THE FINAL ASSAULT

Hokitika Guardian, 20 September 1932, Page 3

THE FINAL ASSAULT

Fine weather returned; on-May V when the advance w'k resumed arc! Oainp 4 was estaluslied at Chang Laon the site of the 1922 camp, at ?' height of 23,000 feet.... Bad we-"ther followed and tlie lowest temperature recorded by the expedition—s 6 degrees of frost—was experienced on the night of May 22-23. On; June 1 Air Mallory and Captain Geoffrey Brute, with eight porters, established Ca-'p 5 (two fragile 101'b- tents) at a height of 25,300 feet, and on June 3 Colonel Norton and Dr Somervell with three ' porters established Camp 6 at 26,700 feet. These tvvjo started for-the summit on June 4 \yithout the aid rtf oxvgeri, but were forced* to turn ba'-k , exhausted at a height of about 28,000 : feet. Fouk days later Mallory. and Irvine, carrying oxygen apparatus, made the . final attempt from Gamp 6. which was to end tragically. Mallory and Irvine were last seen climbing steadily for the summit at an altitude of over 28,200 feet, as determned by theodolite, some hours H-dtind their scheduled time. was made for them at C-amp 6 four days later, hut no trace was found. The question' as to whether they reached the summit has berth- much discussed, but with tlie exci%ptipn of Mr ' Odell, 'who was tlie last to see' them, the members of the expqditi.op incline to the view that the gallant 'climbers ' failed to reach the, topp ,