THE LAST JOURNEY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1672, 12 February 1913, Page 7

THE LAST JOURNEY.

STORY OF THE TRAGEDY. SCOTT'S FAREWELL WORDS. SERIES OF MISFORTUNES. B* Toleer , AyioiilatJon^EosjF,!;jphi Tho T«r;<i Nova arrived aFCapo Evans en January >18 this yeaf,' and obtained the follow Bff lnfoinialjonrfroni the shore party there.-' 1 > ' Ciptaw Scott reached tho South Polo on January 18, 1912, and found Captain Amundsen's tent and records. .On the return journey tho whole louthem party t perished, Captain Scott, Dr. Wilson, and Lieutenant Bowers died from exposure during a blizzard about March 29, 1912. The last camp was pitched eleven n,iles south of Ono Ton' Depot, or 155 miles from the hut at Capo Ev am Lioutenant Oates died fiom exposure on Ma'rch 17. Seaman Edgar Evans died concus6i6n of tho brain on February 17. Tho health of the remainder of the expedition was excellent, Including Lieutenant Camp- I bell's party, who wintered at Terra No\a Hay. 1 - Dog Team's Break Down, Tho history of tho expedition ii a? foiloirs.— ! fi Before tho Terra Nova left for New Zealand'last March, Surgeon Atkinson, who had been left in charge of tho western party until Captain 'Scott's rctuui, dispatched Mr. Garrard (assistant geologist) and Dometri, the dog-driver, witn :wo dog teams to assist the southern put}, whoso return to Hut Pent was expected about March 10, 1912 Surgeon Atkinson would havo accompanied this party, but was kept back in medical chargo bf Lieu- j tenant Evans, sicond in command, who, it will bo remembered, neirly died of , scurvy,. | This relief party reached Ono Ton Depot on March 3, but was compellod to ■ return on March. 10' owing, primarily,'to : '. dog'.food-'runningshort.ialso: to the por- •.; sistent bad:,weather, and..the'poor -condiy .'-; tibn of 'tho 'dogs after the strain; of a . hard season's, work.' The, dog .teams to- ', .turned to Hut 1 Point on March' IC.: ,Tho ; ■ poor'animals' .Were'mostly frostbitten'.and ' \. incapable' c-f/furthor wpfk. -■■ '■.-'• ,-.; •>' . :"■;':■ Mr. Garrard Collapses, '.' ;■:•' ".'■' -•" Mr; Garrard;'collapsed..' '.through over-. .strainedheart, and: hu companion was ■ also sick.. .As, it was- impossible -to -'com-'. '-; rnunicato with' ; Cape Evans, ■ the .ship ■having left on March 4, and,open ten was lying between, Surgeon •Atkinson'■; arid ■'. Petty :Offic'er. Keohane, the only two men left, sledged -put to, Corner Camp to 7 .'tender, any'; help.'that"might -be ,'.wanted .!■ by!'the- southern, party. .-.';■:' "'■'.;.' '". ; . '.They; fought ; .'th6ir way out to Corner Camp. .against the .unusually ; severe ■ weather, and, realising that they could be of no they weVo forced to return 1 to Hut Point, after depotirig one week's provisions in April. "", .;.■'.'!'_'■:'.., Almost a Disaster., ;<■■' ■ When communication with Caps Evans was'established, a gallant attempt to re- ; lieve Lioutenant Campbell-.was. mado by Surgeon Atkinson,.and ; .Messr3. Wright, Williamson,' and Keohnno.' .'• This party -.reached Butter Point, when they were stopped by open .water.' Their return was .exciting, and .nearly ended in disaster, Rowing to .the sea ice breaking up. -. "..'Tho search party deft Capo Evans': after ;:.the''wintei"on October .30 last, organised ;.- by Surgeon Atkinson, arid consisting of • W'divisions. - Surgeon Atkinson taking ,the dog teams, : with Mr. . Garrard and' .'.Dometri,-arid .Mr; Wright was in chnrga of the party including Messrs. , Nelson, Gran, Lashley, Crean, Williamson, Keohane, and Hooper,' with seven Indian nlules. They were provisioned, for three months, expecting an extended search. Ono Ton Cnmp was found in. order, and all provisioned.

The Bodies Found. : Proceeding along tho old southern route oh, November 12, Mr. Wright's party Bighted Scott's tent, within it wero found the bodies of Captain K. F. Scott (Royal F-vy).' Dr. E. A. Wilson (chief of tho scientific staff), and Lieutenant '11. B. Bowers (Royal Indian Jlarinc). From their records, tho following information «'M gleaned:— Th 6 first death was that of Seaman

Edgar '-Evens'. (Petty: Officer of v the Royal , Navy, Official: 'Number. 160,225)," who "died on February 17, at tho foot of Beardmpre .Glacier.; His 'death was .accelerated by a condussion" of: the : braia, -. sustained,■ while travelling over .rough, ice ' some . tiins before... : /,' ;■; V'. ■'.';•'''':- '•-'.:'. ,':'•:;"." : ' '.

"A Brave Soul." I Caplain L. E G Oates, Cth Inniskillmg Dragoons, was next lost His feet and hands wero badly frostbitten, ,and although ho struggled on heroionlly on Match 1G his comrades knew his end was approaching. Ho had borne intense suffering for weeks WJth'outf'Mmplaiitt?fand-he" did not give 'up hope to tho very end Capbin Scott writes — "Ho was a bravo soul. Ho ( slept through ths night hoping not to wnke, but avoke in the morning. It was blowing a blizzard. Captain Oatea said 'I am just going outside, and may bo some lime.' He went out into tho blizzard, and wo have not seen him since." ,' Walking to His Death. j Captain Scott add* — "Wo knew that Oates was walking to his death, but though wo tried to disIsuade him wo know it was the act of a | brave man and an English gentleman." " On Murch 10, Captain Oates was really unablo to travel, but tho others could not I leave him. After his gallant death, Captain Scott, Dr. Wilson, and Lieutenant Bowers pushed northward, when the abnormally bad weather would let them, but were forced j to camp An March 21 in latitude 79 deglees 40 nunutei south longitude, 169 degiee, 23 minutes cast, eleven miles south of tho big depot at One Ton Camp | A Nine Days Blizzard. This they never reached, owing to a blizzard wluch i» known from records to havo lasted nino days oveitaking them, and food and fuel giving out. In Captain Scott's diarj, Surgeon Atkinson found tho following, which is quoted vcibatlm — i "MESSAGE TO THE PUBLIC." • ''The causes of ■ this; disaster are rot due, to faulty! organisation, but to misfortune in .all the risks which.had to be undertaken:, ' •;" ; ;"•'" "(1) Tho loss:of; pony.-.transport in March, 1911, obliged/me-,to start later than I'had intended, and obliged the limits of stuff to bo transported to be narrowed." , / "(2) -The 'weather. throughout, the but-' ward journey,' and especially the: long gale ,in 83 -degrees south, stopped us. . "(3) Tho soft snow in the,lower' replies of tho'glucior again reduced the pace. "We fought theso untoward events with a will, and conquered, but.it eat into our provision-, reserve. • Every dotail of' our; food supplies, clothing, and depots made on' tho interior ico sheet, and on Unit long stri/tch of 700 miles to, tho polo and tack, • worked out to perfection. The advance party would hav6 returned to the glacier in fine i form, and with a-surxilus of food; but for the astonishing failure of the man whom wo. had least expected to'fail. Seaman. Edgar Evans was thought the strongest man of tho party. .The Beardmorp glacier'is not difficult in fine weather, but on our return, we did not get a single completely fine day. This with a sick companion enormously increased our anxieties. . I have said elsewhere we got into frightfully rough ice, and Edgar Evans received a concussion of tho brain. Ho died a natural death, but left us a shaken party, with the season unduly advanced.

; "But all the facts abovo enumerated were as nothing, to the surprise which awaited us on the barrier. I maintain that our arrangements for returning were quite adequate, and that no one in tho world would have, expected tho temperatures and surfaces' which wo encountered at this timo of tho year. On tho summit, in lutitudo 85 degrees to 86 degrees, wc had minus 20 to minus 30 on the barrier.' In latitude 82 degrees, 10,000 feet lower we had minus 30 in. tho day, minus' 47 at tiight pretty regularly, with continuous head wind during our day marches. "It i 3 clear that these circumstances came on very suddenly, and our wreck is certainly due to this sudden advent of sevore weather, which' doc's not teem to havo any satisfactory cause. I do not think humun beings ever camo thruugh such a month as wo have como through, and we should have got through in spito of the weather but for tho sickening of n second companion (Captain Dates), and n shortage of fuel in our depots, for which I cannot account; and finally but for the storm which has fallen on us v.ithin 11

iniles. of this depot, at; which. we hoped .to-secure- .tho iinal supplies." : .'

"Smehj misfortune could scatceh/ have exceeded this last blow. Wc atrived within eleven miles of our old One Ton Camp with fuel foi one hot meal and food for two dai/s. For foui days lie have been unable to leave the tent. The gale is blowing about us. We are weal, and uiitinq « difficult. But, for my own sake, I do not regret this journey, ulurh has shown that Englishmen can enhelp one anothh, and meet death with as qieat a fortitude as eve) m the past. We tool risks, we knew we took them. Thinr/s have come out against us, and thetefoie we have no cause foi complaint, but bow to the Will of Providence, determined stiH to do our bat to the last; but if we have 1 been, willing to give ourjues to this enterprise, which is foi the honour of our country, I appeal to our countiymen to see that those uho depend on us aic propelly cared for. Had we lived I should have had a tale to tell of the hardihood, endurance, and courage of my companions, which would have stifled the heart Enqltshman. These rough notes, and our dead bodies, must tell the tale, but surely, surely a qrcat rich country like ours will see that those who are dependent on us ate properly provided for. "E. SCOTT." 25th March, 1912. BURIAL OF THE BODIES. A CAIRN CROSS ERECTED. Tho remainder of tho tragic story is told in outline in a Press Association cablo messago received from London at 030 p m last night The message states — On March 25 Surgeon Atkinson collected the records and effects of tho dead men, including thirty-five pounds weight of vnluablo'geological specimens. '.-' lis then read the. burial service and erected a cairn cross oyer the inner tent in which the bodies werotburiecl. : The party searched twenty miles to the southward, but the body'Pf Captain Oatea was not found. They erected a cairn in tho vicinity of the spot where ; he must have died. I Six Months on Seal Blubber. Tho search party then turned northwards to tho relief of Lieutenant Campbell's northern party and found (the latter safe. When ho had-reached Hut Point Lieutenant Campbell was forced to make back to Cape' Evans. He. burrowed into a snow-drift and constructed an igloo jvhere ho wintered; The party killed and stored seals and lived for six months on seal meat, blubber, a'low biscuits, and a small quantity of cocoa. There were constant gales and tho party was weakened by an attack of intoritis and were unable to start for Capo Evans until September , 30. They picked up Professor David's specimens and went on to Depot Island.

■ Tho party, actually wintered and. sledged 230 miles on onq month's stores, < and obtained excellent Boientifio results. ' '

1 The records found with Captain Scott included Captain Amundsen's letter to the King of Norway.

The Terra Nova landed a party and erected a large cross on Observation Hill,overlooking tho Great Ico Barrier.

PROFESSOR DAVID'S VIEW,

COMPARISON WITH AMUNDSEN. By Telegraph-Press AesoclaUon-OopyrljW

(Rec. February 11, 8.55 p.m.) Sydney, February 11. 1 Tho receipt of ' tho news of tho .tragic fate of Captain Scott and his companions has aroused intense interest and universal sorrow. Tho State Government has cabled to the British authorities expressing tho grief 'of Now South Wales at tho disaster whioh has overtaken brave men,'and as a special mark of sympathy ordered tho .flags on the public buildings to bo flown at halfmast throughout to-morrow.

Professor David, who accompanied tho Shnckleton Expedition, in an interview, said tho news of the death of Captain Scott'and his comrades was only too true. ,Ho received a cablo message from Mr, Kinsoy, of Christchurch, confirming the

sad occurrence, which wa3 all the more tragic on account of the proximity of the brave party to their winter quarters. Pro. fessor David surmises that tho party in tho thick drifting snow, caused by the continuous blizzards, may have .missed one of their food depots when weak from fatigue and the long enduranco of excessive cold. It must bo remembered that, as compared with Amundsen's party, the party, much as they suffered, had endured far more intensely, for they had had to drag their sledges over hundreds of miles, including the bitter wind-swept plateau ten thousand feet high. This was fearfully heavy and protracted work, and must have told on the constitutions of tho men though they were of the hardiest. In view of the comparatively slow progress on', tho return journey, ono could not help thinking that the whole party could not have been in tho best of health.

ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY A RESOLUTION OP SYMPATHY. London, February .10. Mr. Douglas Freshfield, M.A.,> ex-Pre-sldent of the society, presiding at a specially summoned meeting of the Royal Geographical Society, in Lord Curzon's absence, 6aid- they met in tho shadow of a great calamity. Captain Scott had reached tho Pole on January , 18, and found Captain Amundsen's records. Returning, the party >vas caught in an overpowering blizzard on March 29. Captain Scott,. Lieutenant Bowers, and Dr. Wilson died on that date, and Captain . Gates some time later. A seaman (Petty-flfflcer Evans) succumbed to an accident

The society,passed a resolution of sym-. pathy with Mrs. Scott; Mr. Freshflold' said they could only say farewell to a band of heroes, whose names would shine as examples of the highest courage. Captain Soott would live in their memories as an ideal English sailor.