An Exciting Adventure.

Manawatu Herald, 9 April 1904, Page 3

An Exciting Adventure.

While engaged in exploration work £;» the Autarkic regions, Capt. Scott, ci the ship Discovery, and Petty Officer Evans had an exciting adventure in which their lives hung for some time in the balance. The party was walking along, dragging the: filedge, when they suddenly stepped on nothing—the opening of an apparently bottomless crevasse. One of the runners of the sledge broke, the other part, on which was first-class leading Laisbley, did not Ed over, and he managed to hang on, aving crampons (iron spiked shields) on his feet. All he could do was to hang on and keep the portion of the sledge and himself up. Gapi. Scott afed Evans hung on for several minutes, until Gapt. Scott found a ledge on which he gained a footing. He then guided Evans’ feet to the same ledge. They exchanged notes on the position of affairs, and at length the captain said, “ Some one will have to climb up.” They were about fourteen feet from the surface, toe. sides, of. the crevasse being perpendicular and the temperature much lower than on the surface, which was minus 40. The captain is one who never asks anyone to do a thing he is not prepared to do himself. On this occasion he climbed up the sides of the crevasse without his mitts. He clewed up the trace of the harness, loose snow falling all the time, and when he reached the surface both his hands were frozen from the tips of the fingers to above the wrists. With Laishley’s assistance Captain Scott managed to get Evans to the surface. They camped and had tea, and rested some time before resuming their homeward journey, arriving at the Discovery without further misadventure.