The Voyages of Captain Scott | Page 7

as regards the crew; is
it hoped to be able to embody them from the R.N.? I sincerely trust so.'
In fact he had set his heart on obtaining a naval crew, partly because he
thought that their sense of discipline would be invaluable, but also
because he doubted his ability to deal with any other class of men.
The Admiralty, however, was reluctant to grant a concession that Scott
considered so necessary, and this reluctance arose not from any
coldness towards the enterprise, but from questions of principle and
precedent. At first the Admiralty assistance in this respect was limited
to two officers, Scott himself and Royds, then the limit was extended to
include Skelton the engineer, a carpenter and a boatswain, and thus at
least a small naval nucleus was obtained. But it was not until the spring
of 1901 that the Admiralty, thanks to Sir Anthony Hoskins and Sir
Archibald Douglas, gave in altogether, and as the selection of the most
fitting volunteers had not yet been made, the chosen men did not join
until the expedition was almost on the point of sailing.
For many reasons Scott was obliged to make his own headquarters in
London, and the room that had been placed at his disposal in
Burlington House soon became a museum of curiosities. Sledges, ski,
fur clothing and boots were crowded into every corner, while tables and
shelves were littered with correspondence and samples of tinned foods.
And in the midst of this medley he worked steadily on, sometimes
elated by the hope that all was going well, sometimes depressed by the
thought that the expedition could not possibly be ready to start at the
required date.
During these busy months of preparation he had the satisfaction of

knowing that the first lieutenant, the chief engineer and the carpenter
were in Dundee, and able to look into the numerous small difficulties
that arose in connection with the building of the ship. Other important
posts in the expedition had also been filled up, and expeditionary work
was being carried on in many places. Some men were working on their
especial subjects in the British Museum, others were preparing
themselves at the Physical Laboratory at Kew, and others, again, were
traveling in various directions both at home and abroad. Of all these
affairs the central office was obliged to take notice, and so for its
occupants idle moments were few and very far between. Nansen said
once that the hardest work of a Polar voyage came in its preparation,
and during the years 1900-1, Scott found ample cause to agree with
him. But in spite of conflicting interests, which at times threatened to
wreck the well-being of the expedition, work, having been properly
organized, went steadily forward; until on March 21, 1901, the new
vessel was launched at Dundee and named the 'Discovery' by Lady
Markham.
In the choice of a name it was generally agreed that the best plan was to
revive some time-honored title, and that few names were more
distinguished than 'Discovery.' She was the sixth of that name, and
inherited a long record of honorable and fortunate service.
The Discovery had been nothing more than a skeleton when it was
decided that she should be loaded with her freight in London;
consequently, after she had undergone her trials, she was brought round
from Dundee, and on June 3, 1901, was berthed in the East India Docks.
There, during the following weeks, all the stores were gathered together,
and there the vessel, which was destined to be the home of the
expedition for more than three years, was laden.
Speaking at the Geographical Congress at Berlin in 1899, Nansen
strongly recommended a vessel of the Fram type with fuller lines for
South Polar work, but the special Ship Committee, appointed to
consider the question of a vessel for this expedition, had very sound
reasons for not following his advice. Nansen's celebrated Fram was
built for the specific object of remaining safely in the North Polar pack,

in spite of the terrible pressures which were to be expected in such a
vast extent of ice. This object was achieved in the simplest manner by
inclining the sides of the vessel until her shape resembled a saucer, and
lateral pressure merely tended to raise her above the surface. Simple as
this design was, it fulfilled so well the requirements of the situation that
its conception was without doubt a stroke of genius. What, however,
has been generally forgotten is that the safety of the Fram was secured
at the expense of her sea-worthiness and powers of ice-penetration.
Since the Fram was built there have been two distinct types of Polar
vessels, the one founded on the idea of passive security in the ice, the
other the old