ASSAULT ON EVEREST.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 June 1922, Page 5

ASSAULT ON EVEREST.

A GREAT ATTEMPT, « ' I 27,300 FEET REACHED. PROJECT MAY END. By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright. London, June 25. Unofficial reports suggest that the Everest expedition will be abandoned with only a hundred feet added to the record in the third and final attempt at the summit. No further progress can be expected as all the explorers are incapacitated from hardships. Following is the story of the attempt of Mr. Finch and General Bruce, dated from Rangbuk Base Camp, June 2. They moved up to Camp 3 to 21,000 feet carrying the oxygen apparatus and there tested the appartus. They found only one cylinder out of ten usable, but contrived to get four others by dismantling and reassembling the sound parts. Using the oxygen and walking in leisurely fashion they easily outdistanced their companions. It might have been a pleasant Alpine walk at 10,000 feet instead of 21,000 feet. Tjhe attempt began on May 23. They report: “Setting out for the North Col, at the foot of which we met Mallory’s party returning -from their recordbreaking climb, we reached the northeast shoulder (25,500 feet up) and pitched camp. Meantime a snowstorm was rapidly working up to a state of fury. “We crawled into our sleeping bags and tried to warm ourselves in the frail little shelter. Hot drinks were impossible. owing to the altitude and we used solidified spirit to comfort our chilled bodies. After sunset the gale increased to a storm, tearing the tent with such force that it constantly lifted the ground sheet, though we were lying upon it. At midnight we were thickly covered with fine spindrift blown into the tent. We dared not sleep, it was all we could do to hold down the tent. If once the wind fairly gripped it we should have been blown ~on to the glacier a thousand feet below. A HEAVY GALE. “Next morning the gale reached a maximum, flapping the canvas with a noise like that of a machine-gun. It was so deafening that we were hardly I able to converse. During the lulls we I took turns to go outside and succeeded I in roping down the tent and snatched I a few moments’ sleep. We were much : exhausted by exposure and half frozen. At daybreak the snow ceased, but the wind had not abated. We tried to build a wall of stones to windward to afford protection. “Each of these excursions, though seldom lasting five minutes, showed that there could be no question of advancing or retreating until the gale abated. We lay quiet, keeping as warm as possible, putting on every stitch of clothing and huddling close together. Suddenly after midday the “wind dropped to, a comparative breeze. That was the time to retreat if we desired. We decided to hang on for another night, hoping for a finer day. "We heard voices outside at six in the morning. It was the porters from ♦he North Col with thermos flasks and hot beef tea. We had a good night and found much improvement by taking the oxygen apparatus to bed and sucking therefrom driblets all night. We continued to sleep well until daybreak and felt fit and fresh, but hungry. "As soon as the sun rose we struck the ten and shouldered our burdens, but after we had climbed a few hundred feet found that an intensely cold breeze had started to blow. “Our solitary companion was a faithful and wonderful Gurkha non-com., named Tjebir. Even his sturdy constitution showed signs of wavering. We managed, to boost him up to 26,060 feet, where he collapsed. We tried to urge him on, but without avail; Tejbir was played out and we sent him back to camp. We were now obliged to shoulder Tejbir’s burden, which was a decidedly cruel imposition. We reached 26,500 feet. The ground was much stepper and the wind much fiercer and colder. W'e climbed diagonally almost direct for the summit by a series of steep inclined slabs, where the least slip would entail disaster. THE HIGHEST POINT. “By midday we reached 27,300 feet and had negotiated half the distance between the north-east shoulder and the summit. Just before reaching this, which was our highest point, Bruce had an unfortunate accident, which put his oxygen apparatus out of action. It was broken by knocking the breathing tube against a rock. I was able to share my apparatus with Bruce and repaired the damage. “Meantime the wind was cold and seemed bent on doing its worst. Banks of greyish, rolling clouds filled the valley at the head of the Rongbuk glacier and drove us up before a fierce west wind. We lost all feelirtg in our feet and our shoulders ached from the weight of the apparatus. We decided that if we deposited the cylinders oji the ridge descending, we would have a much better chance of (Teaching the summit at a second attempt. Therefore we turned back and descended in really bad weather. We staggered to camp, thoroughly done up. and felt we could not have taken another step.”