The Polar Tragedy

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 231, 18 February 1913, Page 5

The Polar Tragedy

PROFESSOR DAVID INTERVIEWED. HUMORS RIDICULED. By Cable Press Association—Copyright, Sydney. February 17. Piofessor David accepts as un:jM*stionnble Commander Evans' explanation that Dr. Atkinson concluded, after examining the bodies of Captain Scott, Lieutenant Bowers and Dr. Wilson, t'iat there were no traces of scurvy, but r.iie Professor still believes that the faiiure of Edgar Evans was in all probability due to .scurvy. Referring to the rumors that the fate of the southern party was s >t!cd through having to drag Edgar Evans hundreds of miles- on a sledge, Professor David points out that these are obviously untrue, since Captain Scott states that in spite of the failing strength of Evans good marches were made, of up to 18 miles a day. If compelled to drag a heavy man on a sledge | the progress would have been more like thiee oi" four miles l a day, Moreover, the, fact that Dr. Wilson and Lieutenant Bowers were able to spend some little time at the head of the Beardmore Glacier collecting specimens, proves that the party at that time could not possibly have been in a state of such extreme exhaustion as would certainly have resulted if they had been compelled to drag Evans a, hundred miles. There was 110 doubt whatever that every word in Crfptain Scott's diary describing the fate of Evans was absolutely true.

Professor David agreos with Dr. Nansen's suggestion tliat , Captain Scott's sickness was of the nature of seurvv. It was by 110 means improbable that, although none of the three showed traces of scurvy at the time of death, they ; might have had mild attacks which helped to weaken them. It must be remembered also that a man could get over scurvy, provided he got a change of food. As each fresh depot was reached the party obtained fresh supplies. Professor David believes that some depots on the great ice barrier contained fresh meat, which was not available on the Beardmore Glacier or the high plateau. Referring to the relief work, Professor David said it is untrue and most unfair to suggest that the few men available for the relief party in any way neglected their duty. The journey of Garrard and Dimitri out on the barrier in -the face of a severe blizzard for 150 miles 1 , with very low temperatures, was a splendid piece of work.

A TRAGIC EXD. Received 17, 11.15 p.m. London, February IT. Mrs. Seott, mother of Captain' Scott, ond her daughters were present at the memorial service at Henley Church. The Bishop of Birmingham preached. At St. Augustine's, Edgebaston, Mr. Bruce, the incumbent, Captain Scott's brother-in-law, the Lord Mayor, Sir Oliver Lodge, and other notabilities were present. The Rev. Mr. Griffiths, Vicar of Durslev, preaching from Matthew x, verse 30, after referring to Captain Scott dying at bis post, fell dead in the pulpit. Queen Alexandra telegraphed to Captain Scott's mother: "My whole heart goes out to yon and your poor daughter-in-law in this fearful calamity. Your brave sou achieved a great aim." THE SCOTT ' FUND. LONDON COXTRI BUTTONS. London. February 10. The newspaper funds for the' Scott Memorial amount to .1:5270, and the Mansion House Fund to .C 2200. IX MF.MORIAM. SERVICES IN BRITAIN. London, February 10. Many special services were held, and references from hundreds of pulpits were made concerning the Scott disaster.

CA PE'J'OWN SERVICES. Capetown. February IG. ' Lord Gladstone. Admiral King-llall and many other politicians and notabilities attended the Scott memorial service. • : REFERENCE IX SYDNEY. Sydney, February 17. Til most of the churches references were made, to Captain Scott and his comrades. The services were of an appropriate character, and special music was given. Received 17, 11,15 p.m. Sydney, February 17. The keynote of to-day's ceremony in the public schools in connection with the death of Captain Scott and his comrades was its impressiveness. As the clock struck noon the children stood reverently for several moments, and the story was read by the teachers to each class and brieilv discussed.

UNIVERSAL SORROW. Received 1 17. 5.3 p.m. London. February 16. The sermons preached in churches and chapels throughout Britain sliow the universal sorrow and admiration for Scott and his companions and the deep sympathy with their relatives. 'The Dead March in "Sail!'' was played in hundreds of places. General Greely, (in. ; of the survivors of the 1881 International Polar Expedition to Lady Franklin Ray, telegraphed from Rome, to Lord Curzon a higlv tribute to the heroes, •;

CTIRTSTCHI 01T SY M PATIIY. Christchnreh. Last Night. At its meeting tliis evening-the City Council, on the motion of the Mayor, passed the following resolution hearing on the Antarctic disaster: "That the Christe.hurch City Council desires to express its profound ' sympathy With the relatives of 'Captain Scott and his noble hand of .heroes. who lost -their lives on the return .journey from the' South Pole, and' places on record its high appreciation of the splendid ■seW-snerificing heroism of the party." ' Tn moving the-Ihrftioii: the' Mayor-said that to him the';he)Vnfem ,: displayed by Captain Oates.ijl into the blizzard was great ami. admirable. 1 Equally admirable was the self-s'acrifi'ee of the others. They refused to-lea ve their disabled Comrade, .TO''had never heard of ;i more noble au,rt sel-f-slicri'fieing deed 1 of her,oism than'wds tlVofi displayed.

The motion was by the Council standing in silence. •• At a meeting ,of -the Lyttelton Borough Council a sirniliii' resolution was arrived at. , . ' THE . NOVA. A.MOXG- TTT-K ICEBERtIS. , . Cliristchureh,. Monday. On her way north from' the Antarctic to Xew Zealand, itlfe Terra Xova did some great' run?'for a vessel of her class. On; several occasions she averaged well

I j over nine knots, and at timer, close on , km, under steam'and sail. I Shortly after passing the Belleny Islands she passed an enormous iceberg, I that, to use the words of one man, "looked like the Ross Barrier." It was, roughly, 100 feet in height, with the usual perpendicular sides, and it appeared to stretch away into infinity, both as (o length and breadth. The length of the berg was found to be no less than 21 miles, luit no idea could be formed as to its breadth. Tt bad a perfectly level top for the entire length, and was plainly a huge breakaway from the Great lee Barrier.

The next day the Terra Nova ran into a dense fog, through which there loomed up some huge bergs. A few minutes after they wore sighted, the ship was steaming through a narrow channel between two great tabular bergs, 75 feet or more in height, with perpendicular sides and faces. The first one seen on the starboard bow was only about 100 yards in length, but, was followed closely by many others. The ship was an hour and a half passing one berg on the port side, which proved to be six miles in length. It was a perilous passage, for at any time the bergs might have come together, and thus millions of tons would have crushed the ship as if she had been an eggshell, ft was impossible to back out of the channel. There was nothing to do but steam through and trust to Providence. The channel was covered with big lumps of ice. through which the ship pounded her way. One man said it was just as if the ship were in a hn<re white dry dock, with perpendicular walls of ice towering above her. It required skilful seamanship and great nerve to take the vessel between the long walls of ice. which appeared almost close enough to be touched from the ship's side. The Terra Nova got clear, and soon passed northwards out of the iceberg zone.