Gentlemen of Adventure: The Prequel
Feb. 3rd, 2011 08:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tealinSo I missed Hourly Comics Day, which I regret. But it is not too late for I Wish I Were Kate Beaton* Day!
Because ...
ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO TODAY
Campbell's 'Eastern Party' had a bit of an exchange day with the Norwegians ...
The Terra Nova Expedition had several parts: There was the attempt at the Pole, which is the most famous, but also a scientific program, which had several offshoots. As part of the latter, Victor Campbell was to lead a small group of men to King Edward VII Land on the other side of the Ross Sea from the main body and headquarters; they were going to study geology and physiography and a number of other things. But when the Terra Nova went that way to drop them off, they discovered the Fram and Amundsen, who had set up camp aggravatingly close to where they'd intended to pitch theirs. Nevertheless they were very civil about it. Amundsen invited Campbell's men to tour Framheim (the name of their camp) and Campbell brought the Norwegians on board the Terra Nova. Under the diplomatic affability there was a fair amount of suspicion, though – Amundsen feared the prospect of Scott's motor sledges being the wild card in the race, and was worried the Terra Nova might have been equipped with a newfangled wireless system that could transmit news of the attainment of the Pole before the Fram could get back to Australia. The British ... well, I suppose they were suspicious about just about everything, and wanted to ascertain Amundsen's chances for a 'dash' to the Pole, though there's also some derision in their records for Amundsen having made his base on the ice shelf, which could break up and float away. This was not a completely unfounded opinion, as the coming winter would see two miles of apparently solid ice from a glacier which flowed off Ross Island, which had stood more or less unchanged since Scott was down previously on the Discovery, get blown out to sea in a ferocious storm.
Anyway, Campbell's 'Eastern' party decided to change their plan and go explore Victoria Land instead, where they had QUITE AN ADVENTURE. But before they departed, they left a special souvenir for the Norwegians ...
... all Amunsden's party caught head colds.
Also, some mind games: Remember when the third motor sledge sank? Well, when Amundsen asked about them, Campbell could in all honesty reply that they were running well (two of them were) and that one of them was already 'on terra firma' ... he didn't mention that the 'terra firma' in question was the floor of McMurdo Sound.
CORRECTION: In all likelihood, this last bit didn't actually happen, or at least it is heavily belied by the primary documents, which adds up to the same thing. Research is here, behind a paywall alas, but that's where it is. Check your sources, kids!
Various people keep trying to get me to play into the Scott/Amundsen rivalry game, but I won't do it. I don't begrudge Amundsen the Pole: he made all the right preparations, had the better plans and the better team,** so he absolutely deserved to win. I don't love the British expedition more because I think they should have won, or because I wish they'd won, or even because I speak the same language as them (though it does make it easier in regards to primary documents) – I love that side because their story is just mind-blowing. 'Make a plan, execute the plan, succeed' is a great way to go through life – and survive in Antarctica – but it's not a good story. It's much more exciting to read about plans going horribly awry and having to cope with obstacles thrown up by nature, fate, your own weaknesses or character flaws, etc. Adventure may be bad planning, as Amundsen curtly said, but it's what literature is made of. A perfectly executed plan is just a manual.
I also love the British team because they're just so gosh-darn lovable, but that's beside the point (for today) ...
Thanks to a timely reminder of this anniversary I didn't miss it – Scott is still out laying depots and making poetic observations on trekking through snow. They'll find out about Campbell's little adventure in a month or so ...
*I don't actually, because I quite like my life, and all that pressure to be funny would take all the fun out of being snide. But it would be nice to play at that level sometimes, just to know what it feels like ...
**And the better luck – not only was his ice shelf HQ not blown out to sea, but on the way south he discovered a previously unknown glacier that allowed him access to the Polar Plateau with his dogs.
Because ...
ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO TODAY
Campbell's 'Eastern Party' had a bit of an exchange day with the Norwegians ...
The Terra Nova Expedition had several parts: There was the attempt at the Pole, which is the most famous, but also a scientific program, which had several offshoots. As part of the latter, Victor Campbell was to lead a small group of men to King Edward VII Land on the other side of the Ross Sea from the main body and headquarters; they were going to study geology and physiography and a number of other things. But when the Terra Nova went that way to drop them off, they discovered the Fram and Amundsen, who had set up camp aggravatingly close to where they'd intended to pitch theirs. Nevertheless they were very civil about it. Amundsen invited Campbell's men to tour Framheim (the name of their camp) and Campbell brought the Norwegians on board the Terra Nova. Under the diplomatic affability there was a fair amount of suspicion, though – Amundsen feared the prospect of Scott's motor sledges being the wild card in the race, and was worried the Terra Nova might have been equipped with a newfangled wireless system that could transmit news of the attainment of the Pole before the Fram could get back to Australia. The British ... well, I suppose they were suspicious about just about everything, and wanted to ascertain Amundsen's chances for a 'dash' to the Pole, though there's also some derision in their records for Amundsen having made his base on the ice shelf, which could break up and float away. This was not a completely unfounded opinion, as the coming winter would see two miles of apparently solid ice from a glacier which flowed off Ross Island, which had stood more or less unchanged since Scott was down previously on the Discovery, get blown out to sea in a ferocious storm.
Anyway, Campbell's 'Eastern' party decided to change their plan and go explore Victoria Land instead, where they had QUITE AN ADVENTURE. But before they departed, they left a special souvenir for the Norwegians ...
... all Amunsden's party caught head colds.
Also, some mind games: Remember when the third motor sledge sank? Well, when Amundsen asked about them, Campbell could in all honesty reply that they were running well (two of them were) and that one of them was already 'on terra firma' ... he didn't mention that the 'terra firma' in question was the floor of McMurdo Sound.
CORRECTION: In all likelihood, this last bit didn't actually happen, or at least it is heavily belied by the primary documents, which adds up to the same thing. Research is here, behind a paywall alas, but that's where it is. Check your sources, kids!
Various people keep trying to get me to play into the Scott/Amundsen rivalry game, but I won't do it. I don't begrudge Amundsen the Pole: he made all the right preparations, had the better plans and the better team,** so he absolutely deserved to win. I don't love the British expedition more because I think they should have won, or because I wish they'd won, or even because I speak the same language as them (though it does make it easier in regards to primary documents) – I love that side because their story is just mind-blowing. 'Make a plan, execute the plan, succeed' is a great way to go through life – and survive in Antarctica – but it's not a good story. It's much more exciting to read about plans going horribly awry and having to cope with obstacles thrown up by nature, fate, your own weaknesses or character flaws, etc. Adventure may be bad planning, as Amundsen curtly said, but it's what literature is made of. A perfectly executed plan is just a manual.
I also love the British team because they're just so gosh-darn lovable, but that's beside the point (for today) ...
Thanks to a timely reminder of this anniversary I didn't miss it – Scott is still out laying depots and making poetic observations on trekking through snow. They'll find out about Campbell's little adventure in a month or so ...
*I don't actually, because I quite like my life, and all that pressure to be funny would take all the fun out of being snide. But it would be nice to play at that level sometimes, just to know what it feels like ...
**And the better luck – not only was his ice shelf HQ not blown out to sea, but on the way south he discovered a previously unknown glacier that allowed him access to the Polar Plateau with his dogs.
