The Daily New. FRIDAY, JUNE 30, 1922. THE MOUNT EVEREST EXPEDITION.

Taranaki Daily News, 30 June 1922, Page 4

The Daily New. FRIDAY, JUNE 30, 1922. THE MOUNT EVEREST EXPEDITION.

The annals of scientific exploration contain many exploits of human courage, the ability to endure intense hardships and dogged determination to achieve success. Practical people who merely regard exploits from the standpoint of utility are likely to ask whether scaling Mount Everest will confer any konciit upon humanity, and, if not, why make the attempt? Scientific people take another view, because it is the province of scientists to undertake research work, iw matter what the labor and perils may be. In the case of the assault on Mount Everest the difficulties were known to be almost, if not quite, insuperable, but that did not deter the gallant band who have been making the attempt, under the leadership of General Bru-ce and Mr. Finch. The details of the preliminary investigation of the routes to the summit, and of the strenuous attempts recently made to reach that goal, are full of thrilling interest, and form a remarkable chronicle of human perseverance under conditions which seem to defy realisation. When it is considered that Mount Everest is over 29,000 feet high, and that, on reaching the height of 21,000 feet the oxygen apparatus had to be brought into use in order that the explorers might be able to breathe freely in the highly rarefied atmosphere. some idea can be formed of what they went through to get as high as 27,000 feet, which is only one hundred feet higher than was attained in the previous attempts, and the summit was still nearly two thousand feet * above, yet. comparatively speaking, almost within their grasp. It is quite possible that, but for the furious gales encountered, success might have been achieved, but.the exhaustion consequent on a compulsory all night vigil to keep the sheltering tent from being blown away, was tbe final set-back, and it is said that no further progress can be expected, as all the explorers are incapacitated from hardships. Even so, they do not appear to have given up hope, but the strain is more than can be borne, bevond a certain point. Not only is there the difficulty of breathing, hut, in addition, there is the enormous tax on the physical energies inherent to mountain climbing, even under favorable auspices, and as a final deterrent the necessity for carrying apparatus and equipment has to be allowed for. Whether the present attempt is abandoned or not, it shows there are still men of the British race willing to face all perils and hardships in the cause of science. It is a fight against Nature in her dangerous phases, but that victory will be achieved in the end cannot bp doubled. Meanwhile the gallant band of explorers deserve well of their country, and especially of the scientific world. It is not in the power of mortal man to command success. What matters is that there are some who deserve it. and none | more so than General Bruce and his colleagues.