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Sea. Both will join up and make for the

Ross Sea base, where the previous Expedition had its winter quarters.
"In all, fourteen men will be landed by the 'Endurance' on the Weddell
Sea. Six will set out on the Trans-continental journey, three will go
westward, three eastward, and two remain at the base carrying on the
work already outlined.
"The 'Aurora' will land six men at the Ross Sea base. They will lay
down depots on the route of the Trans-continental party, and make a
march south to assist that party, and to make geological and other
observations as already described.
"Should the Trans-continental party succeed, as is hoped, in crossing
during the first season, its return to civilization may be expected about
April 1915. The other sections in April 1916.
"The Ships of the Expedition.
"The two ships for the Expedition have now been selected.
"The 'Endurance', the ship which will take the Trans-continental party
to the Weddell Sea, and will afterwards explore along an unknown
coast- line, is a new vessel, specially constructed for Polar work under
the supervision of a committee of Polar explorers. She was built by
Christensen, the famous Norwegian constructor of sealing vessels, at
Sandefjord. She is barquentine rigged, and has triple-expansion engines
giving her a speed under steam of nine to ten knots. To enable her to
stay longer at sea, she will carry oil fuel as well as coal. She is of about
350 tons, and built of selected pine, oak, and greenheart. This fine
vessel, equipped, has cost the Expedition £14,000.
"The 'Aurora', the ship which will take out the Ross Sea party, has been
bought from Dr. Mawson. She is similar in all respects to the Terra
Nova, of Captain Scott's last Expedition. She had extensive alterations
made by the Government authorities in Australia to fit her for Dr.
Mawson's Expedition, and is now at Hobart, Tasmania, where the Ross
Sea party will join her in October next."

I started the preparations in the middle of 1913, but no public
announcement was made until January 13, 1914. For the last six
months of 1913 I was engaged in the necessary preliminaries, solid
mule work, showing nothing particular to interest the public, but
essential for an Expedition that had to have a ship on each side of the
Continent, with a land journey of eighteen hundred miles to be made,
the first nine hundred miles to be across an absolutely unknown land
mass.
On January 1, 1914, having received a promised financial support
sufficient to warrant the announcement of the Expedition, I made it
public.
The first result of this was a flood of applications from all classes of the
community to join the adventure. I received nearly five thousand
applications, and out of these were picked fifty-six men.
In March, to my great disappointment and anxiety, the promised
financial help did not materialize, and I was now faced with the fact
that I had contracted for a ship and stores, and had engaged the staff,
and I was not in possession of funds to meet these liabilities. I
immediately set about appealing for help, and met with generous
response from all sides. I cannot here give the names of all who
supported my application, but whilst taking this opportunity of
thanking every one for their support, which came from parts as far apart
as the interior of China, Japan, New Zealand, and Australia, I must
particularly refer to the munificent donation of £24,000 from the late
Sir James Caird, and to one of £10,000 from the British Government. I
must also thank Mr. Dudley Docker, who enabled me to complete the
purchase of the 'Endurance', and Miss Elizabeth Dawson Lambton, who
since 1901 has always been a firm friend to Antarctic exploration, and
who again, on this occasion, assisted largely. The Royal Geographical
Society made a grant of £1000; and last, but by no means least, I take
this opportunity of tendering my grateful thanks to Dame Janet
Stancomb Wills, whose generosity enabled me to equip the 'Endurance'
efficiently, especially as regards boats (which boats were the means of
our ultimate safety), and who not only, at the inception of the

Expedition, gave financial help, but also continued it through the dark
days when we were overdue, and funds were required to meet the need
of the dependents of the Expedition.
The only return and privilege an explorer has in the way of
acknowledgment for the help accorded him is to record on the
discovered lands the names of those to whom the Expedition owes its
being.
Owing to the exigencies of the war the publication of this book has
been long delayed, and the detailed maps must come with the scientific
monographs. I have the honour to place on the new