ANTARCTIC STORY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 1077, 18 March 1913, Page 3

ANTARCTIC STORY.

THE AURORA’S NARRATIVE

Hobart, March 15

Eitels in his narrative states While the Aurora after her arrival at the main base on January 13th was anchored on the lee side of an ice cliff a strong gale arose, and the windlass having been negligently left open, the heaviest cable glided into the water, not having been made fast leaving us dependent on a much lighter cable. This was a serious loss.

Bickerton, Whetter and Hodgeman were instructed to proceed on a motor sledge as far as possible, and return along the west coast. The motor towing two ordinary sledges flew up a seventeen degrees slope at the rear of the camp at a speed of nearly forty miles an hour. The engine, however. became incapacitated thirteen miles oiit, and the party continued the journey afoot, covering over thirteen hundred miles. They returned on January 18th, and susequently retrieved the motor. The total sledging from the main base, exclusive of Mawson’s party, was performed under bad conditions.

We had hoped the Aurora would be able to proceed on January 20th to relieve Wild’s party located on the Ice Barrier, situated sixteen hundred miles from Westevid’s Sea by the route though only 1133 as the crow flies. As it was feared that the Ice Barrier might become detached from the land ice our anxiety to rescue them before the sea became frozen over may be imagined. The fact of Mawson recalling the ship when he and the shore party were in complete safety, thus endangered the lives on the ship and at Wild's base, will probably be criticised, but Mawson was such a thorough leader that we were confident he would provide a satisfactory explanation. There was nothing in the nature of a sudden panic about the decision to desert Mawson. The only reason we could think of was that it was believed Wild’s party would perish. There was every reason to believe the brief season of summer calms was over tor another year.

On the night of February ninth, one day after the Aurora’s second departure, Mawson attempted to communicate with us by wireless. All that could be deciphered was the words, “Please wait cable, Niunis, Mettz” and the word “crevasse,” repeated several times over. We understood this to mean that before complying with the news contracts we should cable to the relatives of Ninnis and Mertz stating that they had been killed in a crevasse. This was another instance of Mawson’s thoughtfulness.

Wild’s party accomplished 1524 miles of sledge journeys, not counting relay work. They formally took possession for Britain of the whole area from Kaiser Wilhelm land to Longitude 101/30 east, latitude 67/30 south. This they named King George the Fifth Land.

WHY THEY EEFT MA.WSON

FIVE GOOD REASONS

Captain John King Davis, master of the Aurora, gives the following five reasons for leaving Mawson’s party at the main base : “(i) Their perfect safety; (2) They were fully equipped in every way for a second winter ; (3) the short summer in Adelieland was evidently over and further detention of the vessel was seriously endangering the chance of relieving Wild, who was ■ fifteen hundred miles distant: (4) the navigation was extremely difficult on account of the constant snow storms and the growing darkness, the only other vessel penetrating south of this region being frozen in on February 22 ; (5) the Aurora was not provisioned for a winter among the, ice because we had landed most of our spare stores for the relief party at the main base.” As a seaman knowing the difficulties we had encountered in getting to and from the second base in the previous year, I felt that nothing would exonerate me if I further delayed our departure. Being unable to communicate with Mawson, clearly it was my duty to act as I was convinced he would wish me to act were I able to inform him of the situation of the western party.