An Arctic Tragedy

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 11, 13 June 1913, Page 5

An Arctic Tragedy

THE SCHROEDER EXPEDITION. TERRIBLE PRIVATIONS. A DRAMATIC STORY. By Cables-Press Association—Copyright. Received 12, 10.20 p.m, Christiana, June 12. • The survivors of the Schroeder-Stranz expedition state that friction was rife -from the outset. When the ship was frozen up in Spitzbergen' the German members left the Norwegians aboard and pushed towards Mossel Bay. They soon broke into' two parties, and Drs. Dettmers and, Mocsel apparently perished. The others, under Ritschcr, were obliged to leave Terr Rave with Dr. Ruediger, who was frostbitten. The remainder went to Advent Bay for medical aid. They were delayed by terrible blizzards. Finally Eberhardt, Rotvold and Stenersen refused to continue, and determined to return to the ship. Ritscher, with one dog, struggled on to Advent Bay. He lived on a handful of barley daily for a week, and then had nothing. He arrived crawling on his hands and knees.

Ruediger and Rave waited for seven weeks, having one meal daily of mildewed oats and,salt meat. 'Their last shirt was used for bandages. They were fonjed to make a final, effort :to reach the; ship.. ■. Ruedigcr's foot was frozen and crumbling bit by bit. Rave constructed a mechanical boot with a .wood ski and fragments of leather and cloth, enabling Ruediger to totter .along. Rave made a cake from the scraping of barrels of rotten flour and decayed meat.

After amputating the forepart of Ruediger's left foot and part of his fingers Rave dragged him to the ship. Eberhartjt,' Stenersen and Rotvold met with terrible weather crossing Wijde 'Bay''to Salmon Lake. Eberhardt complained of pains in his head, and said: '"I cannot move." Stenersen replied, "You must do all you can. It's not far now." They had no sleeping bags, and the three kept together for an hour. When Rotvold and Stenersen readied the top of a hill and looked bac'k, Eberhardt had disappeared.