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Learn About The First Pioneers Of Antarctica
By Sophia Anderson | March 13, 2010
On his way home from the South Pole, Captain Robert Falcon Scott met his untimely demise in 1912. Scott and his team of explorers expired as a result of bitter temperatures and lack of food. In the wake of his agonizing loss in the race to the South Pole, and his enhanced standing as a hero of the country, Captain Scott showed unwaivering strength as he confronted his death.
Only now after researchers have spent years running studies are we able to offer information concerning the brutal Antarctica conditions facing anyone traversing the area. In Antarctica’s winter, temperatures can fall to 90 degrees Celcius below zero, with average wind speeds of 67 kilometers per hour. In 1912, with little understanding of the devastating hazards the continent had in store for him, Scott was ill prepared for the task he was undertaking.
A Polar Region scientist, Scott’s writings to wife describe extreme isolation. Even with today’s communication options, modern explorers in Antarctica concur that intense isolation is a problem. Scott’s death made his wife a widow and single mother to her young son.
His body was discovered months after he expired. The letters written to his wife were among his things. His supply camp was located a mere 11 miles from where his body was found. Captain Scott’s wife was in New Zealand, waiting for her husband to come back, when news of his death reached her.
Researchers throughout history have learned a great deal from Scott’s letters. When he first began his expedition, Scott told his wife in his letter how great he felt physically and how much he enjoyed a hot meal. The cold didn’t seem to be a problem, as the hot food made up for the bitter cold.
The mood of the letters changed, though, as the journey progressed and the food supply started to dwindle. His letters speak of unrelenting, brutal cold. We can get a better understanding of the starvation that Scott and his team experienced, as we find that they were surviving during their trek on a single hot meal and had an additional 11 miles to travel and only two days worth of cold food remaining.
Scott was an icon of the great age of exploration, but his journey was twice cursed. First off, he lost his race to the South Pole to a Norwegian named Roald Amundsen. Amundsen had begun his expedition on December 21st of 1911, and Scott’s expedition went underway January 18th of 1912.
Scott had already be hailed a hero for his expedition to the Antarctic wilderness in 1902 through 1904. The two other men with him, Lieutenant Henry Bowers and Dr. Edward Wilson held onto their beliefs of survival. Petty Officer Edgar Evans and Captain Lawrence Oat unfortunately would be overtaken by the elements and die.
The team stored supplies a mere twenty miles from a depot. Their supply of fuel and food was dangerously low by now. Scott’s letters instructed his wife to find love again in the event of his demise. He also spoke of seventy degrees below zero air temperatures and having nothing to provide shelter besides a flimsy tent.
It is evident from Scott’s last letters, that he never regretted the choice he made, to go on this trek that ultimately led to his death. Instead, he said it far outweighed relaxing at home. The young people of Britain have been greatly encouraged by the strength and perseverance that Scott displayed.
Roald Amundsmen beat Scott’s team to the South Pole by a few weeks. He met his death on March 29, 1912. Published as “Scott’s Last Expedition,” his journals are available for study.
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