ANOTHER ANTARCTIC TRAGEDY.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 546, 1 March 1913, Page 6

ANOTHER ANTARCTIC TRAGEDY.

DR MAWSON LOSES TWO MEN. LIEUT. NINNIS AND DR MERTZ. ANOTHER WINTER PROBABLE. Sydney, Wednesday. A wireless message has been received by Professor David stating that two of members of Dr Mawson's Antarctic exploration party Lieut. Dinnis and Ur Mertz —are dead. Professor David received a message last night from Macquarie Island stating that the Adelie Land wireless plant was again working, and adding that Dr Mawson and several men had missed the steamer Aurora owing to an unfortunate circumstance. Th" operator was then trying to, receive a long message from Dr Mawson, but the conditions were very bad. The message at this point became broken. This afternoon Professor David received the following additional wireless message:—"Lieut. Ninnis and Dr Mertz are both dead. All the others are well. Dr Mawson and six others will probably winter in Adelie Land. They have been very successful in sledging." Professor David says that it is difficult to reconcile the messages just received with the earlier wireless reports, which stated that the Adelie Land wireless plant had been dismantled, and'that Dr Mawson and all had had left on the Aurora for Mr Frank Wild's base. Mr Wild is in charge of the second portion of Dr Mawson's expedition, consisting of about eight men. The party wintered at the termination of the glacier, some 1200 miles west of Dr Mawson'd headquarters at Adelie Land. It is thought by Professor David that possibly a fatal accident happened during the progress of embarkation, as for instance the spring ing up of a blizzard, but he points out that it is idle to speculate on the point. Professor David describes Lieut. Ninnis as a fine, fearless British military officer, much of the same type as thelate heroic Captain Oates (who lost his life with Captain Scott's party). Dr Mertz was a medical man, as well as a scientist of high attainments. Both men were possessed of a fine phydque, and were looked upon as very valuable members of the expedition.