NEARLY ANOTHER TRAGEDY TRYING EXPERIENCES OF THE NOR. THERN PARTY

Evening Post, Volume LXXXV, Issue 37, 13 February 1913, Page 3

NEARLY ANOTHER TRAGEDY TRYING EXPERIENCES OF THE NOR. THERN PARTY

AS TOLD BY LIEUT. CAMPBELL. % CHRISTCHURCH, 12th Feb. The story of a journey, which was briefly of hardships and privations, and which very nearly ended in another tragedy, was told by Lieut. Campbell, who led the northern party. The party consisted of Lieut. Camp-j bell, Surgeon Levick, and Messis. Priestley (geologist), Seamen- Abbott, Brewning, aud Dickason. Returning from their journey, the party reached Terra Nova Bay on 16th February, and they anticipated that the Terra Nova would be there to meet them, the vessel being expected there about the 17th. On reaching Terra Nova Bay, however, they found that the vessel was not there, .and while they were keenly disappointed they, thought the Terra Nova must have encountered bad weather. It transpired, however, that it was not bad weather, but unfavourable ice conditions that had prevented the vessel reaching Terra Nova- Bay. Lieut. Campbell and his party were now faced with a journey over ice of 200 miles to Cape Evans, but it was impossible to undertake the journey at this time, as it was nob properly frozen over. MAKING THE BEST OF IT. "There were six of us in the party, and we had to make up our minds' to winter there in a snowdrift," continued Lieut. Campbell. "Into the snowdrift we cut an igloo, which had to be our home for six s months. We only had about a month's provisions, and we were not suitably clothed to spend the winter iri an igloo, but there was nothing else for it, and we proceeded to make the best of our position." Continuing, Lieut. Campbell 1 said that they decided to kill as many seals as possible, and during their stay there the party secured 17 seals. Was that all the seals you caught? asked a pressman. "Well,"^ answered ' Lieut. GJampbell with a smile, "you can get a lot of meat off seventeen * seals if you eat it carefully." ''The party were in absolute darkness in their igloo, but -they succeeded in making some lamps with the aid of seal blubber, and so obtained a ""light to brighten their surroundings." Then a* small blubber-stove was arranged, and this added to the comfort of the men. MORE DISCOMFORTS. At the commencement of their six moriths' confinement . in the igloo, the members of .the party were supplied with one biscuit a day each,. but the small supply of biscuits soon ran out, and for the greater portion of the time their daily meals consisted of one unchanging meal secured from the seals. The 1 company also' ran out of their supply of tobacco, and this served to add to their discomforts. . J Aaked how they managed to pass the six months in their igloo in the snowdrift, Lieutenant Campbell smilingly remarked by sleep and occasional "singsongs." He aJso said that some members of the party gave interesting lectures on various subjects, and served to while away the ipng and dark hours. Eveti6ually the winter came to an end, and they were able to leave their camp on 30th September for Cape Evans. TWO MEN ILL. •Two of their men, Browning and Dickason, were ill when they x left, and for the first few days they Were able to make only a 'few mile 3 a day. After three days Browning improved, but Dickason suffered longer, and during the journey to. Cape Evans he had occasionally to be- placed upon a sledge. On , their way ,to the base the members of the party made collections of geological specimens, and at one spot they found a small depot of specimens left by Professor David, who was with Sir Ernest Shackleton's expedition. The remainder of the journey was carried out without further incident, and Cape Evans Camp was gained on 7th November. There better food, of which they had been so long deprived, effected a speedy restoration of their condition, and Lieutenant Campbell mentioned that in liis own case he put on two stone and seven pounds in a week, jumping from ten stone lo twelve stone seven pounds. Other members also improved. "EXTRAORDINARY THAT THEY SURVIVED." Then Lieutenant Campbell paused for a while and Commander Evans observed that one could have no conception of the hardships which Lieutenant Campbell and his companions had gone through. "It is extraordinary thai they ever survived," he added. Commander Evans went on to say that it was extraordinary that in spite of the hardships met with and the difficulties encountered there was never the least indication of trouble amongst the members of any of the parties. He. said that in the case of Lieutenant Campbell and his companions, seeing what they had to endure for six months, there might have been some dissension. He was pleased to say, however, that they had all lived together in that small space for that time without any complaints being made. \ 1 DR. ATKINSON DECLINES ; TO ANSWER QUESTIONS. A desire was expressed by .the pressmen to derive some additional particulars from Dr. Atkinson, who was in command of the party that found "the dead explorers, of tho conditions under wnich they were discovered. _ Commander Evans, on this request being made, said that Dr. Atkinson waß a very qaict in dividual, but he 'could be asked questions to which he might or might not reply. Dr. Atkinson was then appealed to, bui he indicated that the. account already published contained the salient points of his expedition, and he did not deuin it necessary at this juncture to add. further details which might be painful. SCIENTIFIC WORK. On the question of scientific work done on the run south. Commander Evans made the following statement: — Lieutenant H. E. de P. Renruck, being the most experienced surveyor, has had charge throughout of the oceanographical work. ' During the desp-sea .soundings, varying in depth from 158 to 5C03 fathoms, spaced fairly evenly along our route, an unexpected shoal was found in the middle of Ross Sea, and advantage of this was immediately taken by Mr. D. G. Lillie, biologist, who lux, do.\n the Agassiz trawl, and obtained a rich haul of biological specimens. Mr. Lilliu has made a further study of the distribution of the small organisms which make up the food supply of the whales between New Zealand and M'Murdo Sound, and while in the Antarctic Sea he was again vury successful in obtaining rich | hauls of the Bentinck fauna in depths varying balwean 40 and 300 fathoms. Lieutenant Pennell, who is taking charge of the ship on tho Homeward voyage, acted a3 ice master, in addition lo his other duties, which embraced the important work of ail magnetic observations. Mr, Nelson, tho other biologist, is going Homo as junior executive officer of the ship, quits a sporting thing to

do, as all the other officers of the ship have had master certificates for nearly twenty years.