"Dogged perseverance, skill and toil"

Image from Orde-Lees' Journal, November 4, 1915

Editor note: It's always interesting to see two people's take on a situation such as, in this case, salvaging cases of food from the sinking ship.

Frank Hurley's Journal, November 4, 1915

"The salvage party broke through the deck shortly after 11 a.m. The opening was followed by an outrush of walnuts, onions and numerous small buoyant articles. By fishing with boathooks, case after case was directed to the opening from which they emerged buoyantly to the surface. The scene was highly amusing, and reminded me of the juvenile game of fishpond. If one of the fishers brought to light a case of high food value, a great cheer arose. I was just in time to see a keg of soda carbonate greeted with groans. So, in proportion to the relative values of the salved cases, so was their appearance greeted with suitable exclamations. The party worked at high pressure all day, taking advantage of the restful state of the ice. By evening, practically all the cases were fished from the Billabong, making aggregate of three tons of stores.

All the flour was retrieved, as well as a large percentage of the sugar - the two commodities we were mostly in need of. The teams were busy transporting the ice covered cases to the camp all day; each team averaging five loads and loaded to 120 lbs. per dog."

Orde-Lees' Journal, November 4, 1915

... At times the men were working with their arms in ice cold water up to the shoulder for half an hour at a stretch.

It is really wonderful what has been accomplished by dint of dogged perseverance, skill & toil. No less than 105 cases of provisions have been brought to the camp today representing some two tons of provisions. ..."