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A provisional plan was drafted and put before the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science at their meeting held at Sydney in January 1911, with a request for approval and financial assistance. Both were unanimously granted, a sum of L1000 was voted and committees were formed to co-operate in the arrangement of a scientific programme and to approach the Government with a view to obtaining substantial help.
The three leading members of the committees were Professor Orme Masson (President), Professor T. W. Edgeworth David (President Elect) and Professor G. C. Henderson (President of the Geographical Section). All were zealous and active in furthering the projects of the Expedition.
Meanwhile I had laid my scheme of work before certain prominent Australians and some large donations** had been promised. The sympathy and warm-hearted generosity of these gentlemen was an incentive for me to push through my plans at once to a successful issue.
I therefore left immediately for London with a view to making arrangements there for a vessel suitable for polar exploration, to secure sledging dogs from Greenland and furs from Norway, and to order the construction of certain instruments and equipment. It was also my intention to gain if possible the support of Australians residing in London. The Council of the University of Adelaide, in a broad-minded scientific spirit, granted me the necessary leave of absence from my post as lecturer, to carry through what had now resolved itself into an extensive and prolonged enterprise.
During my absence, a Committee of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science approached the Commonwealth Government with an appeal for funds. Unfortunately it was the year (1911) of the Coronation of his Majesty King George V, and the leading members of the Cabinet were in England, so the final answer to the deputation was postponed. I was thus in a position of some difficulty, for many requirements had to be ordered without delay if the Expedition were to get away from Australia before the end of the year.
At length, through the kindness of Lord Northcliffe, the columns of the Daily Mail were opened to us and Sir Ernest Shackleton made a strong appeal on our behalf. The Royal Geographical Society set the seal of its approval on the aims of the Expedition and many donations were soon afterwards received.
At this rather critical period I was fortunate in securing the services of Captain John King Davis, who was in future to act as Master of the vessel and Second in Command of the Expedition. He joined me in April 1911, and rendered valuable help in the preliminary arrangements. Under his direction the s.y. Aurora was purchased and refitted.
The few months spent in London were anxious and trying, but the memory of them is pleasantly relieved by the generosity and assistance which were meted out on every hand. Sir George Reid, High Commissioner for the Australian Commonwealth, I shall always remember as an ever-present friend. The preparations for the scientific programme received a strong impetus from well-known Antarctic explorers, notably Dr. W. S. Bruce, Dr. Jean Charcot, Captain Adrian de Gerlache, and the late Sir John Murray and Mr. J. Y. Buchanan of the Challenger Expedition. In the dispositions made for oceanographical work I was indebted for liberal support to H.S.H. the Prince of Monaco.
In July 1911 I was once more in Australia, a large proportion of my time being occupied with finance, the purchase and concentration of stores and equipment and the appointment of the staff. In this work I was aided by Professors Masson and David and by Miss Ethel Bage, who throughout this busy period acted in an honorary capacity as secretary in Melbourne.
Time was drawing on and the funds of the Expedition were wholly inadequate to the needs of the moment, until Mr. T. H. Smeaton, M.P., introduced a deputation to the Hon. John Verran, Premier of South Australia. The deputation, organized to approach the State Government for a grant of L5000, was led by the Right Hon. Sir Samuel Way, Bart., Chief Justice of South Australia and Chancellor of the Adelaide University, and supported by Mr. Lavington Bonython, Mayor of Adelaide, T. Ryan, M.P., the Presidents of several scientific societies and members of the University staff. This sum was eventually forthcoming and it paved the way to greater things.
In Sydney, Professor David approached the State Government on behalf of the Expedition for financial support, and, through the Acting Premier, the Hon. W. A. Holman, L7000 was generously promised. The State of Victoria through the Hon. W. Watt, Premier of Victoria, supplemented our funds to the extent of L6000.
Upheld by the prestige of a large meeting convened in the Melbourne Town Hall during the spring, the objects of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition were more widely published. On that memorable occasion the Governor-General, Lord Denman, acted as chairman, and among others who participated were the Hon. Andrew Fisher (Prime Minister of the Commonwealth), the Hon. Alfred Deakin (Leader of the Opposition), Professor Orme Masson (President A.A.A.S. and representative of Victoria), Senator Walker (representing New South Wales) and Professor G. C. Henderson (representing South Australia).
Soon after this meeting the Commonwealth Government voted L5000, following a grant of L2000 made by the British Government at the instance of Lord Denman, who from the outset had been a staunch friend of the Expedition.
At the end of October 1911 all immediate financial anxiety had passed, and I was able to devote myself with confidence to the final preparations.
Captain Davis brought the 'Aurora' from England to Australia, and on December 2, 1911, we left Hobart for the South. A base was established on Macquarie Island, after which the ship pushed through the ice and landed a party on an undiscovered portion of the Antarctic Continent. After a journey of fifteen hundred miles to the west of this base another party was landed and then the Aurora returned to Hobart to refit and to carry out oceanographical investigations, during the year 1912, in the waters south of Australia and New Zealand.
In December 1912 Captain Davis revisited the Antarctic to relieve the two parties who had wintered there. A calamity befell my own sledging party, Lieut. B. E. S. Ninnis and Dr. X. Mertz both lost their lives and my arrival back at Winter Quarters was delayed for so long, that the 'Aurora' was forced to leave five men for another year to prosecute a search for the missing party. The remainder of the men, ten in number, and the party fifteen hundred miles to the west were landed safely at Hobart in March 1912.
Thus the prearranged plans were upset by my non-return and the administration of the Expedition in Australia was carried out by Professor David, whose special knowledge was invaluable at such a juncture.
Funds were once more required, and, during the summer of 1912, Captain Davis visited London and secured additional support, while the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science again successfully approached the Commonwealth Government (The Right Hon. J. H. Cook, Prime Minister). In all, the sum of L8000 was raised to meet the demands of a second voyage of relief.
The party left on Macquarie Island, who had agreed to remain at the station for another year, ran short of food during their second winter. The New Zealand Government rendered the Expedition a great service in dispatching stores to them by the 'Tutanekai' without delay.
Finally, in the summer of 1913, the 'Aurora' set out on her third cruise to the far South, picking up the parties at Macquarie Island and in the Antarctic, carried out observations for two months amid the ice and reached Adelaide late in February 1914.
Throughout a period of more than three years Professors David and Masson—the fathers of the Expedition—worked indefatigably and unselfishly in its interests. Unbeknown to them I have taken the liberty to reproduce the only photographs at hand of these gentlemen, which action I hope they will view favourably. That of Professor David needs some explanation: It is a snapshot taken at Relief Inlet, South Victoria Land, at the moment when the Northern Party of Shackleton's Expedition, February 1909, was rescued by the S.Y. 'Nimrod'.
In shipping arrangements Capt. Davis was assisted throughout by Mr. J. J. Kinsey, Christchurch, Capt. Barter, Sydney, and Mr. F. Hammond, Hobart.
Such an undertaking is the work of a multitude and it is only by sympathetic support from many sources that a measure of success can be expected. In this connexion there are many names which I recall with warm gratitude. It is impossible to mention all to whom the Expedition is indebted, but I trust that none of those who have taken a prominent part will fail to find an acknowledgment somewhere in these volumes.
I should specially mention the friendly help afforded by the Australasian Press, which has at all times given the Expedition favourable and lengthy notices, insisting on its national and scientific character.
With regard to the conduct of the work itself, I was seconded by the whole-hearted co-operation of the members, my comrades, and what they have done can only be indicated in this narrative.
Contents
AUTHOR'S PREFACE FOREWORD INTRODUCTION LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS COLOUR PLATES CHAPTER I. THE PROBLEM AND PREPARATIONS CHAPTER II. THE LAST DAYS AT HOBART AND THE VOYAGE TO MACQUARIE ISLAND CHAPTER III. FROM MACQUARIE ISLAND TO ADELIE LAND CHAPTER IV. NEW LANDS CHAPTER V. FIRST DAYS IN ADELIE LAND CHAPTER VI. AUTUMN PROSPECTS CHAPTER VII. THE BLIZZARD CHAPTER VIII. DOMESTIC LIFE CHAPTER IX. MIDWINTER AND ITS WORK; CHAPTER X. THE PREPARATION OF SLEDGING EQUIPMENT CHAPTER XI. SPRING EXPLOITS CHAPTER XII. ACROSS KING GEORGE V LAND CHAPTER XIII. TOIL AND TRIBULATION CHAPTER XIV. THE QUEST OF THE SOUTH MAGNETIC POLE CHAPTER XV. EASTWARD OVER THE SEA-ICE CHAPTER XVI. HORN BLUFF AND PENGUIN POINT CHAPTER XVII. WITH STILLWELL'S AND BICKERTON'S PARTIES CHAPTER XVIII. THE SHIP'S STORY CHAPTER XIX. THE WESTERN BASE—ESTABLISHMENT AND EARLY ADVENTURES CHAPTER XX. THE WESTERN BASE—WINTER AND SPRING CHAPTER XXI. THE WESTERN BASE—BLOCKED ON THE SHELF-ICE CHAPTER XXII. THE WESTERN BASE—LINKING UP WITH KAISER WILHELM II LAND CHAPTER XXIII. A SECOND WINTER CHAPTER XXIV. NEARING THE END CHAPTER XXV. LIFE ON MACQUARIE ISLAND CHAPTER XXVI. A LAND OF STORM AND MIST CHAPTER XXVII. THROUGH ANOTHER YEAR CHAPTER XXVIII. THE HOMEWARD CRUISE APPENDIX.
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Sir Douglas Mawson (Photogravure)
In Memoriam cross at Cape Denison (Photogravure)
COLOUR PLATES
Virgin solitudes
A weather-worn snow-berg
A grottoed iceberg
The Mertz Glacier Tongue, at a point 50 miles from the land
The Grey Rock Hills at Cape Denison
Winter quarters, Adelie Land
The Alpine-glow
"Antarctica is a world of colour, brilliant and intensely pure..."
Sledging in Adelie Land
[Volume II]
Islets fringing the mainland: view looking west from Stillwell Island
Rafts of floe-ice
Before sunrise: camped near the Hippo Nunatak
Avalanche rocks
Delay Point
The great "Bergschrund" of the Denman Glacier
Tussock slopes and misty highlands
The shack and its vicinity
A Victoria penguin on the nest
A growth of lichen on red sandstone
Antarctic marine life
Brought up in the deep-sea trawl
PLATES
Professor T. W. Edgeworth David
Professor Orme Masson
Captain John King Davis
The wall of the Antarctic Continent
Finner whales of the South
The 'Aurora' crossing the equator, August 1911
Frank Wild
Ginger and her family on the voyage from London
Queen's Wharf, Hobart, an hour before sailing, December 2, 1911
The last view of Hobart nestling below Mt. Wellington
A big, following sea
McLean walking aft in rough weather
Cruising along the west coast of Macquarie Island
A Giant Petrel on the nest
A Young Giant Petrel on the nest. Caroline Cove
The wreck of the "Clyde"
The boat harbour—Hassleborough Bay
The North End of Macquarie Island showing Wireless Hill. The living hut is at the north end of the isthmus, with North-East Bay on the right and Hassleborough Bay on the left side
The 'Aurora' anchored in Hassleborough Bay. In the foreground giant seaweed is swinging in the wash of the surge
A Wanderer Albatross at rest on the water
Hunter tickles a sleeping baby Sea Elephant
A typical Table-Topped neve berg originating from floating Shelf Ice
An Antarctic iceberg with a reticulation of crevasses on its tilted surface. This berg had no doubt taken its origin from the ice of the coastal cliffs of Adelie Land
In Pack-Ice
A cavern in the wall (120 feet) of the shelf ice of the Mertz Glacier-Tongue
A glimpse from within the cavern (shown in the preceding illustration)
The 'Aurora' in Commonwealth Bay; the rising plateau of Adelie Land in the distance
The invaluable motor-launch; left to right, Hamilton, Bickerton, and Blake
The whale-boat with passengers for the shore; Wild at the steering oar
First steps in the formation of the Main Base Station; landing of stores and equipment at the head of the Boat Harbour, Cape Denison. In the distance men are to be seen sledging the materials to the site selected for the erection of the hut
A view of a rocky stretch of the Adelie Land Coast west of Commonwealth Bay
A panorama looking west from winter quarters. On the left and in the distance are the rising slopes of the inland ice. The moraine is in the foreground
A panorama of the sea front looking eastward from winter quarters. The plateau slopes are visible to a height of l500 feet
In open pack-ice
The face of the Shackleton Ice-Shelf 100 miles north of the mainland. Each strongly-marked horizontal band on the sheer wall represents a year's snowfall
The 'Aurora' anchored to thick floe-ice 100 miles north of the western base, Queen Mary Land. In this region the annual snowfall is very heavy, so that it is possible that the great thickness of floe is due to the accumulation of one year
A berg with inclusions of mud and rock. Long. 10 degrees E.
The 'Flying-Fox' viewed from the floe-ice below the brink of the shelf ice on which the western party wintered
Summer at the boat harbour, Cape Denison
An Adelie penguin on the nest defending her eggs
The living-hut, nearing completion. The tents and shelter built of benzine cases used as temporary quarters are shown
The completion of the hut—cheering the Union Jack as it was hoisted on the flag pole
Adelie penguins at home, Cape Denison
A view of the main base hut in February 1912, just prior to its completion. Within a few days of the taking of this picture the hut became so buried in packed snow that ever afterwards little beyond the roof was to be seen
Weddell seals asleep on pancake ice
Adelie penguin after weathering a severe blizzard. observe the lumps of ice adhering to it
A Panoramic view looking south from near the hut. In the distance are the slopes of the inland ice-sheet. In the foreground is the terminal moraine. Between the rocks and the figure is a zone where rapid thawing takes place in the summer owing to the amount of dirt contained in the ice
A panoramic view looking north towards the sea. In the middle of the picture is Round Lake. The hut is towards the left-hand side and the anemograph is on the hill. The men are practising ski running
An evening view from Cape Denison
The head of a Weddell seal
A Weddell seal scratching himself. "Drat those fleas!"
The meteorologist with an ice-mask
Where the plateau descends to Commonwealth Bay
MacCormick Skua gull on the nest with egg
Chick of MacCormick Skua gull on the nest
Protection—Adelie penguin and chick
The lower moraine, composed of water worn boulders, Cape Denison
An ice-polished surface, Cape Denison
The boat harbour in March. The hut is seen dimly through light drift
"Race of the Spray Smoke's Hurtling Sheet"
Walking against a strong wind
Picking ice for domestic purposes in a hurricane wind. Note the high angle at which Webb is leaning on the wind
Leaning upon the wind; Madigan near the meteorological screen
Stillwell collecting geological specimens in the wind
In the blizzard; getting ice for domestic purposes from the glacier adjacent to the hut
An incident in March soon after the completion of the hut: Hodgeman, the night watchman, returning from his rounds outside, pushes his way into the veranda through the rapidly accumulating drift snow
Mertz in the snow tunnels on his way to the interior of the hut with a box of ice for the melters
Mertz emerging from the trap-door in the roof
Working in the hurricane wind, Adelie Land
Getting ice for domestic purposes. Whetter picking; Madigan with the ice-box
The ice-cliff coastline east of winter quarters
Madigan's frostbitten face
Correll, Bage, McLean, Hodgeman, Hunter, and Bickerton
A winter afternoon scene in the hut. From the left: Mertz, McLean, Madigan, Hunter, Hodgeman. High on the left is the acetylene generator
Taking a turn in the kitchen department. Hunter, Hodgeman, Bage. The doorway on the right is the entrance to the workroom
A corner of the hut—Bage mending his sleeping bag. The bunks in two tiers around the wall are almost hidden by the clothing hanging from the ceiling
A winter evening at the hut. Standing up: Mawson, Madigan, Ninnis, and Correll. Sitting round the table from left to right: Stillwell, Close, McLean, Hunter, Hannam, Hodgeman, Murphy, Lasebon, Bickerton, Mertz, and Bage
A morning in the workshop. From left to right: Hodgeman, Hunter, Lasebon, Correll, and Hannam. The petrol engine part of the wireless plant on the right
Welding by thermit in the workroom, Adelie Land. Bickerton, Correll, Hannam and Mawson
In the catacombs. Ninnis on the right
Bage and his tide gauge which was erected on the frozen bay ice
Raising the lower section of the northern wireless mast
The weathered cliffs of a glacier sheet pushing out into the frozen sea east of Cape Denison
Bage at the door of his astronomical transit House
Webb and his magnetograph house
At work on the air-tractor sledge in the hangar; Bage, Ninnis, and Bickerton
Webb adjusting the instruments in the magnetograph house a calm noon in winter, Cape Denison
The ridged surface of a lake frozen during a blizzard
A lively scene in the vicinity of an Antarctic Petrel rookery, Cape Hunter
A Weddell seal swimming below the ice-foot
A rascally Sea Leopard casting a wicked eye over the broken floe at Land's End. Main Base
A Crab-Eater seal; common amongst the pack-ice
The rare Ross seal
One of McLean's cultures; bacteria and moulds; illustrating micro-organisms in the hut
Ice flowers on the newly formed sea-ice
Madigan visiting the anemograph screen in a high wind
The Puffometer, designed to record maximum gust velocities
An enormous cone of snow piled up by the blizzards under the coastal cliffs
The cliffs at Land's End, Cape Denison. On the brow of the cliff in front of the figure (Mertz) is a good example of a snow cornice
On the frozen sea in a cavern eaten out by the waves under the coastal ice-cliffs
Ice stalactites draping the foreshores
A grotto of "mysteries"
The relief of Wild's party. The "Aurora" approaching the floe at the western base, February 1913
Pacing the deck: Capt. John King Davis and Capt. James Davis
An Adelie penguin feeding its young
"Amundsen", one of the sledge dogs sent down to us from Amundsen's South Polar Expedition
At the foot of a snow ramp beneath the coastal ice-cliffs, Commonwealth Bay
At Aladdin's Cave. The vertical passage leading down into the cave itself is situated immediately behind the figure on the right