POLAR EXPLORATION

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8360, 21 February 1913, Page 8

POLAR EXPLORATION

SCOn DISASTER MR ASQUITH REPRIMANDED FOR SILENCE. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copy rich! LONDON, February 19. The “Pall Mall Gazette” demands that Mr Asquith (the Prim© Minister) end the undignified silence regarding the Government’s intentions concerning the Antarctic heroes’ dependents, and says its inaction is paralysing tho efforts of the public. RELIEF FUNDS LIABILITIES TOTAL £30,000. (Received February 20, 9.50 p.m.) LONDON, February 20. The King has contributed £2OO to the Mansion House fund, tho Queen £IOO, and Queen Alexandra £IOO. Lord Curzon states that ho has verified the calculation that the sum of £30,000 is required to meet all liabilities. LONDON FUNDS TOTAL £20,000. (Received February 20, 11.5 p.m.) LONDON, February 20. The Antarctic Expedition Committee’s fund has been amalgamated with the Lord Mayor’s fund, the two jointly totalling £20,000. THE LOST GERMANS RELIEF EXPEDITION UNDER NORWEGIAN. BERLIN. February 19. Captain Isaohsen, a Norwegian, will command the expedition that is being sent to relieve lieutenant SchroderStranz and the three others of the German expedition who have been lost in the Arctic. . The relief party intend to use reindeer instead of doge. It will be three weeks before the ship reaches Spitsbergen. "Tho German press published to-day (says the Berlin correspondent of The Times” on January Bth) wireless messages received yesterday at Christiania from the Norwegian station pm Snitzbergen* which give a graphic account of tho plight of the German explorers who started for Spitsbergen last August. This expedition, was organised in preparation for the great expedition which, according to present plana, is to endeavour to make the North-East Passage midwr the leadership of Lieutenant Schro-derr-Stranz in June of this year. Tho explorers wont north in the ship Herzog Ernst, a two-master of 61 tons, under the command of Captain Bdtschel, and the last news of them hitherto was brought home by an excursion steamer of the Hamburg-Amerika Line, the Victoria . Louise, which met the vessel at tho end of August, and supplied her with fresh provisions and drinking water. Today's news consists of a story told to two men of Advent Bay, a point on the eastern shore of the ice fjord in West Spitsbergen by Captain Eitschel, who got there on December 27th after suffering great hardship and being separated from his companions. Captain Eitschel said that the expedition only had provisions for one month at tho most, and that most of tho party were, ho feared, m the lagfc stages of scurvy. Tlio expedition had split up into several detachments, and his own. companions he had - been compelled to leave exhausted with cold and hunger, on Wijde Bay. where they wore probably now quite without provisions. Ho had eaten his last tallow candle at Cape Thocdsen. mA pressing on across the ice fjord, he had’thrice fallen through the ioe, to te rescued only by hia dog, and had had to leave his snow shoes and lus revolver behind. When Captain Batechel arrived at Advent Bay his clothes had to be cut off his body and all his toes had to he tymyifcateAe -