﻿SOUTH 
  GEORGIA, 
  AN 
  OUTPOST 
  OF 
  THE 
  

  

  ANTARCTIC 
  

  

  By 
  Robert 
  Cushman 
  Murphy 
  

  

  American 
  Museum 
  of 
  Natural 
  History 
  

  

  With 
  Illustrations 
  from 
  Photographs 
  by 
  the 
  Author 
  

  

  ON 
  JANUARY 
  4, 
  1922, 
  the 
  little 
  

   Quest, 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  romantic 
  

   of 
  the 
  many 
  vessels 
  which 
  have 
  

   sought 
  to 
  pry 
  into 
  the 
  cold 
  secrets 
  of 
  the 
  

   South, 
  lay 
  in 
  the 
  sheltered 
  basin 
  of 
  Gryt- 
  

   viken 
  (King 
  Edward 
  Cove), 
  Cumberland 
  

   Bay, 
  South 
  Georgia, 
  an 
  island 
  outpost 
  of 
  

   the 
  Antarctic 
  lying 
  more 
  than 
  1 
  ,000 
  miles 
  

   east 
  of 
  Cape 
  Horn. 
  Repairs 
  had 
  been 
  

   completed, 
  following 
  the 
  battering 
  of 
  a 
  

   stormy 
  passage 
  from 
  England 
  by 
  way 
  of 
  

   Lisbon 
  and 
  Rio 
  de 
  Janeiro, 
  and 
  she 
  was 
  

   awaiting 
  the 
  signal 
  to 
  purchase 
  her 
  an- 
  

   chor. 
  

  

  The 
  commander, 
  cheerful 
  and 
  active 
  

   as 
  usual, 
  had 
  been 
  ashore 
  at 
  the 
  whaling 
  

   station, 
  arranging 
  final 
  details 
  for 
  the 
  

   morrow's 
  departure 
  into 
  the 
  fogs 
  and 
  

   summer 
  ice-flows 
  of 
  Weddell 
  Sea. 
  

  

  But 
  for 
  him 
  that 
  morrow 
  was 
  never 
  to 
  

   dawn; 
  before 
  daybreak 
  of 
  January 
  5 
  the 
  

   responsibility 
  of 
  leadership 
  had 
  fallen 
  

   upon 
  other 
  shoulders. 
  With 
  the 
  faith 
  and 
  

   determination 
  which 
  characterize 
  both 
  

   seafarers 
  and 
  men 
  of 
  science, 
  the 
  mem- 
  

   bers 
  of 
  the 
  British 
  Antarctic 
  Research 
  

   Expedition 
  were 
  making 
  their 
  plans 
  to 
  

   carry 
  on 
  without 
  the 
  inspiration 
  of 
  the 
  

   commander's 
  presence. 
  

  

  A 
  great-hearted 
  Irishman, 
  a 
  hero 
  of 
  

   three 
  earlier 
  polar 
  voyages, 
  a 
  leader 
  who 
  

   had 
  repeatedly 
  shown 
  his 
  readiness 
  to 
  lay 
  

   down 
  his 
  life 
  for 
  his 
  friends 
  — 
  Sir 
  Ernest 
  

   Shackleton 
  — 
  was 
  dead 
  in 
  the 
  cabin 
  of 
  his 
  

   tiny 
  craft, 
  at 
  the 
  very 
  beginning 
  of 
  inves- 
  

   tigations 
  which 
  would 
  have 
  furnished 
  a 
  

   worthy 
  capstone 
  for 
  his 
  career. 
  

  

  shackleton's 
  thrilling 
  trip 
  to 
  south 
  

   georgia 
  eor 
  help 
  

  

  Strangely 
  enough, 
  the 
  distant 
  isle 
  at 
  

   which 
  Shackleton 
  came 
  to 
  an 
  untimely 
  

   end 
  had 
  already 
  been 
  associated 
  with 
  im- 
  

   portant 
  incidents 
  of 
  his 
  life 
  as 
  an 
  ex- 
  

   plorer. 
  In 
  1 
  9 
  14 
  he 
  made 
  South 
  Georgia 
  

   the 
  first 
  southern 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  Endurance, 
  

   and 
  it 
  was 
  here 
  that 
  he 
  took 
  aboard 
  his 
  

  

  final 
  stores 
  before 
  going 
  southward 
  in 
  

   December 
  into 
  Weddell 
  Sea. 
  

  

  Here, 
  too, 
  the 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  expedi- 
  

   tion 
  waited 
  anxiously 
  but 
  vainly 
  for 
  tid- 
  

   ings 
  of 
  the 
  war, 
  which 
  had 
  broken 
  out 
  

   just 
  before 
  the 
  Endurance 
  left 
  England 
  

   under 
  orders 
  from 
  the 
  Admiralty 
  to 
  "pro- 
  

   ceed" 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  the 
  impending 
  conflict. 
  

   Barely 
  two 
  hours 
  after 
  the 
  polar 
  ship 
  had 
  

   departed 
  from 
  Cumberland 
  Bay, 
  the 
  

   steamer 
  Harpon 
  arrived 
  from 
  Buenos 
  

   Aires 
  with 
  news 
  and 
  mail 
  — 
  too 
  late. 
  

  

  Shackleton's 
  even 
  more 
  dramatic 
  asso- 
  

   ciation 
  with 
  this 
  ice-bound 
  island 
  came, 
  

   however, 
  in 
  May, 
  19 
  16, 
  when, 
  after 
  the 
  

   loss 
  of 
  the 
  Endurance, 
  he 
  made 
  a 
  marvel- 
  

   ous 
  two 
  weeks' 
  journey 
  in 
  an 
  open 
  boat 
  

   from 
  Elephant 
  Island, 
  of 
  the 
  South 
  Shet- 
  

   land 
  group, 
  to 
  the 
  southwestern 
  coast 
  of 
  

   South 
  Georgia. 
  The 
  leader 
  and 
  two 
  com- 
  

   panions 
  crossed 
  the 
  mountains 
  from 
  King 
  

   Haakon 
  Bay 
  to 
  Stromness 
  Bay, 
  a 
  terrific 
  

   journey 
  of 
  thirty-six 
  hours, 
  which 
  is 
  

   vividly 
  and 
  stirringly 
  described 
  in 
  his 
  

   book 
  "South" 
  (see 
  map, 
  page 
  412). 
  

  

  THE 
  EXPLORER 
  MISTAKEN 
  EOR 
  THE 
  MATE 
  

   OE 
  THE 
  "DAISY" 
  

  

  If 
  Sir 
  Ernest 
  had 
  headed 
  directly 
  north 
  

   and 
  had 
  followed 
  a 
  line 
  of 
  march 
  which 
  

   the 
  whalers 
  have 
  used 
  on 
  their 
  Sunday 
  

   holidays 
  for 
  years, 
  and 
  which 
  was 
  subse- 
  

   quently 
  pointed 
  out 
  to 
  him 
  on 
  my 
  per- 
  

   sonal 
  sketch 
  map 
  of 
  South 
  Georgia, 
  he 
  

   would 
  have 
  arrived 
  within 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  

   hours 
  at 
  the 
  whaling 
  station 
  in 
  Prince 
  

   Olaf 
  Harbor, 
  near 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  Posses- 
  

   sion 
  Bay 
  ; 
  but 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  he 
  was 
  unaware 
  

   of 
  the 
  existence 
  of 
  this 
  station. 
  

  

  When 
  he 
  and 
  his 
  comrades 
  finally 
  

   reached 
  the 
  Tonsberg 
  Company's 
  station 
  

   in 
  Husvik 
  Harbor, 
  Stromness 
  Bay, 
  the 
  

   first 
  persons 
  whom 
  they 
  met 
  ran 
  off 
  as 
  if 
  

   they 
  had 
  seen 
  the 
  devil 
  himself, 
  and 
  as 
  a 
  

   welcome 
  relief 
  to 
  the 
  physical 
  and 
  nerv- 
  

   ous 
  strain 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  wanderers 
  had 
  

   been 
  subjected, 
  the 
  following 
  ensued: 
  

  

  409 
  

  

  