ARCTIC TRAGEDY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1894, 31 October 1913, Page 5

ARCTIC TRAGEDY.

a ILL-FATED EXPEDITION. EXPLORERS LEAVE THEIR DEAD BEHIND THEM; "This is the story I have just heard from the mouthß of the heroes of this Polar tragedy," said Professor Georges Parmentier, vice-president of tho St. Quentin Geographical Society, in a long and graphic account published in the "Temps" (Paris) of- the adventures of the ill-fated Schrador Expedition. Professor Parmentier, writing from Green Harbour, Spitzbergen, on August 11, tells a story of heroism, hardship, and tragedy seldom, if ever, surpassed in the history of Polar exploration. An expedition composed of ten Germans and five Norwegians, under tho command of Captain Ritscher, of tho German Navy, with sledges and sixteen dogs, left Tromsol, in Norway, on August 6, 1912, for Spitzbergen on. the English-built cutter Herzog Ernst, a sailing vessel with an auxiliary petrol engine. The ice prevented them reaching the north coast of North-East Land by way of Helen Sound, and they finally anchored off Scoresby Island. Lieutenant Schrador and four men, with sledges and a dozen dogs, started off to cross tho ice-field to lliips Bay,' intending to make their way from there on tho overland ice routo to Dovo Bay and survey the coast of North-East Land. , The party never returned, and no trace of it has been found. On the departure of tho Sohrader party the Herzog Ernst sailed for Lomme Bay and Tcnrenberg Bay (West Spitzbergen), where a food depot was established at the'end of August. Hie navigators, were unable to get back to the open sea, and eventually the Herzog Ernst had to be run aground. After one failure tho main party started for Advent Bay, seven men and Captain Ritscher going off and leaving behind on tho Herzog Ernst two Germans and a Norwegian steward. . Included in this party were two German doctors, who struck out by themselves, intending to cross the coast of Wiide Bay. They never returned. The remaining five crossed Wiide Bay, making for the coaßt to the west until they came to a hut in the second valley.. Here one of them had a foot ; ho stayed in the hut with another of tho party to keep him company, and, after six weeks, returned to the ship. The others, with three dogs, made for Advent Bay, but tho Polar nighff came upon thorn, and they encountered a, thousand difficulties and hardships. 'Eventually they reached the farthest point of West Fjord, and here one of tho Germans broke down, and begged to be allowed to return to the ship. Captain Ritscher ordered the two Norwegians to' go back with him; he himself remained alone with one dog. The three men —one German and two Norwegians—reached Mossel Bay. Suddenly the two Norwegians lost, sight of the German. They tired off their guns, and remained on the spot for some time: but he did not return, and, despairing of recovering him, they mado for tho ship, which they reached in safely. The Norwegian steward was carried off by consumption on February 20.

In the meantime Captain Ritscher, with his one dog and very little food, was making for Advent Bay alone. He got to Dickson Bay, but was stopped By deep wator. After terrible suffering he crossed the ice on Advent Bay, and, on December 27, in a state of great exhaustion, reached the American mine. He had only a few ounces of oat flour left, but his dog was still with him. His two feet ana his legs up to the knees were frost-bitten, and one of his hands was severely attacked. The doctor at the mine did his best for him, but he was forced to amputate a portion of the feet. Ritscher recovered, and, after a period of convalescence; he returned to the Herzog Ernst at Green Harbour. He telegraphed to Berlin from the wireless station at Advent Bay, through the wireless station at Green Harbour and thence to North Capo. Relief expeditions were at onoo organised to attempt to recover the missing men and the icebound Herzog Ernst. The first expedition was organised at Advent .Bay, and was quite unsuccessful. The second'loft King's Bay at the beginning of this year. No trace was found of the missing menj and they returned to King's Bay on April 7. A bigger relief expedition was organised in Norway and placed under the command of Captain Staxrud, of tlie Norwegian army. Three Laplanders, with twenty reindeer, accompanied them on the s.s. Hertha, and 17 dogs were collected at Green Harbour. On April 20 they succeeded in reaching the Herzog Ernst, and the two Germans were found in their hut not fax away. Tho Herzog Ernst was set free from the ice by dynamite. A third expedition was the private German expedition fitted out by Herr Larner, a Polar explorer and journalist. It included three German doctors, among them Dr. Biehler, of Fribourg, who is a well-known Alpinist and skirunner. Tho doctors, on skis, pushed eastwards in an endeavour to find their unfortunate countrymen, who had quitted the Herzog Ernst shortly after its arrival near Scoresby Island. After travelling 600 kilometres (875 miles) they got to Cape Wredc (Riips Bay). Hero tho failure of tho dogs' meat forced them to givo up any further attempt. They could find no trace of the missing men. ■ , Tho Larner expedition joined Captain Staxrud's party at tho spot where tho Herzog Ernst had just been freed from the ice with dynamite, and tho cutter was taken towards Hinlopen Strait. When the ice melted the Herzog Ernst was taken back to Green Harbour under the command of tho pilot Stenerson, with Herr Larner and tho remainder of the second relief 'expedition on board.