Wednesday, 2 September 1908

Scott

Kathleen and Robert Scott [1]

In a widely-reported function at the Chapel Royal, Hampton Court Palace, Scott married Kathleen Bruce.

"Huge crowds gathered as Captain and Mrs Scott left by motor car for London and then France," the Daily Mirror wrote. "The marriage," noted the Times, "will make no difference to Capt. Scott's future plans with regard to Antarctic exploration." [2]


Notes:

[1] Wikimedia Commons.
[2] Daily Mirror, and Times, dates not given, quoted by David Crane in Scott of the Antarctic (New York : Knopf, c2005), p.335.

Thursday, 13 August 1908

Scott

The scientific results from the Discovery expedition had begun to appear, attracting criticism from the president of the Physical Society of London among others. Having confused true and magnetic compass bearings, the expedition's wind observations were mostly worthless. "The meteorological observations," the Times Literary Supplement said, "instead of being made by people familiar with such work ... were entrusted to officers who had no previous training, and were not even properly instructed.... How much longer shall we have to wait in England for those entrusted with national affairs to appreciate a little more seriously the requirements of scientific investigation? Probably until the constant leakage and loss which we suffer in ignorance are made plainer by one or more exceptional disasters." [1]

Scott, furious, demanded a public inquiry to put an end to the criticisms -- having emphasized the scientific aims of the new expedition as well as the geographic, he could ill-afford doubts on his scientific accuracy -- but by early December was persuaded that with a public inquiry he would be doing himself more harm than good.


Notes:

[1] The Times Literary Supplement, 13 August, 1908, quoted by Roland Huntford in Scott and Amundsen (New York : Putnam, 1980, c1979), p.242.

Saturday, 11 July 1908

Scott

Kathleen Bruce [1]

"You shall go to the S. Pole," Kathleen Bruce -- a formidable young woman -- urged her fiancé. "Oh dear, what's the use of having energy & enterprise if a little thing like that can't be done. It's got to be done, so hurry up." [2]


Notes:

[1] Source unknown.
[2] Kathleen Bruce, letter to R.F. Scott, 11 July, 1908, quoted by David Crane in Scott of the Antarctic (New York : Knopf, c2005), p.336.

Saturday, 28 March 1908

Scott

The Nimrod in pack ice, 1908. [1]

The news broke in London that Shackleton had landed at McMurdo.

Scott was furious. "The letter was an agreement and it has been completely disregarded in a manner which is too obvious to need comment," he wrote to Keltie. " But unpleasant as this must be I cannot bring myself to associate again with such a professed liar nor to credit any statement he may make which is unsupported by the ample testimony of others." [2]

Shackleton had planned to land at Barrier Inlet, which had been visited on the Discovery expedition and which Shackleton now renamed the Bay of Whales, or at King Edward VII Land. Finding upon arrival in late January that the edge of the Barrier had changed significantly due to calving, Shackleton could not risk wintering there, and went on to King Edward VII Land. Unable after repeated efforts to land, and with pack ice threatening the ship, Shackleton felt that he had no choice but to return to McMurdo and winter there.

Scott was not alone in thinking Shackleton's actions ungentlemanly, but it was hardly fair. Shackleton had written to his wife, "I have been through a sort of Hell ... whether to go on or turn back, my whole heart crying out for me to go on and the feeling against the lives of the 40 odd men on board.... I had a great public trust which I could not betray ... my duty to the country and King ... and the eyes of the world upon us." [3]

Scott in any case kept his criticisms of Shackleton to private letters.


Notes:

[1] Wikipedia.
[2] R.F. Scott, letter to Scott Keltie, 28 March, 1908, quoted by David Crane in Scott of the Antarctic (New York : Knopf, c2005), p.349-350.
[3] Ernest Shackleton, letter to Emily Shackleton, [date not given], quoted by David Crane in Scott of the Antarctic (New York : Knopf, c2005), p.349.

Tuesday, 17 March 1908

Scott

Col du Lautaret in late autumn. Photograph by David George, November 2006. [1]

The first trials of the motor sledges, in the French Alps at Le Lautaret, were something of a disappointment.

"Exhaust cam of our engine reversed by Pelissier, de Dion mechanic," Skelton wrote in a series of reports to Scott, "but he failed to get engine to run although trying to do so nearly all day. Failure to do so undoubtedly due to low temperature and petrol not vapourising. A blow lamp would have saved this trouble. M. Courier suggested that engine did not have a fair chance on account of the English additions (high tension trembler, coil and elbow piece in induction pipe), but this opinion was, of course, absolute nonsense."

"Dr Charcot's sledge made a trial to-day, but although it advanced on the sledge road, it did not prove capable of any tractive power and could not do anything in soft snow unless assisted."

"Snow wheels were depressed about half way and clutch put in, the sledge advanced a small amount and then stopped, the snow chain clearing a hole in the snow. Snow wheels were then depressed to the full extent, and clutch put in again, when sledge advanced a few yards and engine brought up."

"The conditions were so extremely different from the average conditions of the Antarctic it would have been difficult with any machine to gain any reliable information -- in fact, the conditions were really unfair to the sledges. Nowhere in the Antarctic was such soft snow met with; neither man, pony, dog or reindeer could have pulled on it.... The two surfaces are quite different, and require different tractors."

"In spite of the failure of the sledge to actually perform hauling work, I do not think the general system was in any way shown to be wrong in principle -- the failure was entirely due to details which can be easily put right, and to the especially severe conditions of the track."
[2]


Notes:

[1] Wikipedia.
[2] Reginald Skelton, 7-17 March, 1908, quoted by David Crane in Scott of the Antarctic (New York : Knopf, c2005), p.351.

November 1907

Amundsen

"The Gjoa, Roald Amundsen's ship, being dragged up a timbered slide to its resting place in Golden Gate Park, July 1909. Photo by Fernando Cortez Ruggles." [1]

Amundsen, on another lecture tour in America, wrote to his brother Leon back in Christiania, "On this side of Christmas I will have pocketed 1,000 dollars and that is at least something.... I intend to give Gjøa a thorough inspection to see if she might survive another trip.... Please keep quiet about all this." [2] It is not clear whether he had some other plan for the Gjøa or was simply hedging his bets in case he did not get the Fram.


Notes:

[1] "The Roald Amundsen Monument, Or The Ship That Isn't There", Western Neighborhoods Project. See also "100 years since 'Gjøa' arrived in San Francisco" and "Gjøa" for the ship's fate.
[2] Roald Amundsen, letter to Leon Amundsen, [date not given], quoted by Tor Bomann-Larsen in Roald Amundsen (Stroud, Gloucestershire : Sutton, c2006, c1995), p.66.

September 1907

Amundsen

The ground-floor living room at Polhøgda. Photo: Maryanne Rygg [1]

Towards the end of September, Amundsen went to Polhøgda ("The Polar Heights"), Nansen's home in Lysaker. Liv, Nansen's daughter, later wrote, "[Nansen] could not make up his mind and when the day came and Amundsen stood downstairs in the hall and waited, [mother] was unable to hide her distress either. She stood in the bedroom and heard Fridtjof's slow footsteps above her on the attic floor. With raised eyebrows she looked at him as he entered. 'I know what it's going to be,' was all she said. Without a word Fridtjof went out again and continued down the stairs to the hall. There he met another pair of tensed eyes. 'You shall have Fram,' said father." [2]


Notes:

[1] "Polhøgda", Fridjof Nansens Institutt.
[2] Liv Nansen Høier, Eva og Fridtjof Nansen (Oslo : Cappelens, 1954), p.303, quoted by Roland Huntford in Scott and Amundsen (New York : Putnam, 1980, c1979), p.202.

Sunday, 11 August 1907

The Nimrod departing for the South. [1]

On 1th August, the Nimrod sailed for New Zealand and thence the Antarctic. Supported by private loans and individual contributions, the expedition was plagued by financial problems and preparations were rushed.

Their main goal, despite geographical and scientific work, was to reach the South Pole.


Notes:

[1] Wikipedia.