...d the building of the unsinkable Titanic and then supplied the ship ith far too fe lifeboats to hold its passengers if disaster did strike. Just as the passengers of the Titanic paid a price for this arrogance, so too did Captain Scott and his four companions. At the Pole In addition to Capt. Scott, Lieut. Boers, and Dr. ilson, to others, Capt. Titus Oates and Petty Officer Edgar Evans made the final push to the Pole. Conditions ere appalling temperatures plummeting to minus 45 degrees F., nearly impassable terrain, blinding blizzards, or blinding sunshine. On January 16, nearing their objective, Scott and his team make a disheartening discovery - evidence that the Noregians have beat them to the Pole. In fact, the Noregians had arrived four eeks earlier on December 14, 1911. Psychologically numbed by the finding, the team pushes on. e pick up Scotts journal on the folloing day ednesday, January 17 - Camp 69. T. -22 degrees at start. Night -21 degrees. The Pole. Yes, but under very different circumstances from those expected. e have had a horrible day - add to our disappointment a head ind 4 to 5, ith a temperature -22 degrees, and companions labouring on ith cold feet and hands. INCLUDEPICTURE td imagesscott02.gife started at 7.30, none of us having slept much after the shock of our discovery. e folloed the Noregian sledge tracks for some ay as far as e make out there are only to men. In about three miles e passed to small cairns. Then the eather overcast, and the tracks being increasingly drifted up and obviously going too far to the est, e decided to make straight for the Pole according to our calculations. At 12.30 Evans had such cold hands e camped for lunch - an excellent eek-end one. ...To-night little Boers is laying himself out to get sights in terrible difficult circumstances the ind is bloing hard, T. - 21 degrees, and there is that curious damp, cold feeling in the air hich chills one to the bone in no time. e have been descending again, I think, but there looks to be a rise ahead otherise there is very little that is different from the aful monotony of past days. Great God! this is an aful place and terrible enough for us to have laboured to it ithout PRIVATE TYPEPICTALTAt the PoleINCLUDEPICTURE td imagesscott03.gifthe reard of priority. ell, it is something to have got here, and the ind may be our friend to-morro. ...No for the run home and a desperate struggle. I onder if e can do it. Thursday morning, January 18 - ...e have just arrived at this tent, 2 miles from our camp, therefore about l 12 miles from the Pole. In the tent e find a record of five Noregians having been here... e carried the Union Jack about 34 of a mile north ith us and left it on a piece of stick as near as e could fix it. ...ell, e have turned our back no on the goal of our ambition and must face our 800 miles of solid dragging - and good-bye to most of the day-dreams! Death of the First Team Member Saturday, February 17 - A very terrible day. Evans looked a little better INCLUDEPICTURE td imagesscott04.gifafter a good sleep, and declared, as he alays did, that he as quite ell. He started in his place on the traces, but half an hour later orked his ski shoes adrift, and had to leave the sledge. The surface as aful, the soft recently fallen sno clogging the ski and runners at every step, the sledge groaning, the sky overcast, and the land hazy. e stopped after about one hour, and Evans came up again, but very sloly. Half an hour later he dropped out again on the same plea. He asked Boers to lend him a piece of string. I cautioned him to come on as quickly as he could, and he ansered cheerfully as I thought. e had to push on, and the remainder of us ere forced to pull very hard, seating heavily. Abreast the Monument Rock e PRIVATE TYPEPICTALTRoutes to the PoleINCLUDEPICTURE td imagesscott06.gifstopped, and seeing Evans a long ay astern, I camped for lunch. There as no alarm at first, and e prepared tea and our on meal, consuming the latter. After lunch, and Evans still not appearing, e looked out, to see him still afar off. By this time e ere alarmed, and all four started back on ski. I as first to reach the poor man and shocked at his appearance he as on his knees ith clothing disarranged, hands uncovered and frostbitten, and a ild look in his eyes. Asked hat as the matter, he replied ith a slo speech that he didnt kno, but thought he must have fainted. e got him on his feet, but after to or three steps he sank don again. He shoed every sign of complete collapse. ilson, Boers, and I ent back for the sledge, hilst Oates remained ith him. hen e returned he as practically unconscious, and hen e got him into the tent quite comatose. He died quietly at 12.30 A.M. On discussing the symptoms e think he began to get eaker just before e reached the Pole, and that his donard path as accelerated first by the shock of his frostbitten fingers, and later by falls during rough travelling on the glacier, further by his loss of all confidence in himself. ilson thinks it certain he must have injured his brain by a fall. It is a terrible thing to lose a companion in this ay, but calm reflection shos that there could not have been a better ending to the terrible anxieties of the past eek. Discussion of the situation at lunch yesterday shos us hat a desperate pass e ere in ith a sick man on our hands at such a distance from home. Oates alks Into Oblivion Friday, March 16 or Saturday 17 - Lost track of dates, but think the last correct. Tragedy all along the line. At lunch, the day before yesterday, poor Titus Oates said he couldnt go on he proposed e should leave him in his sleeping-bag. That e could not do, and e induced him to come on, on the PRIVATE TYPEPICTALTOates leaves the tentINCLUDEPICTURE td imagesscott05.gifafternoon march. In spite of its aful nature for him he struggled on and e made a fe miles. At night he as orse and e kne the end had come. Should this be found I ant these facts recorded. Oates last thoughts ere of his Mother, but immediately before he took pride in thinking that his regiment ould be pleased ith the bold ay in hich he met his death. e can testify to his bravery. He has borne intense suffering for eeks ithout complaint, and to the very last as able and illing to discuss outside subjects. He did not - ould not - give up hope till the very end. He as a brave soul. This as the end. He slept through the night before last, hoping not to ake but he oke in the morning - yesterday. It as bloing a blizzard. He said, I am just going outside and may be some time. He ent out into the blizzard and e have not seen him since. Final Entries ednesday, March 21 - Got ithin 11 miles of depot Monday night had to lay up all yesterday in severe blizzard. To-day forlorn hope, ilson and Boers going to depot for fuel. Thursday, March 22 and 23 - Blizzard bad as ever - ilson and Boers unable to start - to-morro last chance - no fuel and only one or to of food left - must be near the end. Have ...
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