The ideal of Captain Scott was completeness, and he put it into practice in his second expedition. This is the reason that the areas discovered from his chosen M’Murdo base are far more exhaustively explored, as regards every branch of science, than any other area within either the Arctic or Antarctic Circles.
After four years of naval service Scott entered upon the organisation of his final expedition. In September 1908 he was happily married to Miss Kathleen Bruce, who gave signal encouragement and help to her husband in all his work connected with the expedition. With such help the labour of preparation was much lightened, and the work of collecting the funds, a tedious and wearisome business, was fairly successful. Sir Edgar Speyer consented to act as treasurer, Mr. George Wyatt was business manager, and Mr. Drake, R.N., secretary. In September, 1909, the Terra Nova, the largest of the Dundee whalers, was purchased from Messrs Bowring of Liverpool, and handed over in the West India Docks on November 8th. She was barque-rigged, built in 1884, was of 744 tons gross and 450 net register; with a length of 187 ft., beam 31 ft., depth 19 ft. Scott had been elected to the Royal Yacht Squadron, so the Terra Nova flew the white ensign. Most of the interior re-fitting was entrusted to Lieut. Evans, who was to be captain on the way out, but to land when the station for wintering was reached. The provisions were most carefully selected and packed. Special 4-inch theodolites were constructed for sledge travelling, and there were 8 chronometers and 12 deck watches. Ponies and good teams of dogs were obtained from Siberia by Mr. Meares, Commander Wilfred Bruce meeting him at Vladivostock. They were brought to New Zealand with two Russian drivers.
The expedition had two 12-ft. and thirty ordinary sledges, ordered at Christiania. Captain Scott was very anxious that his experiments with motor sledges should be successful, for he disliked the use of dogs or ponies, and hoped that motor traction would be the remedy. He made trials, both in the Alps and in Norway, which gave every hope of success, and three motor sledges were taken out. One was lost in landing; the other two went well on the surface of the barrier, and the system of propulsion was quite satisfactory, but their use had to be abandoned owing to the over-heating of the air-cooled engines, a defect which could undoubtedly be remedied. Captain Scott was quite on the right tack, and with more experience, his idea of polar motors will hereafter be made feasible, a consummation which was very dear to his heart.
The financial position made a relief ship impossible, and it was arranged that the Terra Nova should land the exploring party with their provisions and a suitable house ready for erection, going back to New Zealand for the winter and returning in the next navigable season.
The Admiralty were fairly liberal in their permission for naval officers and men to join the Terra Nova. There were four Lieutenants—Evans, Pennell, Campbell, and Rennick. A young Lieutenant of the Indian Marine, named Bowers, was also allowed to go, but in his case the Indian Government was the reverse of liberal. Captain Oates of the Inniskilling Dragoons was a volunteer, and an invaluable acquisition. Two naval surgeons were allowed to join, Dr Atkinson and Dr Levick. Dr Wilson of the Discovery was chief of the scientific staff and a host in himself. Besides the two Russians there were twelve men to land, all naval. Of these, five were old Discoveries. Lashly and Edgar Evans were Scott’s companions during his great journey over the ice-cap. Crean and Williamson were also thoroughly reliable men, the former having been Captain Scott’s coxswain in the Victorious.
With the most complete collection of scientific instruments and appliances Captain Scott resolved to have the largest and most efficient scientific staff that ever left these shores. Instead of the two biologists of the Discovery he took four, Dr Wilson, Mr. Nelson, Mr. Cherry Garrard, and Mr. Lillie; instead of one geologist he took three, Mr. Griffith Taylor, Mr. Debenham, and Mr Priestley, one of them a specialist in physiography; instead of one physicist he took two, Dr Simpson and Mr Wright; besides a photographer of great ability, Mr. Ponting. A young Sub-Lieutenant of the Norwegian navy, named Tryggve Gron, came as a ski expert, Mr. Day as motor engineer, and Mr. Meares in charge of the dogs.
The Terra Nova left the docks on June 1st, and arrived at Stokes Bay on June 3rd, 1910. They were all cordially received by the Commander-in-Chief at Portsmouth and at Cardiff there was another enthusiastic reception. During the voyage out the Terra Nova touched at Simon’s Bay, Melbourne, and Lyttelton; large and very generous subscriptions to the expedition being received from Cape Colony, Australia, and New Zealand.
After a stay of a month at Lyttelton, where the ponies and dogs were taken on board, and a valuable addition was made to the executive officers in the person of Scott’s brother-in-law, Wilfred Bruce, the Terra Nova finally sailed for the Antarctic regions on November 29th, 1910. Three days had not passed before the explorers encountered a furious storm from the S.W., lasting from December 1st to 3rd. The ship, hove to under a main lower topsail, laboured heavily and big seas began to come on board. The ponies suffered greatly, and Captain Oates and Dr Atkinson worked incessantly throughout the gale, dragging the poor beasts on to their legs again. The solid water which came on board lifted the coal bags and flung them against the rest of the deck cargo, acting like battering rams and gradually loosening the lashings of the petrol cases and forage bales. Soon the whole of the deck cargo was in danger, and there was nothing for it but to heave the coal bags overboard and re-lash the petrol cases. But the seas were continually breaking over the crew, and now and again they were completely submerged.
Worse was to come. It was reported that the pumps were choked and that the water, steadily gaining, was now over the stokehold plates. Every effort was being made to keep the fires fed, but a considerable part of the water on the upper deck found its way below. Then it was discovered that the main engine pump was also choked. The water gained to the lower level of the boilers, and the order had to be given to draw fires. The ship was very deeply laden, and it did not need the addition of much water to get her water-logged. As the water was gaining and there were no pumps available, the only resource left was an attempt at baling, yet the idea of baling a ship out by hand seemed ludicrous. Nevertheless all the officers and scientific staff fell to, working two hours’ spells all day and night, passing up buckets of water from hand to hand.
Captain Scott felt that, at all hazards, they must get at the hand pump suctions, and ordered a hole to be made in the steel bulkhead behind the boiler. All this time the gale was raging as furiously as ever. About midnight the hole through the bulkhead was completed, and Evans and Bowers crawled through to the pump suctions and found them choked with coal. This was got out, and the pump on being tried again gave a good stream once more. By morning the level of the water was brought under the stokehold plates again. Very slowly the wind and sea had been moderating and in the afternoon of December 3rd they were able to continue the voyage. Two ponies had dropped never to rise again, with the minor losses of 10 tons of coal, 65 gallons of petrol, and a case of the biologists’ spirits. The ship had been in great danger. This terrible experience in its absorbing interest stands side by side with Ross’s story of the collision among the icebergs.