MAWSON'S STORY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1995, 28 February 1914, Page 5

MAWSON'S STORY.

TRAGIC MARCH, DEATH OF NINNIS AND JVIERTZ, LEADER'S LONELY RETURN, SCARCELY ABLE TO CRAWL By Teleffraph—PibsS Association— OosyrleM , (Rec, February 27, 10.55 p.m.) London, February 27. Dr. Mawsofi's personal narrative, pub-lished-in the "Dftily ' Mail," states: •"December 1.4. was a beautiful dfl;V, afld Lieutenant Ninnis, Dr. slc.ftz, and myself were in tho highest spirits, owing to our arrival ott tlie tmbrokon Plateau. Tiio trouble then scented to bo endedDr. Hertz was acting as 'tra.il breaker' a quarter of n roilo ahead. I followed with the first dog team next^, and then liieutenaiit. Nillis came with the sled'go carrying most of tho vital necessities. This plan was adopted in order that the first sledgo would itot suffer (I s crevasse wore iinoxpeoiedly found) iti the crossing of a crevasse, of which we had already negotiated scores with my team. I called out.: "Crevasse" Tijia to put 'lieutenant j?inJtJ3 oti his guard. "Looking back soon after cross jug ono crevasse, iiotMug met W eye eS" oepting an expanse of snow, and . ice, Then the possibility of Lieutenant Ninnis having fallen into the crevasse dawned upon tfrse, ljaiitcnifl>K back, we camo to a yawning abyss., aftd when our 'eyes became accivsiqnfed to the. dark; blue light, I heard a dog moamng. and' saw it laying on a- lodge 170 feet below. Tliero was Ira trace of .Liecrteiiani Ninnis. Wo called for hours without ic* ceiving an answer. "Meantime tiio dog ceased moaning, and all covin still'iiMS shrotrded 1 the depths.. The remaining sledgo contained only ono marl's fooii for oi;o unci » half weeks, aw! IK'-J'.o. for sis dogs. . "We improvised, a. tc.iit_ from _ tlio tent-cover by \rtitisiiig a pair of ski and the theodolite, initio hours, after tne accident wo redd tlie burial service over tlio' crovasso whero Lie-utfinnirt Nirmis disappeared, and stafted oft tlio return journey, ... , "Two dogs, gave out daily for wftivc of nutriment, 1 and Wo were a hundred miles from our hilt- on Ncw Yeor's Day. Denso snow w'as falling daily, ana Dr. Mertz had become very weak, but ho continued very theori'nl. I could not have wished for ft bettor iottpanioii. "On January G Br. Jterte was \inftlue to walk. I "dragged the pledge with much toil only two mi!os and a. half with the help of the sail, Br. Msrta (lied at midnight on the_ seventh, 'Sly own condition, afforded, little hope, hut I decided to pr.sh on, $itd did ?i.ot need any reminder- that in the- following month snow r would bo . experienced daily.

"Several tiroes 1 fell iM<> crevasses to the length of the sledge-polo _ aiw ivns scarccly able to tfrawl Jrofc. 'The bkhi and nails camo off ljiy hands and feet, owing ■to the in ton so cold. Tho discovery of ft food cay-lio fluatly enabled mo to reach tho hut."

TRUE TO THEIR RACE. MAWSON A HORN* LEADER. Tho "Daily Mail\' remarks that Dr. Mawson's story is touched with, the majesty of'lave and doatlij and reveals "the sacrifices that the men of our race are prepared to make in pursuit of scientific Knowledge, and. their readiness to face death in ait ur,stilish cause. The impression niivio by Scott's story is eonfirmed by Mivivson's moving narrative. Nothing hi tho who'.n story of Antarctic exploration crai bo compared with that solitary journey through an unutterably savage waste," 0 Sir Ernest Slmtidetair, interviewed, says that Dr. Mawscm is a born lcadeiof a Polar expedition. "He lias every quality of A great leader," Tho maimer ,in which the s3;tip was negotiated through the pack ica Was dtio to Captain Davis's spleiraid could be capable fif eantioiv wlieu caution was needed, and of goffig boldly ahead if tlio occasion demanded.

"A TERSE ACCOUNT." DR. MAWSOX'S TRIUMPHS. (Rec. February 27, 11.1-3 p.m.) 1 Adelaide, Fe.hrna.ry 27. Dr. Mawsonj to-day gave the following statement (pttriao.ij ■ of. what was cabled to Loiicfoll), describing it a? a terso account of the. work of "die expedition.

I. "There was the successful negotiation by tho ship of the Antarctic pa,ck-ioe ill a fresh sphere ®f action., where the conditions were prsstieaHy unknown, resulting in iho discovery of new lauds and islands, .. "Secondly, i-hg ■establislimeiit on lands never before* eigtited, qi two' Au.tarot.ip wintering stations si/par-ated by an-air line of 1000 miles, and t.lja scientific programmes whifcll' hfld been constructed, in oho ease fen' & year, aiid- in another over two years. "Thirdly, the. journeys made over tho sea, 'ice, and plateau iii regions never liefoio sledged over at tjie main bass aggregated 2-iOO miles, .Hid at the we.s.torn base SOO ffii!cs r . not iwlflding dApot jourueya by supporting parties, m relay work —land, has been followod through 33 degrees of kngitiide, 27 ef wnicli were sledged over. . "Fourthly, tlifl-, GStaWishmont by tlie party at Island of a wifeless connecting link wiffi tho Antarctic main base, and communicating ; weather conditions to tho meteorological office far immediate USD in forecasts.' "Fifthly, iwoanographic investigations chieflly ju tli.o nature <if soundings and trawlings bot\vecn Attstolia Mia tlio Antarctic C'ontiiiwitnl Shelf, trawtiugs being successfttUy conduoUid to a depth of two miles-, (uiij by souudipg tl» Continental Shelf ha? 'icon indiestccl through 55 degrees of longitude." Dr. Jlawson promises a fajtlief statement late 10-ijig.ht. The University Cwinoil lias, deemed to tender a rewption to Dr. Mawsoii's party. Tlio Federal Pi'im& Minister awl the Stato I'remicis iiavo been invitsrcL The Mayor is convener of a public meeting of citizclis to tendc-r a reception to Dr. Mawson <i«d party. Interviewed,' Dr. Mawsntt said ho would be delighted to give any infornsiition ho could without interfering with other arrangements mado. After tho ship bad relieved "tho two bases, tlio Aurora made an extended cruko wostj attempting to tltscovor new land, and taking soundings hikl doing dofip-sea dredging. Ho was sure his collection of biological materiai was the best that had been obtained from tlio Antarctic, Tlio operations had extended for miles down, and nearly everything- thiii had been got was new to scicncp. Wfiov tho British Association meets 111 August ho will givo a preliminary outline of tlio party's achievements. In addition to ft largo number of animals the- party had secured hundreds of birds' skins, wlitejj sould bo distributed- among Australian museums gratis. . The party hacl had very trying times. Adelicland liad ilm wors-t clirajito ill tho world. Despite the scientific study, there was not ons man who bad returned after the loug» sensatignal so- ■ journ tbero whoi would' not commit' suicide, rather than stop anctber yew-

Dr. Jhuvson was rotreent tvlien questioned as to. his mvu heroism after tho dentils iri Numis :;uid JU'iis, saying simply that Iro was thirty days absolutely alone. and had had a most marvellous escape. Ho had been reduced , stages of starvation, and win Jo tramping along iii the- doep snow noticed something black. It was a hit ot food dropped by tho search party sent to ascertain his whereabouts, 110 was then twenty miles from the hut, m a pj»co ira previous expedition had ever bean.

'tho gttirit points of this undertaking wore, for the niogt part tho travelling over new, country, Willi tho exception o-f tho death of Ninuis and Mortx, tho oxtwdititra had l/flt'ii very fortunate. Those two died like heroes. Nobody had fyS"! '«" c d a braver life than either, faking account of the# number of men id. tho hold and tho length of timo of the ojipedittou, With the exception of Shaekleton's and Amundsen's expeditions, his party had suffered fewfir, losses than any other. Tho health of the party had been reniarftably good, great care, haying boon taken'of tire provisioning, .There had very nearly been loss of l.il'o at the start. Of the parties scut out, one led by Mr. Madigan had proved most successful, Yet their tent had been carried away, and tho men had had to make a long march, Madigan _ being, hadlv frostbitten, his U'f ami finger nails falling off. Br, Maw-son co.ntiui.sedi "Very little sledging was undertaken this year owing to the late summer sifter the ship left, I was in poor condition, and there was a,lwavs the feasibility that theAurora might return. Tho wind has a Vf-loeitv of sixty-threo niil.es au hour far fivery hour of tho vlio'.o mcnth. Oil one. occasion it recorded 110 mile* an hour, TOs> puff velocity readies from 200 to 300 miles an hour, Hurricanes very pjuoli hampered the wireless ap-, pasatus, hut €xporionco .had demon-' strated that no expedition should dream of going without wireless equipment. On ono occasion the Macqnario Island Station had been heard off Cape Horn, Regarding mineral wealth, Dr. Miiw«on explained that only scattered patches of rack had been exposed throughout 1600 miles of country traversed. - Where such ft .small area had been exposed it was hopeless to seels a payable deposit, but what the, party did find, showed great variety. There had been secured good specimens, which seemed to indicate, land ppeft richer '•'an the ordinary count rj'. Copper was tlio most abundant oro found. The party Jia.d discovered a visible outcrop of coal, and dredged in many placeson the coast, tho result indicating a large fermation running through the ' land. '

The doctor said ho ha<l iyj iiiclinatteii to return. At tlie present moment tlior« Was plenty #{ sciwitjfic wffile to occupy any mind. Ho must go to England very soon.

Members qf tho expedition who returned are: Airswnrth, lijalcc, and.Santlttll, < from tiics. base: Dago, Modigan, Uiekerton, 31' Lean, ITodgetnan, and Jeffreys, froiu Adelielaud. Thero wore also on board, Sjessra. Hurley, Hunter, and Correll, who [returned last- yea.r with Jfr. Wild's party. . Dr. Mawsph niid his men. aro in excellent healtli; the diflieiilty has been to keep themselves f'reni "gettiog too stout.

POLAR HISTORY, FFAV MORE THRILLING PAGES. London, February 26. Tim "Evening Standard" say? •. "Though the tragedies of tho Mawson expedition were celtpsed by fltoso of the Scot-fc expedition, tlio world will not willingly lot jj.io tho story p£ MftWßo.n , « nnd Mortz's heroic struggles. There aro' fwv more thrilling pages ill Polar history." ■