South with Scott | Page 3

and the west of
England to raise funds from my Welsh and west country friends. Scott,
himself, when he could be spared from the Admiralty, worked
Newcastle, Liverpool, and the North, whilst both of us did what we
could in London to obtain the money necessary to purchase and equip
the ship. It was an anxious time for Scott and his supporters, but after
the first 10,000 pounds had been raised the Government grant of
20,000 pounds followed and the Expedition came properly into being.
Several individuals subscribed 1000 pounds each, and Government
grants were subsequently made by the Australian Commonwealth, the
Dominion of New Zealand and South Africa. Capt. L.E.G. Oates and
Mr. Apsley Cherry-Garrard were included in the donors of 1000
pounds, but they gave more than this, for these gallant gentlemen gave
their services and one of them his life. An unexpected and extremely
welcome contribution came from Mr. Samuel Hordern of Sydney in the
shape of 2500 pounds, at a time when we needed it most. Many firms
gave in cash as well as in kind. Indeed, were it not for the generosity of
such firms it is doubtful whether we could have started. The services of
Paymaster Lieut. Drake, R.N., were obtained as secretary to the
Expedition. Offices were taken and furnished in Victoria Street, S.W.,
and Sir Edgar Speyer kindly consented to act as Honorary
Treasurer--without hesitation I may say we owe more to Sir Edgar than
ever we can repay.
We were somewhat limited in our choice of a ship, suitable for the
work contemplated. The best vessel of all was of course the
"Discovery," which had been specially constructed for the National
Antarctic Expedition in 1900, but she had been acquired by the Hudson
Bay Company, and although the late Lord Strathcona, then High
Commissioner for Canada, was approached, he could not see his way to
obtaining her for us in view of her important employment as supply
ship for the Hudson Bay Trading Stations. There remained the
"Aurora," "Morning," "Bjorn," "Terra Nova," Shackleton's stout little
"Nimrod," and one or two other old whaling craft. The "Bjorn," a
beautiful wooden whaler, would have served our purpose excellently,

but, alas! she was too small for the enterprise and we had to fall back
on the "Terra Nova," an older ship but a much larger craft. The "Terra
Nova" had one great defect--she was not economic in the matter of coal
consumption. She was the largest and strongest of the old Scotch
whalers, had proved herself in the Antarctic pack-ice and acquitted
herself magnificently in the Northern ice-fields in whaling and sealing
voyages extending over a period of twenty years. In spite of her age she
had considerable power for a vessel of that type.
After a preliminary survey in Newfoundland, which satisfied us as to
her seaworthiness in all respects, the "Terra Nova" was purchased for
the Expedition by Messrs. David Bruce & Sons for the sum of 12,500
pounds. It seems a high price, but this meant nothing more than her
being chartered to us for 2000 pounds a year, since her owners were
ready to pay a good price for the ship if we returned her in reasonably
good condition at the conclusion of the Expedition.
Captain Scott handed her over to me to fit out, whilst he busied himself
more with the scientific programme and the question of finance. We
had her barque-rigged and altered according to the requirements of the
expedition. A large, well-insulated ice-house was erected on the upper
deck which held 150 cascases of frozen mutton, and, owing to the
position of the cold chamber, free as it was from the vicinity of iron, we
mounted here our standard compass and Lloyd Creek pedestal for
magnetic work. Our range-finder was also mounted on the ice-house. A
new stove was put in the galley, a lamp room and paraffin store built,
and store-rooms, instrument, and chronometer rooms were added. A
tremendous alteration was made in the living spaces both for officers
and men. Twenty-four bunks were fitted around the saloon
accommodation, whilst for the seamen and warrant officers hammock
space or bunks were provided. It was proposed to take six warrant
officers, including carpenter, ice-master, boatswain, and chief steward.
Quite good laboratories were constructed on the poop, while two large
magazines and a clothing-store were built up between decks, and these
particular spaces were zinc-lined to keep them damp-free. The ship
required alteration rather than repair, and there were only one or two
places where timber had rotted and these were soon found and

reinforced.
I shall never forget the day I first visited the "Terra Nova" in the West
India Docks: she looked so small and out of place surrounded by great
liners and cargo-carrying ships, but I loved