ANOTHER POLAR TRAGEDY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1684, 26 February 1913, Page 7

ANOTHER POLAR TRAGEDY.

DR. MAWSON'S EXPEDITION.

TWO DEAD. , / ■ SAD NEWS BY WIRELESS. By Tcleeraph—Press Association—Copyrlgil Hobart, February .25. Dr. Mnwson's Adelie Land baso attained wireless communication with the Macquarics yesterday. It is expected messages from Dr. Mawson will.be-available very, soon. 1 (Rec. Febmary 25, 8 p.m.) ■' ... _ Sydney, February 25. Professor David has received a wireless message to the effect that two' of Dr. Mawson's party, Lieutenant Ninnis and Dr. Mertz, are dead. There are no details. ' Last night Professor David received a message from Macquarie-Island stating that, the Adelie Land wireless plant was ligain working, and adding' that Dr. Mawson and several of his men had missed the Aurora, owing to an unfortunate circumstance. . ■ The operator was then trying to receive a long message from Dr. Mawson, but tho conditions were very bad. The message at this point became broken. : This afternoon Professor David received the following additional news, by wire-. less: • ./ "Ninnis and Mertz both dead. Ail ,' otjiers'well. Mawson and six others ■, probably winter at Adelie Land; very successful sledging." , : • Professor David.says that;it is difficult to rcconcilo' the messages which had just been received with the earlier wireless reports, which stated that the Adelie Land wireless plant had been dismantled/ and that Dr. Mawson and all hands had left .on the Aurora for Wild's'base, .yfild,' who was in charge of: the second portion of :Dr. Mawson's expedition,-' consisting.<it about eight men, wintered .at the .termination of the Glacier,' somo twelve hundred miles west' of Dr. Mawson's . headquarters at Adelie, Land. ', j Professor ■ David: thinks that possibly a fatal accident , happened -, during tho progress of . tho . embarkation, 1 as, for - . instance,- '. through ~ ' tho I ;. Springing up , of a blizzard; but it was idle to speculate. H« described Lieutenant Ninnis' as a fine fearless British .military, officer of-much the same typo hs the .heroic CaptiUn Oates (of .the Scott -party). Dr. Mertz,was a medical man, as well,,as' n scientist of high, attainments., Both were :of fine- physique? and looked upon as very valuable members of tho expedition.- : ■'-:-' 7-V:-| ■' :' ': :, V.' -'■ ' '[• ' •7 NO FURTHER NEWS. ; > (Rec. February 26, 0.20 a.m.) . , Sydney, February 25. ■ No further details ■■'have,: so far; come through regarding the ,'Hajvsori expedition. 77 ' V; .7 '■; .' -'777 7*, EXPEDITION PURELY'SCIENTIFIC. AIMS . AND - - PERSONNEL/ - - - The Australasian expedition to tho Antarctic, ' organised.•(( by .< Dl'.i tr MttWsOn '• (who .with. Professor. < .'David - andV Dr.' Mackay-' were- the discoverers, of. , the. ' South'. .Magnetio Pole) was arranged in- eoosulta,tjon with. Sir Ernest Shackleton, and,was in, no way intended to olash, with the work done by the,late Captain Scott..: Ila main outlines' xt/en : elastic, and capable of considerable extension. ;In view of thofavourable character of' tho rocks in neighbouring-Antarctic areas, there is a great possibility. of .discovering minerals' of eoonomic value in this unexplored land. Thero are also zoological; geological, andi magnetic observations,' and, particularly, meteorological data, which arc much needed from this quarter of tho globo. ' ', ■ i : "One of tho chief scientific jims of the i present expedition," said Dr.' Mawson, "is to study closely . all 7tho ' phenomena .connected with the daily wandering and permanent movement of the 'Magnetio Pole. For this purpose wo aro splendidly equipped, and, as the safety of shipping depends on tho accuracy" of navigations, and that, in turn, depends largely on a complete,knowledge oh the magnetic; oom-paSs-and its variations,/which, in 'turn, aro controllW by, the 7 South . Magnetic; Pole in the Southern. Hemisphere,: it will bo seen that the scientific, work .of this expedition has a very'important practical, as well es theoretical, value. Of no less importance ivill be the meteorological information whioh: will be!.obtained at the headquarters of the expedition, as well as at the subsidiary, station, far to the west,' in charge of Mr. Frank Wild, 'of the Shackleton expedition., The meteorological observations' which this party • will obtain, being taken synchronously withthose made by myself at Adelie Land, should prove of very great interest to science, and it is hoped will contribute materially to a better understanding of Australasian meteorological conditions. "As: Idlway37 : intended,', I have kept practically, the wholo. of tlie positions on the'staff free for appointments.to be made by nomination'by a special committee'of the' Australian Association- for the Advancement of Science.- All these are to bo Australians, but I had to' appoint 'five specialists—viz., • the . aviator . and ; a specialist in motor engines; Dr. , Mertz (champion Swiss ice man, who has,been' six: weeks with the Prince of Monaco in tho Mediterranean perfecting himself in dredging, founding and other, 'deep-sea work); Mr. Frank Wild (an ex'pert sledger, who was a member of both the Scott and Shackleton parties) ;• and Lientenanl' B. 'E: S. Ninnis, of the Royal Fusiliers (specialist in field Survey work and-sketolwng, as well as a specially good sledger)." 7 ' - •