This page has been validated.
72
SCOTT'S LAST EXPEDITION
[December
370 miles—an average of 18 miles a day. We entered the pack with 342 tons of coal and left with 281 tons; we have, therefore, expended 61 tons in forcing our way through—an average of 6 miles to the ton.
These are not pleasant figures to contemplate, but considering the exceptional conditions experienced I suppose one must conclude that things might have been worse.
- 9th. Loose streams, steaming.
- 10th. Close pack.
- 11th. 6 a.m. close pack, stopped.
- 12th. 11.30 a.m. started.
- 13th. 8 a.m. heavy pack, stopped; 8 p.m. out fires.
- 14th. Fires out.
- 15th. . . .
- 16th. . . .
- 17th. . . .
- 18th. Noon, heavy pack and leads, steaming.
- 19th. Noon, heavy pack and leads, steaming.
- 20th. Forenoon, banked fires.
- 21st. 9 a.m. started.
- 21st. 11 a.m. banked.
- 22nd. 11 a.m.„ banked„
- 23rd. Midnight, started.
- 24th. 7 a.m. stopped.
- 25th. Fires out.
- 26th. Fires„ out„
- 27th. Fires„ out„
- 28th. 7.30 p.m. steaming.
- 29th. Steaming
- 30th. Steaming
These columns show that we were steaming for nine out of twenty days. We had two long stops, one of five days and one of four and a half days. On three other occasions we stopped for short intervals without drawing fires.
I have asked Wright to plot the pack with certain symbols on the chart made by Pennell. It promises to give a very graphic representation of our experiences.
