LOST IN THE ARCTIC.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1678, 19 February 1913, Page 7

LOST IN THE ARCTIC.

. GERMAN SCIENTISTS. RELIEF PARTY ORGANISING. By Telegraph—Press ABs6cla j tlon--Oopyrlßat ' Berlin, Fcbruar)• 17. ' Owing to tho Norwegians' failure to rescue Lieutenant' Schroder-Stranz and his companions,' a special committee at Frankfort, under Count Zeppelin's, presidency, is organising'an immodiato relief expedition. ■'..,. ■'. ' ;. s . ANOTHER TRAGEDY FEARED. ■ f ARTY SAID TO BE INEXPERIENCED. "If is to be feared that one of tho worst tragedies in tlje history of hiodera Polar exploration has occurred to the Gorman Arctic Expedition exploring in Spitsbergen under Lieutenant. Schroder-Stranz, wrote Mr. R. N. Rudmore Brown in a letter to the "Manchester Guardian" on January 10 last. "The news to hand daring the lost':few"days'is incomplete, but serious enough to make it probable that many of tho members. of. the expedition havo died of scurvy and starvation. .The expedition left Tromso, on.tho Norwegian coast," in .the summer,' in the chartered sealing sloop Herzog Ernst, a stout, wellfound ship of GO tons, with motor power, admirably adapted for the work. Her owner seems to have sailed as ice-master. With this no ono on board had any. experience of Polar work, and though the equipment in clothing and instruments appeared to be excellent, and there was said to bo at least one year's.food on board, experience was sadly lacking. I had many talks with Lieutenant SchroderStranz and his officers and before they .left Tromso. The expedition was to practise men an deqnipment in Polar work, preparatory to repeating next season Baron A. E. Nordehskjold s voyage I through the North-east passage. The expedition 'were none too plentifully applied With funds, and, so were, late in leavin» Norway,' too 1 late to get.up the east coast of Spitsbergen, as, they.proposed; but the most disquieting feature was their almost complete lack of knowledge of the lands to which they were going.: Considering the charts of Spitzbergen . available and the number of published works on that land, this was remarkable. Dr. Yv. S. Bruce, the well-known' Polar explorer, Who, with me, was th;wt on his way ,to Spitzbergon, : supplied Lieutenant SchroderStranz with practically all the charts we had with us, and we were able to add some information and adnce' as to-the route to follow and the probable dimcui: tics to be encountered: • ■.'.'■.■'■ '-.'■ 'i. "The expedition was to make for NorthEast Land, the second largest the. Spitzbergen group, which is'covered with a great icecap. .It is but .little explored, and there'the Germans Would be able-, to do good work and gain ivaluable experience.' vFaili'ng 'to get along the owing to ice, they, .rounded, South Cape, and made north' alongi tho ■ west coast., :A dall was. made at the wireless station'.in Green Harbour,'on their way. Then they spoke the German: tourist /boat Victoria Louise, and no .more news was received until tho story; of .the disaster , arrived this week. .The'Herzog Ernst went into winter quarters in .Triirenberg Bay in the north of Spitsbergen. / Apparently they tailed' .to": reach;North-East' Lond. ' This Summer, was a very bad one, and thero was muoh ice-about.:/;...,'.." ;.;.',.;, •"■■..

'- Lieutenant Strnnz- and /several others • left; on' o' slcdge/jouniey.(August,ls)ipos- t sibly to North-East Land across Hmlopen ] Strait. On Sept'ember'9 the remainder, of t-h'e ship's . .company,' :. under Captain Ritschel, abandoned th'e ship,; and began a retreat to the; American Coal Company s mining' settlement in!Advont.Bay, 'a distanced about 120 miles.'.,'; Their reasons for' tbis action ore not; clear. ■ Provisions are'said' to have been r shprt,.'and most of tlie'inen' iii'the'last'stages' of scurvy. Thesa' statements 'require further explana- , .Hon. In 'an v.'case, thcrp'was no-reason to suppose 'flMt'ittauMaM'StTahf'and'liis '.; slc(lge.paVry, n i«ul'di-iißt ,'return, '.-.nnfess scurvy 'had also-broken ..out, among, them. I It should'ha'vc been possible'at that season j to ishoot:-birds for .food, .'and-therocer- , tainlv ara reiiideerintliat district. The Norwegian '■■'■ hunters;' havo exterminated . them in-most parts of Spitsbergen,' but not there; When once; however, a ship s I company . aro' stricken with scurvy- thero is little hope for .them.'. ' '; : , /'The retreat at that time of year would havo to -bo on land,-' for the:fjords would not yet'be'broken.. 'An. of snow- and 'growing darkness might- inake the work'most arduous.' About half-way Wiide'Bay. on' the ice, and Wted at Capo Pcterniann. till December 10... Bp-d weather and. exhaustion account- . ed for this, but' it was. an ..unwise halt. Dr. Rudiger; : tho 'occariographor, Jiad already been abandoned, unable through frostbite lo travel, with two months' provision's. '■ Captain Ritschel' continued tho -journey ,alono' across country to Advent pay-a most plucky feat. At Cape, .1 hordsenho nto hislast candle; crowed the ico of Ice Fjord vrithgreat difficulty, and on December 27 arrived ht the mining camp In Advent Bay to telf his terrible story. Meanwhile, tho other mpn at Cape Petermann seem to have decided to return to thsir ship, picking up Dr. Kudigor r,n tho way. Tho American engineers at Advent BaV have some eighty miners wintering there, and an abundance of stores. 1 hey immediately organised a relief expedition and left for the north. It is to he lioned they aro in timo, but it is vdry doubtful. Disastrous as this latest venture in Arctic exploration has proved to be, it mn«t be admitted that it is duo ontirely to uant of experience nnd to mismanagement that Lieutenant Rchroder-StTanz.nnd bis pliant companions have possibly met their fate." , i A FRENCH EXPEDITION. • ■ TO FRANZ JOSEPH LAND. (Roc. February 19, 0 25 a.m.) ' ParjS, February 18. Jules Depayer is organising an expedition, including two* aeroplanes, to explore the 'North-Eastern _ portion of Franz. 'Joseph' Land.