Every trifling article, even to a small packet of a dozen pins placed in the medicine chest, has to be weighed and recorded in the general equipment. The following table shows the weight of the various articles (being constant weights) required for the equipment of an Arctic sledge for forty-five days:—
Equipment of an Eight-men Sledge, provisioned for an absence of Forty-five Days.
| lb. oz. | |
| Sledge (complete) | 130 0 |
| Tent (complete) | 44 0 |
| Tent poles, five in number | 25 0 |
| Coverlet | 31 8 |
| Extra coverlet (used only in cold weather) | 20 0 |
| Lower robe | 23 0 |
| Waterproof floor-cloth | 15 0 |
| Sail | 9 4 |
| Eight sleeping bags | 64 0 |
| Eight knapsacks (packed) | 96 0 |
| Two pickaxes | 14 8 |
| Shovel | 6 8 |
| Store bag | 25 0 |
| Cooking gear | 29 0 |
| Gun and ammunition | 25 0 |
| Medical stores | 12 0 |
| Instruments | 15 0 |
| ———— | |
| Constant weights | 584 12 |
| Forty-five days’ provisions for eight men (including packages) | 1080 0 |
| ———— | |
| Total | 1664 12 |
which, dragged by seven men, is equivalent to about 238 lbs. per man to drag.
This should never be exceeded, nor should it even be kept up for any length of time.
It will thus be seen that it is impossible for a sledge party to be absent from the ship for more than seven weeks, at the outside, on its own resources. In order, therefore, to enable it to remain away for a longer period, depôts of provisions are established during the autumn on the line of route, and auxiliary sledges are despatched in the spring from which the extended parties may be replenished with provisions after they have been away from the ship some two or three weeks. These auxiliary sledges, on their return, are again completed with provisions and sent out to meet the extended parties on their way back. By these means, a sledging party may remain away for as long as twelve or thirteen weeks.
Depôts can only be laid out when there is a continuous coast line, and under circumstances when a cache containing provisions can easily be discovered. When the frozen ocean has to be traversed, depôts cannot be depended upon; for a movement of the ice, or the misfortune of wandering off the outward bound track during thick weather, would deprive the travellers of any chance of finding their supplies. The result in such a case would probably be fatal. The only way of ensuring an extended absence to a party sledging over the pack, is by sending with it an additional sledge. This, of course, entails the necessity of traversing the same road three times over. For the men must never under any circumstances (other than unavoidable necessity, caused by the sickness of some of the crew) be allowed to drag more than the outside weight of 240 lbs. at any one time.
It would, I think, and I am now speaking from experience, be preferable, when such a journey is necessary, to send a sledge away for only six weeks rather than to provision a party for three months, and compel the men to undergo the monotonous and wearisome work of going over the same ground so often; and, I believe, quite as much work would be accomplished.
The tents were all made of the lightest duck,[2] which was sufficient to protect us from the falling or drifting snow, and the keen cutting wind. The space inside was, of necessity, very limited; the width in which each man had to sleep being only fourteen inches. Whilst his head was touching one side of the tent, his feet were in contact with the other. The slightest movement of the sleeper during the night would disturb his neighbours on either side.