Lieutenant Pennell had several stories to relate about the voyage, including this account of the journey south:He said that when the Terra Nova left New Zealand it was intended to make for the Campbell Islands and leave meteorological instruments there, but the ship was caught in a heavy gale and driven away to the eastward, and the prospect of landing at the Campbells had to be abandoned.
The ship was deeply laden, and there was a fairly big sea running, and a considerable quantity of water came aboard.
The pumps became choked and failed to act, and it was found necessary to extinguish the fire to prevent damage to the boilers.
Only the hand pump was left, and that became choked, and the whole staff and crew had to turn to bail the ship out.
Thus watches were formed, and the water was lifted out with buckets.
The ship was wallowing a good deal in the sea, and was taking in a lot of lee water.
She was really overladen, and had it not been for that she would have weathered the gale without difficulty. As it was, however, little damage resulted. The principal loss was that of a quantity of paraffin stored on deck for safety.
Five or six tons of the deck cargo of coal had to be thrown overboard, and the expedition also lost two ponies and a dog.
A section of the bulwarks was also carried away, and that really constituted the whole of the damage.
The ponies proved somewhat troublesome, for when they fell by reason of the tossing of the vessel they made no attempt to get up, and the only thing to do was to hit them on the nose to make them kick and so to help themselves involuntarily.
The experience however, was valuable, and for the future the stalls would be arranged differently to allow of the ponies being hauled up when they would not get up.
The gale passed after a few days, and the weather moderated, and when the pumps were cleared and got going the ship was soon pumped dry.
• The newly-installed beacon lights from Otago Heads to Port Chalmers have been used as targets by some destructive persons, who are unfit to be trusted with firearms.
The glass enclosing the lights in a number of instances has been broken and shattered by pea rifle bullets, and the matter, it is understood, has been reported to the police.
It is to be hoped the person or persons guilty of this senseless or malicious act will be brought to book and dealt with in such a manner that it will act as a deterrent to others.
It should be apparent to the meanest intelligence that it is a very serious thing to interfere with shipping lights used for the safe navigation of vessels, as the consequences to life and property that follow upon such action might be disastrous.
• According to Dr Truby King, adenoids, defective jaws, bad teeth, and the train of evils which accompany and follow on these disabilities, are entirely preventable, being due mainly to lack of fresh air and sunshine, lack of exercise, improper food and feeding, insufficient exercise of the mouth and jaws in the way of mastication, etc.
- ODT, 1.4.1911.
