REVISTA DAP AVENTURA 2015-2016

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Aventura al fin del mundo 2015 - 2016 SIR ERNEST SHACKLETON AND PILOT PARDO A HUNDRED YEARS OF AN AMAZING RESCUE By Rafael Cheuquelaf Bradasic Ernest Shackleton was born in Ireland in 1874, and belonged to a species that back then already seemed condemned to extinction: the Explorers. In a world where sites to explore were growing short, this Irishman dreamt with the glory of being the first to plant a Union Jack flag in the South Pole. And he was merely 500 km from achieving so, in the “Nimrod” expedition (1909). “I thought you’d rather have a live donkey than a dead lion”, he said, when explaining why he chose to abort mission. He was still received as a hero in Great Britain, status that allowed him to give conferences in different European cities. But then the arrival of Roald Admunsen to the South Pole gave him the impulse to go back into the White Continent, putting together an expedition under the grandiloquent name of “Imperial Trans Antarctic Expedition”. As the name implied, his goal was to go through the White Continent, using sleds pulled by dogs. The text of the ad published in London press for recruiting the crew read: “Men wanted for hazardous journey. Low wages, bitter cold, long hours of complete darkness. Safe return doubtful. Honour Cutter Yelcho./ Escampavía Yelcho. and recognition in event of success.” They say over 5.000 applications were received. Finally, after the suspense following the start of the First World War, in December of 1914 Shackleton received authorization to sail from Winston Churchill, then First Lord of the Admiralty, with a simple telegram: “Proceed”. After a stop in Buenos Aires, the “Endurance” ship arrives at the South Georgias. There, Norwegian whalers informed them of a great amount of ice blocking Vassel Bay, the spot Shackleton had chosen as disembarking site. Conscious of the danger, but with no intention to go back, Shackleton gave the order to advance. Finally, on February of 1915 the “Endurance” can go no further, as it is stuck in the frozen Sea of Wedell. Shackleton accepts the fact that the Imperial Trans Antarctic Expedition has come to an end and begins organizing the life on board the “Endurance” as a polar station. There, the crew makes efforts to fight depression in the long Antarctic night, doing activities such as theatre plays and literature. But at the arrival of Spring, the ice starts to break and the shell of the “Endurance” gets trapped more and more in it. In October of 1915 it must be evacuated. Before the desperate looks of its crew, the ship is destroyed and sinking under the ice. They must now camp atop the unstable pieces of sea ice. It is on these desperate times where Shackleton’s extraordinary temple and leadership arise, uniting his men and ordering them to take only what is needed for survival. From the beginning, it is clear they will not stay where they are, but will rather face the torture of pushing around three life boats with them before succumbing to cold, hunger or insanity. All of the dogs end up sacrificed in the need to withhold this tremendous effort. When the ice starts to break under their feet, the men must climb on the boats and go in search of firm land. Freezing, they arrive at Elephant Island, a solitary rock hit by the storms, and miles from any route used by the whalers. From there, Shackleton decides to kick off one of most dangerous sea travels of all times: to sail with five men on “James Caird” sailboat, roughly 800 sea miles to the South Georgia island, and get help from the Norwegian whalers. Armed barely with a compass and a sextant, and standing before gusting winds and waves over 8 meters tall. Drifting even one degree from the path meant never finding the island and getting lost forever in the South Atlantic. But, against all odds, they got there. Once on firm land, Shackleton, who had never climbed a mountain in his life, went across the island’s tall mountain range with two of his men, arriving at Norwegian whalers’ station Stromness. They say the first to see them arrive was a boy who ran away scared by the look of these shipwreck survivors. And the stations’ chief, a tough Norwegian man accustomed to hardship, could not help but cry when he was able to recognize Shackleton, with whom he had ate dinner there, almost two years before. 4 Adventure at the End of the World
Aventura al fin del mundo 2015 - 2016 Immediately, a rescue mission was organized for those left back at Elephant Island. After two failed attempts, Ernest Shackleton, Captain Frank Worsley and sailor Tom Crean arrived in Punta Arenas in July of 1916 from Falkland Islands. The British Club (Banco de Chile, today) was their center of operations. A crowd received them with a long ovation at the Municipal Theatre. Shackleton began the conference thanking the community, the Chilean government and the British Association of Magallanes. “I am only too sorry that I did not realize before that from Punta Arenas there was an opportunity of making a journey to rescue my comrades”, he said. In less than three days, the British Association of Magallanes had gathered 1.500 pounds for operational expenses of the third rescue expedition. Shackleton, Worsley and Crean sailed from Punta Arenas towards the South Shetland Islands on board “Emma”. But the ice stopped them cold, and they had to return to Punta Arenas to organize a new rescue. Shackleton then asked for help from Chilean Navy, which put cutter “Yelcho” to the mission, commanded by pilot Luis Pardo Villalón. Before taking off into this dangerous mission into Antarctica, in the middle of winter, Pilot Pardo wrote a letter to his father: “The task is great, but I don’t fear anything: I’m Chilean. Two considerations are on my mind before these dangers: saving the explorers and bringing glory to Chile. I will be happy if I can achieve what others couldn’t. If I fail and die, you will have to take care of my Laura and my children, who would be left with no support at all, unless they have yours. If I succeed, I will have accomplished my humanitarian duty as a navy member and Chilean. When you read this letter, I will either be dead, or back in Punta Arenas with the shipwreck survivors. I will not come back on my own.” On August 30th, after going through a deep bank of sea fog, the 22 survivors were rescued from Elephant Island, little before their food reserves were exhausted. On the morning of September 3rd of 1916, cutter “Yelcho” arrived at Río Seco’s dock. From there, Shackleton called his friends at the British Association of Magallanes on the phone, as well as Governor Fernando Edwards, announcing the success of the Chilean mission, and preparing the mood for their triumphant return. Local British newspaper “The Magellan Times” portraits the city’s awakening after this announcement: Retrato de Sir Ernest Shackleton. / Portrait of Sir Ernest Shackleton. “The news spread like wild-fire; the firebells rang out to advise the populace; flags were hoisted, and the townspeople of all nationalities, hurried to the mole to give a Punta Arenas welcome to the intrepid men who have suffered so much in the cause of science and knowledge. Never before, in the history of Magallanes, has a crowd been seen such as that which gathered to witness the entrance of the Yelcho.” At noon, Shackleton and his men were welcomed at the harbor by Governor Edwards and they marched together in a joyful community procession including a band, up to “Royal” Hotel (where “Celebrity” pub is located today). That night, the British Club (third floor of today’s Banco de Chile) offered a reception where the survivors sang tunes of Elephant Island, joined by the banjo of meteorologist Leonard Hussey. Frank Wild and Shackleton, with brilliant oratory, closed the greetings to the Chilean Navy and Pilot Pardo. A second banquet was held at the Club a few days later, with attendance of Navy and Army officials, British local citizens and elegant Magellan ladies, with whom the survivors showed that after two years, they still had some dance moves. A popular picnic was held at the Club Hípico, where roughly 5.000 people attended. Only Frank Hurley, expedition photographer, was missing from part of the celebrations, as he would rather stay confined at local photographer Cándido Veiga’s dark room, where he learned most of the negatives and films of the tragedy of the “Endurance” had survived and could be printed. So Hurley was able to put together the first film about Shackleton’s expedition odyssey, which was exhibited during a conference by Frank Wild, in an exclusive world premiere at Punta Arenas’ Municipal Theatre. Little rest could Shackleton and his men enjoy, as they immediately listed themselves to fight in the First World War. On 1992, the explored decides to return to the South Georgia with the intention of travelling to Antarctica again, but he dies of a heart attack while he was sleeping, after visiting the Norwegian whalers that helped him years before. As requested by his widow, Shackleton is buried there, as close as possible to the Polar lands he loved so dearly. In the case of Pilot Pardo Villalón, word is he rejected a gift of 25.000 pounds by the British Government, responding that as a sailor, he had merely done his duty. Chilean Government named him consul for Liverpool. He passed away in 1935 at 54 years old in Santiago, due to a broncopneumonia. Chile named the easternmost islands of the South Shetland as “Pilot Pardo islands”. The ship’s keel is found as a monument in Puerto Williams, and a statue in its honour was erected where the “Endurance”’s crew camped in Elephant Island. Punta Arenas remembers Ernest Shackleton and his men with two private initiatives. The Nao Victoria Museum has an exact replica of the “James Caird” lifeboat, on which Shackleton and five men sailed from Elephant Island in search of help. And Hotel Nogueira has a “Shackleton Bar”, decorated with watercolour paintings by Harley Benavente portrait the contretemps of the “Endurance”. The bar was inaugurated in 2005 with the presence of Lady Alexandra Shackleton, granddaughter of the Irish explorer, who met grandsons of Pilot Pardo, Jaime and Fernando Pardo Huerta. By publishing this story, DAP means to commemorate this amazing tale of courage, loyalty and facing adversity. An episode that on 2016 turns a hundred years old and of which Magallanes was a privileged witness. Without a doubt, this story is an eternal part of our local history. Sources: - “Las 22 vidas de Shackleton” (José Berguño, Douglas Nazar Publicaciones, 2012). - Research by Rosamaría Robertson for the Chilean Antarctic Institute (2013). Adventure at the End of the World 5
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