Part 5 (2/2)
In England twenty-five years had pa.s.sed since any important sledding expedition had been accomplished, and during that time not a single sledge, and very few portions of a sledge equipment, had been made in the country. The popular accounts of former expeditions were not written to supply the minute details required, and no memory could be expected to retain these details after such a lapse of time. In fact the art of sledge-making was lost in England, but fortunately the genius of Nansen had transferred it to Norway.
In the autumn of 1900 Scott had visited Christiania, and there received much advice and a.s.sistance from Nansen himself. It was not, however, until Armitage agreed to serve as second in [Page 90]
command of the expedition that Scott had anyone on whom he could rely to provide the sledding outfit.
In making these preparations for long journeys in the south, there was no previous experience to go upon except that which had been gained in the north; indeed it was necessary to a.s.sume that southern conditions would be more or less similar to those of the north, and in so far as they proved different the sledding outfit ran the risk of failure. Experience taught Scott that in many respects the sledding conditions of the south were different from those of the north, and so it is only fair to consider the sledge journeys taken by the _Discovery_ expedition as pioneer efforts. These differences are both climatic and geographical. For instance, the conditions in the south are more severe than those in the north, both in the lowness of the temperatures and in the distressing frequency of blizzards and strong winds. And the geographical difference between the work of the northern and the southern sledge-traveler is as great as the climatic, if not greater, for the main part of northern traveling has been and will be done on sea-ice, while the larger part of southern traveling has been and will be done over land surfaces, or what in this respect are their equivalents.
[Ill.u.s.tration: LOOKING UP THE GATEWAY FROM PONY DEPoT. _Photo by Capt. R. F. Scott._]
So impressed was Scott by the impossibility of dragging a sledge over the surfaces of the Great Barrier to the South at the rate maintained by the old English travelers on the northern sea-ice, that he began seriously to think that the British race of explorers [Page 91]
must have deteriorated rapidly and completely in stamina. But later on, in carrying out exploration to the west, he had to travel over the sea-ice of the strait, and then he discovered that--given the surface there was nothing wrong with the pace at which his sledge parties could travel. Probably, however, the distances recorded by the northern travelers will never be exceeded in the south, for the Antarctic explorer has to meet severer climatic conditions, and while pulling his sledge over heavier surfaces he is not likely to meet with fewer obstacles in his path. To make marching records is not, of course, the main purpose of sledge-travelers, but all the same, where conditions are equal, speed and the distance traveled are a direct test of the efficiency of sledding preparations, and of the spirit of those who undertake this arduous service.
The main differences between the sledges used by the _Discovery_ expedition and those used by other explorers were a decrease in breadth and an increase in runner surface. Measured across from the center of one runner to the center of the other Scott's sledges were all, with one exception, 1 foot 5 inches. The runners themselves were 3-3/4 inches across, so that the sledge track from side to side measured about 1 foot 8-3/4 inches. The lengths varied from 12 feet to 7 feet, but the 11-foot sledges proved to be by far the most convenient--a length of 12 feet seeming to pa.s.s just beyond the limit of handiness.
Taking then 11 feet as about the best length for this type of sledge, it will be seen that it differed [Page 92]
considerably from the old Arctic type, which was 10 feet long and 3 feet broad. The weight of such all 11-foot sledge was anything between 40 and 47 lbs., and this was none too light when the full strength of the structure was required. Generally speaking, the full load that could be put upon them was about 600 lbs. The most important part of the sledge is the runner, in which the grain must be perfectly straight and even, or it will splinter very easily; but it surprised Scott to find what a lot of wear a good wood runner would stand, provided that it was only taken over snow. 'Some of our 9-foot sledges must,' he says, 'have traveled 1,000 miles, and there was still plenty of wear left in the runners.'
In point of numbers the _Discovery_'s crew was far behind the old Northern expeditions; and it was this fact that made Scott decide, in arranging a sledge equipment where men and not dogs would do most of the haulage, to divide his parties into the smallest workable units. The old Northern plan had allowed for parties of at least eight, who, having a common tent and cooking arrangements, could not be subdivided. Scott's plan was not necessarily to limit the number of men in his parties, but to divide them into units of three, which should be self-contained, so that whenever it was advisable a unit could be detached from the main party. Under such a system it is obvious that each unit must have its own tent, sleeping-bag, cooker, and so on; and therein lay a disadvantage, as economy of material and weight can [Page 93]
be better carried out with a large unit than with a small one.
The weights of a party naturally divide themselves under two headings: the permanent, which will not diminish throughout the trip, and the consumable, including food, oil, &c. The following is a list of the permanent weights carried on Scott's journey to the west, and it will give some idea of the variety of articles, exclusive of provisions. The party numbered six.
lbs.
2 Sledges with fittings complete 130 Trace 5 2 Cookers, pannikins and spoons 30 2 Primus lamps, filled 10 2 Tents complete 60 2 Spades 9 2 Sleeping-bags with night-gear 100 Sleeping jackets, crampons, spare finnesko[1] 50 Medical bag 6 3 Ice-axes 8 Bamboos and marks 11.5 Instruments and camera 50 Alpine rope 9 Repair and tool bags, sounding-line, tape, sledge brakes 15 Ski boots for party 15 Ski for party 60
Total 568.5
[Footnote 1: Reindeer-fur boots.]
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Roughly speaking, a man can drag from 200 to 240 lbs., but his load was rarely above 200 lbs. This for six men gave a total carrying capacity of 1,200 lbs. and hence about 630 lbs. could be devoted to provisions.
Again, speaking very roughly, this amount is about six weeks' food for a party of six, but as such a short period is often not long enough to satisfy sledge-travelers, they are compelled to organize means by which their journey can be prolonged. This can be done in two ways; they may either go out earlier in the season and lay a depot at a considerable distance towards their goal, or they may arrange to receive a.s.sistance from a supporting party, which accompanies them for a certain distance on the road and helps their advance party to drag a heavier load than they can accomplish alone.
Both of these plans were adopted by Scott on the more important journeys, and his parties were able to be absent from the s.h.i.+p for long periods and to travel long distances.
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CHAPTER V
THE START OF THE SOUTHERN JOURNEY
Hold hard the breath and bend up every spirit To its full height...
...Shew us here That you are worth your breeding, which I doubt not.
For there is none so mean or base That have not n.o.ble l.u.s.tre in your eyes.
I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips, Straining upon the start.
--SHAKESPEARE.
During the later months of the dark season all thoughts had been turned to the prospects of the spring journeys, and many times the advantages and disadvantages of dogs for sledding were discussed.
This question of the sacrifice of animal life was one on which Scott felt strongly from the time he became an explorer to the end of his life. Argue with himself as he might, the idea was always repugnant to his nature.
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