Dogs, Ponies, Motorised Sledges, Man Hauling

[WinterGarden]

I noticed that your page:
http://www.coolantarctica.com/Antarc...n%20Scott2.htm
states:
Scott "...didn't take dogs, perhaps influenced by his experiences on the Discovery expedition."

This is surely incorrect. Scott's Last Expedition, gives the dog's names in appendix 1.
Meares brought the dogs overland from Siberia, and by sea, to meet up at New Zealand.
They travelled on the top deck of the Terror Nova.
The dogs were sent back before reaching the Beardmore Glacier, and your article is right to say Scott had reservations about using dogs.
But I think Dr. Atkinson brought them out again on his rescue of Lieutenant Evans' party.

People have given different reasons for the death of Scott's party.
Most likely, one has to accept an inevitable combination of misfortunes when pitted against such severe challenges.

But in my reading one thing stands out by far. It was the oil can seal.
On the Discovery expedition they used tin cans with corks and they leaked.
On the Terra Nova mission, I think they had leather washers on the tops.

It seems likely that during the sunny summer days the oil evaporated,
then condensed in the cold air outside the container.
And so the food at One Ton Depot was contaminated with oil,
even though food and oil were kept separate. The cans had leaked even when buried.

Scott, Wilson and Bowers ended up eating frozen food with only a small paraffin flame.
The oil was a vital factor.