Scott adopted the cooking apparatus invented and used by Nansen, made of aluminium for lightness. It takes as long to reduce ice to a liquid state at very low temperatures as it does to boil the water, so that double the quantity of fuel is needed. Boiling water was made from snow in twelve minutes. The “Primus” lamp of Nansen’s pattern was also adopted. Paraffin oil was used for fuel. Each tin contained a gallon, weighed 10 lb., and was the allowance for three men for ten days.
The constant weights for two sledges were 568½ lb. and 630 lb. could be devoted to provisions, a total of 1200 lb., i.e. about 200 lb. per man at starting. Our constant weights in the Arctic regions were 440 lb., provisions 840 lb., making a total of 1280 lb.
Ski were given a fair trial, but all were novices, and it was found that a party on foot invariably beat a party on ski.
For clothing, furs were eschewed, thick cloth was used, and over all a suit of thin and loose gaberdine, consisting of a blouse and breeches, fitting closely, however, about the neck, wrists, and ankles. “Balaclava” helmets were the head-gear, with special protection for the ears and back of the neck. In summer, when the glare was great, broad-brimmed felt hats were preferred. For the hands, fur or felt mitts were worn over long woollen half-mitts. For the feet finneskos were used. These are Lapp reindeer-fur boots, the soles being of the hard skin of reindeer legs. Two pairs of socks were worn and the boots were stuffed with fine hay before they were put on. There were three kinds of goggles in use, one wire gauze with smoked glass, another a piece of leather with a slit in place of the glass, the third made out of a piece of wood with cross slits cut for the eyes. The latter, used also by the Eskimos, were the best, but attacks of snow blindness could not be altogether prevented.
Scott adopted a quite different kind of hauling gear from any hitherto used. Instead of working from the shoulder, a broad band of webbing was worn round the waist with braces for supports. The two ends of the band were fastened by an iron ring to which a rope was attached, secured to the trace. The men were thus upright when pulling, and Scott believed that the weight was thus distributed evenly over the upper part of the body, which made the pulling easier, and gave greater freedom for breathing.
With regard to the use of dogs there were two ways of treating them. There was the idea of bringing them all back safe and well, which was M’Clintock’s way, and there was the way of getting the greatest amount of work possible out of them, regardless of everything else, and using them as food, which was Nansen’s and Peary’s way. If dogs are treated with humanity, they are in the writer’s opinion not so good as men in a long journey, and Scott had an unconquerable aversion to the employment of them in the second way. The dogs, twenty in number, had been obtained from Siberia, but five were lost in various ways before the travelling season arrived.
Chasm separating Ice and Land in Lat. 82° S.
Having thus settled every part of the equipment down to the minutest detail Scott then proceeded to plan the work for the coming season. He himself was to lead the journey to the south: Armitage was to attempt the main ridge of mountains, provided with ice axes, crampons, and ropes. Several shorter journeys were to precede them. Royds and Skelton made their way to Cape Crozier to see to the record post, as a signal to a relief ship, and returned on October 24th, having discovered the breeding-place of the Emperor penguins. On the 30th the supporting party, under Lieut. Barne, left for Depôt A, where Scott had already established provisions.
On November 2nd the southern party started under the command of Captain Scott, with Dr Wilson, Sub-Lieut. Shackleton, R.N.R., and the dogs. Barne was caught up just as he was rounding White Island. Odometers had been manufactured on board, the wheel being attached to the sterns of the sledges, so that a rough dead-reckoning could be kept, provided that the route was straight and the course observed and known. Stockfish had been brought for the diet of the dogs, and though it had been taken by the advice of an experienced authority on dog-driving it soon became apparent that it was having a permanently bad effect on them. The food must have deteriorated on the passage through the tropics. Advances could only be made by relays, going over 15 miles to make 5 miles good.