EVEREST FAILURE.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 July 1922, Page 5

EVEREST FAILURE.

TRAGEDY IN LAST EFFORT. SEVEN PORTERS KILLED. THRILLING EXPERIENCE. By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright. London, July 16. General Bruce, leader of the Everest expedition, in a dispatch from Rongbuk glacier base camp, gives a graphic story of a terrible experience ending in a tragedy, by which seven porters lost their lives. It was decided that a final attempt on Everest should be made on June 7, as the monsoon was approaching and little time was left. Strutt, Longstaffe and Morshead had been obliged to return to Darjeling. Norton and Bruce himself were forced, for reasons of health, to go to a lower altitude. However, six Englishmen were available and these were organised so. as to evacuate the camps in conjunction with the climb. Mallory, Somervell and Finch, with Wakefield, Crawford and Morris as assistants, left the main base camp in threatening weather. It snowed for 36 hours and they were compelled to return to the base camp on June 7. Being confident that the .slopes leading to the north col were in trustworthy condition, it was decided to evacuate the col and have a further try at the .mountain. Mallory, Somervell' and Crawford joined to assist itr step-cutting and path-making to the north col. hoping to relieve the others for greater exertions later. They were followed by fourteen coolies roped together, laden with food and the oxygen plant, which was intended for use in the later stages. The lower slopes of the north col were firm, but halfway up the snow began to slide and those on the leading rope slipped. Mallory, Somervell, Crawford and one porter were carried down but. after sliding 150 feet, by the greatest luck the slide was checked and all extricated unharmed.

Looking round for the rest of the caravan they saw men on the snow below. They climbed down and found that the second rope of porters had stopped on the edge of an ice cliff 60 feet deep, with a great crevasse at the foot. The other two rope loads had been swept over the cliff into the crevasse. They were able to rescue three men, but the remainder were buried in the deep crevasse with an avalanche of snow on top of them. All hands worked for hours, but were obliged to relinquish their effort* after recovering all but one man. The six recovered were all dead.

General Bruce, adds: “In this tragic mariner ends the first attempt to conquer the greatest mountain in the world. From the experience gained this year there is no reason to believe that future, effort will fail. The weather has broken, and where we once walked on dry ice are mow torrents of water. We were lucky in completing the evacuation of the camps as we did. Everest is a terrible enemy, and the chances against those attacking are of the greatest. The mountain visits the smallest error of judgment with terrible punishments.”