Although Campbell mentions the sledge meter here in his diary, he does not record distances travelled during this sledge trip. However, he meticulously records daily distances on the final trip back to Cape Evans the next spring. This could possibly have been because:
Finally, the depot with the extra food and equipment was marked and secured.
Campbell, knowing the Terra Nova was to bring Debenham’s Western party back to explore the Mount Nansen area to the Southwest, wanted to ensure the two parties worked in separate areas. He wrote a note outlining his proposed route and working area, then, placed in a tin, it was attached to depot marker pole.
Communication in Antarctica in 1912 was difficult and simplistic by today’s standards. Notes were left telling your companions and other expedition members what had happened and where you were going. Notes, usually in small tins, were attached to marker poles at each depot. These poles, usually bamboo with a flag attached, were primarily to mark the depot, making it visible even when covered in snow, a practice that is still used today in the Antarctic.
[i] Meredith Hooper, The Longest Winter: Scott’s Other Heroes (John Murray, 2010), p. 183.