DECEMBER 15TH, 1909: The Irish-born explorer, Sir Ernest Shackleton, gave an illustrated public lecture 100 years ago in the National University in Dublin's Earlsfort Terrace entitled Nearest the South Pole, which accurately described his "almost there" attempt to reach the South Pole earlier that year. Reported in the following day's newspaper, this is part of what he said.
THE FIRST object they undertook was to ascend Mount Erebus, an active volcano, 13,000ft high. He detailed a party of six men to make a start, and they accomplished 3,000ft on the first night, and 6,000ft on the second night. Then there came on a blizzard with a temperature of 62 degrees of frost, and they were very uncomfortable in their sleeping bags on the side of the mountain. When the blizzard was over, after 24 hours, they got higher up. Sir Philip Brocklehurst got his feet frost-bitten here and one of his toes had to be amputated. At this place the cliffs were very steep, rising up from the seaward side to a height of 5,000 or 6,000 feet along the seaboard. The lecturer further described the ascent of Mount Erebus by members of his party, who, on March 10th of last year, stood, for the first time, upon the summit of that mountain, and were enabled to look down into its active crater. The party returned to headquarters on March 12th with some interesting collections and good appetites. Referring to the use of the motor car, which was brought along by the expedition, he said that the greatest speed which the party succeeded in reaching with it at any time was one of eight miles in 20 minutes, and the lowest half a mile in two hours. (Laughter.) The car did great work on the smooth ice, but would not go well over the soft snow of the barrier. On April 22nd the sun disappeared, and did not reappear till August 22nd following – so that they had a four months’ night, and had to do their work by the light of a hurricane lamp. On September 22nd, 1908, he started to lay a depot to the South, 123 miles due south. From November 15th, 1908, until February 23rd of this year, they had only one full meal. That was on Christmas Day, and the effect of it lasted only just half an hour. The lecturer proceeded to point out some of the difficulties which he and his party encountered during this portion of their journey. Their progress was accompanied by considerable danger, as the way was full of pitfalls and caverns. In one of the latter they, on one occasion, lost their last remaining pony, and very nearly lost one of their companions, who had been in charge of the animal.
While on that journey they at one point made an important discover of seams of coal, showing that at one time the district had been a warm country. As they proceeded they were forced to reduce the rations to 20 ounces per day. It was not until December 23rd last that at 8,500ft above the sea they got into the inland ice. In January when they were 9,500ft above the sea, they finally discovered that they were not going, after all, to reach the South Pole. On January 9th the party hoisted – 97 geographical miles from the South Pole – the flag which the queen had presented to the expedition when it was about to start. (Applause.) They could have reached the Pole, and got back safely if they had had with them 50 pounds more food. During this portion of their journey they again suffered considerably from lack of food, being forced at one point to fall back upon scarping the flesh off the bones of a horse which had been lying dead for two months. The result of that diet was an outbreak of dysentery. On March 4th of this year the party arrived back on board the Nimrod after a march of 126 days and a journey of 755 miles.
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