Journey to the South Pole

Robert Falcon Scott was a British Royal Navy o cer and explorer who led the ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition, 191013. One hundred years ago, on Jan. 17, 1912, the team reached the South Pole, only to nd that they had been beaten there by another group. On their return journey, the team perished from exhaustion, starvation and extreme cold.

IN MINUTES
SOUTH POLE 1910
June 15 Robert F. Scott's

News and events visually

SETTING SAIL
ship, the Terra Nova, sets sail from Cardi , England, with a crew of 65 men Nov 29 Terra Nova leaves New Zealand, where it picked up Terra additional cargo including Nova 34 dogs, 19 Siberian ponies and three motorized sledges. It is hit by a heavy storm and loses some of its cargo. Dec 10 The ship encounters packed ice barricading the way to Ross Sea and is halted for 20 days.

THE RETURN

Last Depot

3 Degree Depot

1911

THE FINAL TEAM

Left to right: Dr. Edward Wilson, Capt. Robert Scott & Capt. Lawrence Oates (Titus) (Standing) - Lieut. Henry Bowers and Petty O cer Edgar Evans (Sitting).

teams set out to lay depots for use on the polar journey which would begin the following spring Feb 17 The last depot (One Ton Depot) is laid 50 km short of its intended destination due to poor health of the ponies. Oct 24 The rst team sets out with two motor sledges but the sledges break down, so the men haul supplies. Nov 1 Scott and another team sets out with ponies and dogs.

Jan 4 Arrive at Ross Island. Jan 27 12 men, eight ponies and two dog

Beardmore Glacier MT Hope Blizzard

Evans Died

BARRIER

Upper Barrier Depot Oates Died Tent One Ton Depot

from injuries: Wilson was limping with a pulled leg; Scott fell and bruised his shoulder; Evans hand lost two ngernails. Feb 7 Reached the head of the Beardmore Glacier. Feb 8 Started their descent. Feb 11 Became disoriented after a wrong turn; were traveling around in a maze of ridges, growing weaker as their food rations dwindles, Feb 17 Evans dies. Mar 3 Arrived at the Southern Barrier depot. Temperature was down to -40 C. Oates was immense pain; his toes were black and gangrene was setting in. Mar 16/17 Conditions deteriorate; Temperature fell to -41 C, raging blizzard. Wilson was too weak to help make camp. Oates dies. Mar 20 They were only 17 km from One Ton Depot but the blizzard stopped them from continuing on. Have decided it shall be naturalwe shall march for the depot and die in our tracks", wrote Scott. Mar 29 They did not march again and on March 29 Scott made his last entry: It seems a pity, but I do not think that I can write more. R. Scott. For God's sake look after our people. Nov 12 A search party nds the bodies of Bowers, Wilson and Scott just 18 km from One Ton Depot. Also found were rolls of lm, a meteorological log and 16 kg of fossils.

Jan. 19 The team heads home. Jan 23 The men were becoming very tired, and su ering

A LETTER HOME
Knowing he was days from death on his trek, Scott wrote to his wife "We are in a very tight corner and I have doubts of pulling through." The explorer assured his wife that he faced his end without regret. "How much better it has been than lounging in comfort at home."

1912

with him to the Pole and instructs the others to return. Jan 6 Cross the line of latitude where a previous explorer, Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton, turned back and were farther south, as they believed, than any man had been before. Jan 17 Scott and his team arrive at the pole, 33 days after Roald Amundsen's Norwegian expedition. Oates, Evans and Bowers all su ered from severe frostbite. Scott wrote, Great God! This is an awful place and terrible enough for us to have laboured to it without the reward of priority.

Jan 3 Scott chooses four men to continue

BAR R

IER

EDG

BLUFF

Motor Corner Camp

ROSS ISLAND

ROSS SEA

Image source: Wikipedia

SUSAN BATSFORD, GRAPHICS EDITOR, TWITTER @SBATS1; INFOGRAPHIC BY LINDSAY OUELLETTE/QMI AGENCY