MAWSON EXPEDITION.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXV, Issue 16487, 28 February 1914, Page 11

MAWSON EXPEDITION.

ARRIVAL AT ADELAIDE

INTERVIEW WITH THE EXPLORER.

WORK IN THE FROZEN SOUTH. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright. ADELAIDE, February 27. The University Council has decided to tender a reception to Dr Mawson’s party. The Prime Minister and the State Premiers have been invited to attend.

The Mayor is convening a public meeting of citizens to 'bender a reception to tho party. Dr Mawson, in an interview, said thafche would be delighted to give any information he could without interfering with the other arrangements made. After she had relieved the two bases the Aurora made an, extended cruise west, attempting to discover now land, taking deep-sea soundings and dredging.

He was sure their collection of biological material was the best obtained from the Antarctic. The operations extended for two miles down, and nearly everything they got was new to science.

When the British Association meets in August he will give a preliminary outline of their achievements. In addition to the large number of animals they secured hundreds of birds’ skins, which he would distribute throughout Australian museums gratis. ' The party had had a very trying time in Adelie Land, which had the worst climate in the world and terrific storms. There was not one man who had returned after a long sensational sojourn there who would not commit suicide rather than stop another year. Dr Mawson was reticent when questioned as to his own heroism after the deaths of Lieutenant Minnis and Dr Mertz, saying simply that he was thirty days absolutely alone. He had a most marvellous escape, and was reduced to the last stages of starvation. While tramping along the deep, snow he noticed something black. It was a bit of food dropped by the search party sent to ascertain his whereabouts.

He was then twenty miles from tlie hut, in a place where no previous expedition had ever been. DIED LIKE HEROES. The great feature of this undertaking was that they were for the most part travelling in new country. With the exception of the death of Lieutenant Minnis and. Dr Mertz the expedition had been very fortunate. Those two died like heroes. Nobody ever lived a braver life than either.

Taking into account the number of men in the field, and the length of time, no expedition, with the exception of Shackleton’s and Amundsen’s, had suffered fewer losses. The health of the party bad been remarkably good, great care having been taken in provisioning. ,

There was very nearly less of life at the start.

Of the parties sent out, one led by Madigan proved most successful. Yet their tent was carried away, and the. men had a long march. Madigan was badly frostbitten, his toe and 1 finger nails floating off. HOW THE GALES RAGED. THE VALUE OF WIRELESS. ADELAIDE, February 27. Dr Mawson, in the courso of an interview, 6aid, “ Very lit,tle sledging was undertaken this year. because of the late summer. After the ship left I was in poor condition, and there always was the possibility that -the Aurora might return. '

“The wind had a velocity of sixtythree miles an hour for every hour of the whole month. On ono occasion it recorded one hundred and sixteen miles per hour, and in one puff a velocity was reached of two hundred or three hundred miles an hour. Hurricanes very much hampered the wireless work, but our experiences demonstrated that no expedition should dream of going without wireless equipment. On one occasion the Macquarie Island station was heard off Cape Horn.” MINERAL WEALTH. Regarding mineral wealth, Dr Mawson explained that only scattered patches of rock were exposed throughout the 1500 miles of country traversed. Where such a small area was exposed it was hopeless to seek payable deposits, but what lie did find shows great variety.

They secured good specimens; which seem to indicate that the land is even richer than ordinary country. Copper is most abundant. They discovered a visible outcrop of coal, and the fact that it was dredged up on many places on the coast indicates a large formation running through the land.

Dr Mawson said that he had no inclination to return at the present moment, as. he had plenty of scientific work to occupy his mind, and must go to England very soon.

THE RETURNED MEMBERS,

IN EXCELLENT HEALTH

ADELAIDE, February 27,

The members of the expedition who have returned are: —Ainsworth, Blake, and Sandall, from the Macquarie base; Bage. Madigan, Bickorton, M’Lean, Hodgnian, and Jeffreys, from Adelie Land.

There are also on board Hurley, Hunter, and Correll, who returned last year with Wild’s party.

Dr Mawson and his men are all in excellent health; the difficulty has been to keep themselves from getting too stout. THRILLING PAGE IN POLAR jHISTORY. STORY THAT WILL LIVE LONG. LONDON, February 26. The “Evening Standard” says that though Mawson’s tragedies are eclipsed by Scott’s, the world will not willingly let die the story of Mawson and Mertz’s heroic struggles. There are few more thrilling pages in polar history. MOVEMENTS OF THE EXPEDITION, LANDING THE PARTIES. The Aurora, with the members of the expedition, comprising forty in all, left Hobart on December 2, 1911. Over a week elapsed, owing to a terrific gale, before the steamer reached Macquarie Island, where a party of five men was landed. A wireless station was established, and daily since then, weather

reports have been received in Mel* bourne and Wellington from that far* away southern island. Eight hundred odd miles away again to the south, Mawson and his main party were landed on the Antarctic Continent, at what is known as Commonwealth Bay. A wireless station was also erected there, and the intention was to transmit constant reports from that point to Macquarie, and thence to Australia. Eleven hundred miles to the west of the main base, at Commonwealth Bay, a second party was landed. This was in charge of Mr Wild, who was a member of both the Scott and Shackelton expeditions. A terribly anxious time was spent before Wild’s party got ashore. Just a month passed in coasting along the continent looking for a suitable place to land them. Gale after gale raged and, to make matters worse, winter was quickly setting in, apd 6ea ice was rapidly forming. Every prospect was gloomy, but just in the nick of time the men were able to effect a landing on a great glacier in latitude 66.21 south, longitude .94.51 east. Everyone worked with a will at landing stores, as every moment was precious, with the possibility of the ship being caught by the rapidly forming iceHurried good-byes over, the ship stood out to sea, and after a week’s devious navigation, got clear of the ice and steered for Hobart.

MAWSON’S PERSONAL NARRATIVE. : : HOW NINNIS DIED. FALL INTO A CREVASSE.' SLEDGE WITH VITAL NECESSITIES LOST. (Received. February 27,-10.35 p.m.) - LONDON, February 27., Dr Mawson’s personal narrative, published in the ‘-Daily 'Mail/ 1 states:— .V:’ \

December 14 was a- beautiful day. Ninnis, Mertz and myself were in highest spirits owing to our arrival on the unbroken plateau. Trouble seemed ended. Mertz, acting as trailbreaker, was a quarter of a mile ahead;myself with the first dog team next, then Ninnis with the sledge carrying the most vital necessities. This plan . was adopted in order that the 1 first sledge should suffer if a crevasse ware unexpectedly found. , . * In crossing a crevasse of which I already had negotiated scores with .my team I called out, “Crevasse.” This was to put Ninnis on his guard. Looking back soon . after crossing t one crevasse nothing mot my eye excepting the expanse of snow and ice. ' > Then the possibility, of'Ninnis having fallen into a crevasse dawned upor me. Hastening back we came to a yawning abyss. When our eyes became accustomed to the dark blue light we heard a dog moaning and saw. it lying on a ledge 170 feet below. There was no trace of Ninnis. We called,--for hours without receiving an answer. Meantime the dog ceased moaning and an eerie stillness elirowded the • depths. The remaining sledge contained only one man’s food for one and a half woeks and none for the six dogs.

We improvised a tent from a tent cover and by utilising a pair of 6ki and a theodolite. - Nine hours- after the accident ;we read the burial service over th® .crevasse where disappeared and started on the return journey. THE HOMEWARD JOURNEY. DEATH OF DR MERTZ. MAWSON’S TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE. .

The dogs gave out daily for want of nutriment. We-were a hundred miles from the hut on New Year’s Day and dense snow was falling daily. Dr •Mertz had become very weak, but continued very cheerful. I could not have wished a better companion. On January 6, Mertz was unable, to walk and I dragged the Bledge with much toil only two and a half miles with the help of a sad. Mertz died at midnight of the seventh. My own condition afforded little hope, but I decided to push on. I did not need a reminder that in the following month snow would be experienced daily. ... . > ' Several times I fell into crevasses to the length of the sledge pole and scarcely was able to crawl out. My skin and nails came off owing to the intense cold. ' The discovery of a food cache finally enabled me to reach the hut.

WORK OF THE EXPEDITION.

A BRIEF OUTLINE.

(Received February 27, 11.5 p.m.) ADELAIDE, February 27. Dr Mawson to-day gave the follow* ing statement, describing it as a terse account of the work of the expedition. . . . ' . , First, there was the successful negotiation by the ship, of the Antarctic pack-ice iri a fresh sphere of action, where conditions practically were unknown, resulting in the discovery of new lands and islands. Second, there was the establishment on lands never before sighted, of fwo Antarctic wintering stations, separated by an air-lino of, 1000 miles. Scientific programmes had been constructed . in one case for a year and in another • for over two years. yp Third, the journeys made over son,-, ice and plateau in regions never before sledged over at the main base aggregated 2400 miles,- and at the westetrn base 800 miles, not including depot journeys, supporting parties or relay work. The land had been followed through . 33deg of longitude, 27deg of which were sledged over. riV. Fourth, the establishment by the party at Macquarie Island of a wireless connecting link with the Antarctic main base and communicating weather conditions to the meteorological offioe ior immediate use in forecasts. ■

Fifth, oceanographic investigations, chiefly in the nature of soundings and trawlings between Australia and the Antarctic continental shelf, trawlings being successfully conducted to a depth of two miles, and by sounding the continental 6helf had been indicated through CSdcg of longitude. Dr Mawson promises a further statement late to-night. TRIBUTES TO MAWSON. ' \ SIR ERNEST SHACKLETON’S TESTIMONY. (Received February 27, 11.10 p.m.)' LONDON, February 27. V The “Daily Matt” says;—:“Dr j

Mawson’s story is touched with the majesty of lovo and death. It reveals the sacrifices men of our race are prepared to make in pursuit of scientific knowledge and their readiness to face death in an unselfish cause. The impression made by Scott’s story is confirmed by Mawson’s moving narrative. Nothing in the whole story of Antarctic , exploration can be compared with the solitary journey in an unutterably savage waste.” Sir Ernest Shackleton, in an interview, said that »Dr Mawson was a born leader for a Polar exploration. He had every quality of a great leader. The manner in which the ship negotiated the pack was due to Captain Davis’s splendid seamanship. He was capable of caution when caution was needed, and going boldly ahead if the occasion demanded.