we had been steering westward until almost midnight, the course was
altered to south-west in the hope of encountering the shelf-ice barrier
(met in 1912) well to the east of the Main Base station. On the 12th we
sailed over the position of the ice-tongue in 1912 without seeing a trace
of it, coming up with heavy broken floe at 10 A.M.
For four hours the `Aurora' pushed through massive floes and ``bergy bits,''
issuing into open water with the blink of ice-covered land to the south.
At nine o'clock Adelie Land was plainly visible, and a course was set for
the Main Base. In squally weather we reached the Mackellar Islets at midnight,
and by 2 A.M. on the 13th dropped anchor in Commonwealth Bay under the ice-cliffs
in twenty fathoms.
At 6 A.M. Fletcher, the chief officer, reported that a heavy gust of wind
had struck the ship and caused the chain to carry away the lashing of the
heavy relieving-tackle. The chain then ran over the windlass, and, before
anything could be done, the pointer to which the end of the chain was attached
had been torn from the bolts, and our best ground-tackle was lost overboard.
It was an exasperating accident.
At seven o'clock the port anchor was dropped in ten fathoms, about eight
hundred yards west of the first anchorage, with ninety fathoms of chain.
The wind shifted suddenly to the north, and the `Aurora' swung inshore until
her stern was within one hundred yards of the cliffs; but the depth at this
distance proved to be seventeen fathoms. After a few northerly puffs, the
wind shifted to the south-east and then died away.
At 2.30 P.M. the launch was hoisted over and the mail was taken ashore,
with sundry specimens of Australian fruit as ``refreshment'' for the shore-party.
The boat harbour was reached before any one ashore had seen the `Aurora'.
At the landing-place we were greeted most warmly by nine wild-looking men;
some with beards bleached by the weather. They all looked healthy and in
very fair condition, after the severe winter, as they danced about in joyous
excitement.
We learned that five sledging parties had left the Hut: Bage, Webb and Hurley
had returned from the south, Stillwell, Close and Laseron from the east,
and the others were still out. In Dr. Mawson's instructions, all parties
were to be back at the Hut by January 15, 1913.
The launch made some trips to and from the ship with specimens during the
afternoon. I returned on board and had a look at the cable. The weather
was fine, but changes were apt to occur without much warning. At midnight
it was blowing a gale from the south-east, and the chain was holding well.
The launch was hoisted up in the davits and communication with the shore
was suspended until 8 A.M. on January 15.
The lull was of two hours' duration, during which Murphy came aboard and
furnished me with some particulars about the sledging parties still away.
Dr. Mawson, with Ninnis and Mertz, had gone to the south-east. They were
well provisioned and had taken eighteen dogs for transport purposes. Bickerton,
Hodgeman and Whetter had been out forty-three days to the west and had food
for forty days only. Madigan, McLean and Correll had been away for seventy
days in an easterly direction.
Dr. Mawson had left a letter for me with instructions to take charge if
he failed to return to time, that is not later than January 15, 1913.
On January 16 a party was observed from the ship coming in over the slope.
There was much speculation as to its personnel since, at a distance, the
three figures could not be recognized. The launch took us ashore and we
greeted Madigan, McLean and Correll who had returned from a very successful
expedition along the eastern coast over sea-ice.
Madigan and Bage came on board during the forenoon of the 17th and we had
a long consultation about the position of affairs owing to the non-return
of two parties. It was decided to re-erect the wireless mast and stay it
well while the ship was waiting, so that, in case of any party being left
at the Main Base, the wireless station would be in working order.**
** It should be borne in mind that during the summer months (November, December,
January and part of February) wireless communication with the outside world
is impossible owing to continuous daylight reducing
the effective range. In summer the range was only a few hundred miles, and
the effective working distance for all times of the day probably not above
one hundred miles.
At one o'clock on the morning of January 18, de la Motte, the officer on
watch, reported that a party could be seen descending the glacier. This
proved to be Bickerton, Hodgeman and Whetter returning from their trip along
the west coast. Thus Dr. Mawson's party was the only one which had not yet
returned.
All day work on the wireless mast went along very satisfactorily, while
Captain James Davis and Chief Officer Fletcher spent their time in the launch
dragging for the cable lost on the morning of our arrival. The launch returned
at 10.30 P.M. and Captain Davis reported that the grapnel had been buoyed
until operations could be resumed.
On January 19 we tried to recover the chain, and to this end the `Aurora'
was taken over to the position where the grapnels had been buoyed and was
anchored. All efforts to secure the chain were unsuccessful. At 7 P.M. we
decided to return to our former position, having a hard job to raise the
anchor, which appeared to have dragged under a big rock. Finally it broke
away and came up in a mass of kelp, and with the stock ``adrift.'' The latter
was secured and we steamed back, ``letting go'' in eleven fathoms with ninety
fathoms of chain.
When Dr. Mawson's party was a week overdue, I considered that the time had
arrived to issue a provisional notice to the members of the Expedition at
Commonwealth Bay concerning the establishment of a relief party to operate
from the Main Base.
A party of four left the Hut on the 20th, keeping a sharp look-out to the
south-east for any signs of the missing party. They travelled as far as
the air-tractor sledge which had been abandoned ten miles to the south,
bringing it back to the Hut.
I decided to remain at Commonwealth Bay until January 30. If the leader's
party had not returned by that day, a search party was to proceed eastward
while the `Aurora' sailed for Wild's Base. From the reports of the gales
which prevailed during the month of March in 1912, and considering the short
daylight there was at that time, I felt that it would be risking the lives
of all on board to return to the Main Base after relieving Wild's party.
I resolved, therefore, to wait _as long as possible_. As a result of a consultation
with Madigan and Bage, I had a provisional notice drafted, to be posted
up in the Hut on January 22.
This notice was to the effect that the non-arrival of the leader's party
rendered it necessary to prepare for the establishment of a relief expedition
at Winter Quarters and appointed Bage, Bickerton, Hodgeman, Jeffryes and
McLean as members, under the command of Madigan; to remain in Antarctica
for another year if necessary.
On the same evening I went ashore to inspect the wireless mast, which was
practically complete. The work had been done thoroughly and, provided the
mast itself did not buckle, the stays were likely to hold. Hannam, Bickerton
and Jeffryes were busy placing the engine and instruments in position.
I then went up the slope for about a mile. The Winter Quarters looked like
a heap of stones; boundless ice rose up to the southern skyline; the dark
water to the north was broken by an occasional berg or the ice-covered islands.
This wonderful region of ice and sea looks beautiful on a fine day. But
what a terrible, vast solitude, constantly swept by icy winds and drift,
stretches away to the south! A party will go out to-morrow to visit the
depot at the top of the slope. This is the seventh day we have been waiting
and hoping to welcome the absentees!
On the 23rd the breeze was very strong in the forenoon, but the wind moderated
about 4 P.M., when the launch was able to leave for the shore. We could
see a search party (Hodgeman, Stillwell, and Correll) marching against a
strong south-east wind on their way to examine the depot at Aladdin's Cave
and its vicinity.
Though there was a moderate south-easter blowing, communication with the
land went on during the day. I went ashore early, but the search party did
not return until noon. They had remained at Aladdin's Cave overnight and
marched farther south next morning, approaching a line of dense drift, without
seeing anything.
It was arranged that another party of three men should start next morning
(January 25) and, going in a southeasterly direction, make a search for
five days, laying a depot at their farthest point. Hodgeman, Hurley and
McLean made preparations to set out. I left instructions that a flag should
be flown on the wireless mast if Dr. Mawson returned.
I now went through the supplies of provisions and coal which were to be
landed for the use of the Relief Party. I intended to try and have everything
on shore by January 29, taking advantage of any short interval of fair weather
to send a boatload to the landing-place.
On the 25th there was a hard south-east gale blowing until the afternoon,
when it moderated sufficiently to send off the launch with thirteen bags
of coal, Gillies being in charge. The boat harbour was reached in safety,
the wind freshening to a gale before 6 P.M.
Terrific gusts followed in rapid succession and, without warning, the cable
parted sixty fathoms from the anchor at 9 P.M. Having cleared the reefs
to leeward, we managed to get in the rest of the chain and then stood along
the coast to the north-west. By keeping about three miles from the shore,
we seemed to be beyond the reach of the more violent gusts, but a short
sea holding the ship broadside to the wind during the squalls, rendered
it difficult to maintain a fixed course.
With reefs and bergs around, the increasing darkness about midnight made
our position unpleasant. The engines had to be stopped and the ship allowed
to drift with the wind, owing to a bearing becoming hot, but in a quarter
of an hour they were moving once more.
Early on January 26 the `Aurora' was about half-way between Winter Quarters
and the western point of Commonwealth Bay, when the wind suddenly ceased,
and then came away light from the north-west. We could see that a south-east
gale was still raging close inshore. Over the sea, towards the north, dark
clouds were scudding with great rapidity along the horizon: the scene of
a violent disturbance.
We returned towards our late anchorage. On reaching it, the south-east wind
had moderated considerably, and we let go our spare anchor and what had
been saved of the chain.
To the north, violent gusts appeared to be travelling in various directions,
but, to our astonishment, these gusts, after approaching our position at
a great rate, appeared to curve upwards; the water close to the ship was
disturbed, and nothing else. This curious phenomenon lasted for about an
hour and then the wind came with a rush from the south-east, testing the
anchor-chain in the more furious squalls.
The gale was in its third day on the 27th, and there was a ``hurricane sky''
during the morning. The wind would die away, only to blow more fiercely
than before. The suddenness with which the changes occurred may be gathered
from the following extracts from my journal:
``January 27. 6 A.M. A whole gale blowing
from the south-east.
``9 A.M. Light airs from north to
east. Launch taking coal ashore.
``11 A.M. Last cargo of coal had just left ship when the wind freshened
from the south-east. The launch had just got inside the boat harbour
when a terrific gust struck the vessel and our chain parted. We were
blown out to sea while heaving in thirty fathoms of chain which remained.
``4 P.M. We have been steaming backwards and forwards until the wind
died away. The launch has just come off and taken another load of stores
to the boat harbour.
``7 P.M. The weather is moderating with rising barometer. Nearly everything
required by the Relief Party is now ashore. Two or three trips will
take the remainder.
``We shall steam about for a few hours, and make the anchorage early
to-morrow morning.''
Next morning a kedge-anchor (about five
hundred-weights) was lowered with the remainder of the chain. For
a time this held the ship, but a gust of wind from the southeast caused
it to drag. It was, therefore, hauled up and, on coming to the surface,
was seen to have lost a fluke.
All equipment, coal and food were now on shore for the use of the Relief
Party. I had given them everything that could be spared from the provisions
set apart for the use of the ship's company. Next day I purposed to cruise
along the coast to the east, if the weather were clear.
January 29 was fine, so we steamed off at 6.30 A.M. As no flag was seen
on the wireless mast, we knew that Dr. Mawson had not returned. A course
was kept two or three miles from the ice-cliffs beyond the fringe of rocky
islets.
At 4 A.M. on the 30th we were alongside
the Mertz Glacier and reached the head of the bay at the confluence
of glacier with land-ice. Mount Murchison was only dimly visible, but
the weather was clear along the glacier-tongue. Signals were fired and
a big kite flown at a height of about five hundred feet to attract attention
on shore in case the missing party were near.
``1.30 P.M. We are now about half a mile from the head of the inlet.
From the appearance of the country (heavily crevassed) approach to the
sea by a sledging-party would be extremely difficult. There is no floe-ice
at the foot of the cliff.
``10.30 P.M. We are approaching the end of the glacier-tongue around
which there is a collection of pack. There is some drift ahead and it
is difficult to see far. We have passed the eastern limit of coast to
be searched.
``10.35 P.M. The glacier-tongue is trending to the east and a line of
heavy pack extends to the north, with many large bergs. No sign of flag
or signal on the end of the barrier.
``January 31. We left the glacier-tongue
at 8 A.M. and steered back
to Winter Quarters.
``At noon we could see Madigan Nunatak,
a rocky patch, high up on the slope.
``4.15 P.M. Sighted the large grounded berg, fifteen miles from the
Main Base.
``9 P.M. Off Main Base. There is no flag to be seen on the wireless
mast!
``Dr. Mawson's party is now sixteen days
overdue; there must be something seriously amiss. But from our examination
of the line of coast as far as 64 degrees 45' south, 146 degrees 19' east,
there does not appear to be any probability of finding traces along the
shore line at the base of vertical ice-cliffs.''
No communication with the shore was possible until the wind, which had again
risen, had moderated. We could just stand off and on until a favourable
opportunity occurred. Once the returning ten members of the Expedition were
embarked it was imperative to hasten towards Wild's Base.
A week's gale in Commonwealth Bay! The seven days which followed I do not
think any of us will forget. From February 1 to 7 it blew a continuous heavy
gale, interrupted only when the wind increased to a full hurricane ** (eighty
miles an hour).
** * The maximum wind-velocity recorded
at this time by the anemometer on shore was approximately eighty miles an
hour.
We endeavoured to maintain a position under the cliffs where the sea had
not room to become heavy. This entailed a constant struggle, as, with a
full head of steam during the squalls, the vessel drove steadily seaward
to where the rising waves broke on board and rendered steering more perplexing.
Then, when it had moderated to a mere ``howl,'' we would crawl back, only
to be driven out again by the next squall. The blinding spray which was
swept out in front of the squalls froze solidly on board and lent additional
difficulty to the operation of ``wearing ship.''
It was on this occasion that we realized what a fine old vessel the `Aurora'
was, and, as we slowly moved back to shelter, could appreciate how efficiently
our engine-room staff under Gillies were carrying out their duties. The
ordinary steaming speed was six knots, yet for the whole of this week, without
a hitch, the ship was being driven at an equivalent of ten knots. The fact
of having this reserve power undoubtedly saved us from disaster.
A typical entry from my diary reads:
``February 6. Just as the sun was showing over the ice-slopes this morning
(4 A.M.) the wind became very violent with the most terrific squalls I have
ever experienced. Vessel absolutely unmanageable, driving out to sea. I
was expecting the masts to go overboard every minute. This was the worst,
I think, lasting about two hours. At 6 A.M., still blowing very hard but
squalls less violent, gradually made shelter during the morning....''
On February 8 the weather improved after 1 A.M. The gusts were less violent
and the lulls were of longer duration. At 9 A.M. there was only a gentle
breeze. We steamed in towards the boat harbour and signalled for the launch
to come off with the ten members of the shore-party. The latter had been
instructed to remain at the Hut until the vessel was ready to sail. Here,
while the gale had been in full career, they had helped to secure enough
seal and penguin-meat to keep the Relief Party and their dogs for another
year.
The good-byes were brief while the launch discharged the men and their belongings.
Instructions were handed over to Madigan directing him to follow the course
believed to have been taken by Dr. Mawson and to make an exhaustive search,
commencing as soon as the `Aurora' left Commonwealth Bay. Madigan gave me
a letter containing a report of the work done by the party which had left
on the 25th.
It appears that they had been confined in Aladdin's Cave for twenty-four
hours by dense drift and then, in moderate drift, made four miles to the
south-east. Here they camped and were not able to move for thirty-six hours
in a high wind with thick snow.
On the 28th the drift decreased in amount
and, though it was only possible to see a few hundred yards and crevasses
were frequent, they kept a course of east 30 degrees south for six miles.
A snow-mound was built and on top of it were placed provisions and a note
giving the bearing and distance from Aladdin's Cave.
In the afternoon the wind subsided and it became clear. Eight miles on the
same course brought them to their farthest camp, twenty-three miles from
the Hut. A mound of eleven feet was erected here, provisions and a note
being left and some black bunting wound among the snow-blocks. The depot
was on a ridge and, with glasses, several miles could be swept to the south-east.
The party consisted of McLean, Hodgeman and Hurley.
De la Motte and Hannam took the Relief Party ashore in the launch and, as
soon as they had returned--at 11.30 A.M.--we steamed out of the bay. The
weather had calmed and there were light airs and a smooth sea.
The members of the Relief Party were as follows: C. T. Madigan (leader),
R. Bage, F. H. Bickerton, A. J. Hodgeman, Dr. A. L. McLean and S. N. Jeffryes
(wireless operator). The remaining ten members of the Main Base Party returned
to Australia: J. H. Close, P. E. Correll, W. H. Hannam, J. G. Hunter, J.
F. Hurley, C. F. Laseron, H. D. Murphy, F. L. Stillwell, E. N. Webb and
Dr. L. A. Whetter.
Throughout the afternoon we steered north-west and at 8.30 P.M. were approaching
heavy pack. Just then Hannam received a wireless message from the Main Base
informing us that Dr. Mawson had reached the Hut alone, his two comrades
having perished, and instructing me to return at once and pick up all hands.
We turned round and steered back immediately.
At 8 A.M. on February 9 the ship entered Commonwealth Bay steaming against
a strong southerly breeze with some snow. We were right up near the anchorage
about noon and the Pilot Jack could be seen flying from the wireless mast.
Instructions were signalled for, but our efforts were unobserved. We then
steamed to and fro across the bay. At 6 P.M. it was blowing a hard gale
and showed signs of becoming worse.
At 6 P.M. the wind was growing in strength and the barometer was falling.
Not having received any reply to my signal for instructions, I felt it was
necessary to decide whether I was justified in remaining any longer.
After considering the position in all
its bearings I decided to sail westward without further delay and for the
following reasons:
1. Dr. Mawson and his companions were in safety, comfortably housed and
fully equipped for another winter.
2. Any further delay was seriously endangering our chance of being able
to relieve Wild's party that year. The navigation of the fifteen hundred
miles to the Shackleton Ice-Shelf was becoming, daily, more dangerous on
account of the shortness of daylight and the conditions of the ice.
3. The only vessel which had wintered in the vicinity of the Western Base
(the `Gauss') had been frozen in as early in the season as February 22,
spending more than twelve months in the ice. The `Aurora' was not provisioned
for a winter in the ice.
4. It had been ascertained from the records at the Main Base that gales
were often protracted at the close of the short summer season. We had just
experienced one such gale, lasting seven days.
5. As a seaman, I had realized the difficulties encountered in approaching
and getting away from the Western Base in 1912. It was then three weeks
later in the year.
I felt convinced that in leaving the Main Base, without further delay, I
was acting as Dr. Mawson would have wished, if I had been able to acquaint
him with the position of the Western Party.
At 6.30 P.M. we steamed out of the bay, the wind moderating as the ship
got well out to sea. At midnight there was a moderate breeze from the south,
with some snow.
On February 10 heavy pack was met, about fifty miles north of Commonwealth
Bay. After coasting along its margin for a while, we pushed among the floes
and, after three hours, reached a patch of fairly open water about 1 P.M.
One hour later a large ice-formation was sighted, which tallied with that
met on January 3 of the previous year (1912) and which, on this occasion,
was no longer in its original position. We came to the conclusion that the
whole must have drifted about fifty miles to the north-west during the intervening
year. The face of this huge berg, along which the `Aurora' coasted, was
about forty miles in length.
Hannam heard fragments of a message from Dr. Mawson during the evening.
The words, ``crevasse,'' ``Ninnis,'' ``Mertz,'' ``broken'' and ``cable''
were picked up.
Good progress was made on the 11th against a high westerly sea. The sun
set in a clear sky and the barometer was slowly rising. Our position was
evidently north of the pack and, if unimpeded by ice, there was a chance
of the ship arriving at her destination in time.
Poor headway was made for nearly three days against an adverse wind and
sea. Then, late on the 14th, a breeze sprang up from the east-south-east
and, under all sail, the `Aurora' made seven knots.
Next morning we were driving along before an easterly gale in thick snow,
and at noon the day's run was one hundred and eighty miles.
The journal describes the following week:
``February 16. The weather cleared up this morning and the sun came out,
enabling us to fix our position.
``We are doing about eight knots under topsails and foresail. The sky looked
threatening this evening but improved considerably before midnight.
``February 17. There were frequent snow squalls today, making it difficult
to see. Only a few scattered pieces of ice were about.
``February 18. Bright, clear weather
to-day enabled us to get good observations. There are a great many `blue
whales' round the ship, and the many bergs in sight are suggestive of heavy
pack to the south. A great many petrels and Cape pigeons have been seen.
``February 19. The ship was brought up this morning at 8.45 by a line of
heavy pack extending across the course. The weather was misty, but cleared
up before noon. We have been obliged to steer a northerly course along the
edge of the pack.
``The margin of this pack is some sixty miles farther north than that which
we followed in 1912.
``At midnight we were steering north-north-west; many bergs in sight and
a line of pack to port.
``February 20. At daylight we were able to steer southwest, being at noon
about twenty miles north of Termination Ice-Tongue. Pushing through the
looser edge of pack for a couple of hours we saw the loom of the ice-tongue
to the southward. The pack becoming closer, we turned back to the north
in order to try and push through farther west, where the sky looked more
promising.
``At dark we were in a patch of clear water, with ice all around. It began
to snow and, as the wind remained a light easterly, the ship was allowed
to drift until daylight.
``February 21. The morning was very foggy up till 11 A.M. We steered west
until noon and then entered the pack; there was a promising sky towards
the south. Fair progress was made through the ice, which became looser as
we advanced to the south. At 8 P.M. we passed through leads by moonlight,
having a favourable run throughout the night.
``February 22. At 4 A.M. the wind freshened from the south-east with some
snow; the floes were getting heavier and the advent of a blizzard was not
hailed with joy. About noon the ship approached open water and
the snow ceased.
``We were now on the confines of the sea of bergs where navigation had proved
so dangerous in 1912.
``At 8 P.M. the driving snow and growing darkness made it impossible to
see any distance ahead. The next seven hours were the most anxious I have
ever spent at sea. Although the wind blew hard from the south-east, we passed
through the sea of bergs without mishap, guided and protected by a Higher
Power.
``February 23. At 4 A.M. the loom of an ice-tongue was sighted and we were
soon standing in to follow this feature until we reached the Shackleton
Shelf.
``At 8 A.M. we found that we were some miles south of our reckoning.
``At 11 A.M. we sighted a depot-flag on the slope. Soon after the ship was
up to the fast floe at the head of the bay, the ice being nearly a mile
farther north than on the previous year. In fact, the ice-conditions as
a whole had changed considerably.
``At noon we reached the Base and found the party all well.''
Wild and his comrades were as glad to see the `Aurora' as we were to see
them. They had commenced to lay in a stock of seal-meat fearing that they
might have to pass another winter on the glacier.
All the afternoon every one was busy getting baggage on board and watering
ship. The weather was good and I had intended to sail on the same evening
by moonlight, following the glacier-tongue northward in clear water for
sixty miles.
As we turned northward, ``all well'' on board, I felt truly thankful that
Wild's party had been relieved and anxiety on their account was now at an
end. The party included F. Wild (leader), G. Dovers, C. T. Harrisson, C.
A. Hoadley, Dr. S. E. Jones, A. L. Kennedy, M. H. Moyes and A. D. Watson.
Early on the 24th there was a fresh easterly breeze, while the ship
steamed among fields of bergs, for the most part of glacier-ice. It is marvellous
how a vessel can pass through such an accumulation in the dark and come
off with only a few bumps!
Pack consisting of heavy broken floe-ice was entered at four o'clock on
the same day, and at 8 A.M. on the 25th we were clear of it, steering once
more among bergs, many of which were earth-stained. The day was remarkably
fine with light winds and a smooth sea.
After we had passed through three hundred miles of berg-strewn ocean, large
masses of ice, water-worn in most instances, were still numerous, and on
February 27, though our position was north of the 80th parallel, they were
just beginning to diminish in numbers. At noon on that day a sounding was
made in two thousand two hundred and thirty fathoms.
Any hope we may have had of steaming to the east with the object of attempting
to relieve the seven men at Adelie Land had to be definitely abandoned on
account of the small supply of coal which remained.
There was now a clear run of two thousand miles through the zone of westerly
gales and high seas, and on March 14 we reached Port Esperance. Mr. Eitel,
Secretary of the Expedition, landed here and caught the steamer Dover to
Hobart. We heard of the disaster to Captain Scott and it was learned that
wireless messages had been received from Dr. Mawson, which had been forwarded
on to Australia through the Macquarie Island party.
CHAPTER XIX -
THE WESTERN BASE--ESTABLISHMENT AND EARLY ADVENTURES
