THE ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10599, 3 April 1912, Page 3

THE ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION

I FURTHER DETAILS. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) AKAROA, Last Xiis!it. Brief accounts have already l;oo;'. given, of the journeys of tho first fc«vo parties, who were detached from the southern, party hs it advanced. Day and Hooper, who left the southern party on - November ftli, anrived safe'ly at Gape Evans on December 2,lst. Atkinson, Wright, Cherry, Garrard and O'Hane left the south erti party at the upper glacier depot on Bctcnshcr 21 st, and readied Oape Evans on January 28'tiii. Christimas Day was spent on Beardniore glacier, and some geological specimens mMeotcd here, and the motor sledge ,wais repaired and put v;i working order.

GOOD .BY]?. TO SCOTT. 0)1 Jauniary -Mill, Lieut. Evans, Lash/ley and Crcan marched three miles souti* -with Scott's advance party, and then, bidding their leader ;and coißvades farewell, turned northward in. latitude 87.35. and commenced tlifi'r homeward march. The returning party was confident that, Scott would rea_h ;-,he Pole. They covered eighteen miles per day till January SMi, when, blizzard's interrupted their progress.

EVAJSS BECOMES ILL

I On January IStti, in latitude 80.20, Lieur. Evans discovered that lie, was suffering from scurvy. Owing to the party being one.mian short, Evans was compelled' to continue dragging his sledge. , il/ashley and Cream did all that was possible' for their mate, whose condition beca'H'3 'woyse every day.

> EVANS-HELPLESS. At last Evans- was unable to move. ( His limbs were discoloured, and there were other dangerous symptoms. The sick man was placed on the j •siledge in a sleeping bag, and a gal-; Hiant effort was made to drag him to 'safety. '

, DE&PEIRiATE POSITION, Corner Camp wa.s reache-l on 17tu of February, and -Evans' condition was serious. (Food was rminiirg short, and drastic measure's were ■necessary. Therefore Cream set; out to walk to Discovery Hut, .thirty miles away, and LasMey: remiained to nurseEvaus," and •undoubtedly saved his life by careful nursing. ,

.HEROIC GOMfrADIE. • Cream arrived at the hut after 18 ibxmris' miairchring, and found Dr Aitikmiison and- the Diimita-i party, who returned witilx him and brought Evan® to Discovery Hut. \ELe was afterwards placed on board .the Terra Nova, and is now out of danger.

?v T 0 ANXIEfY. : Lieutenant Eviiiis says. i;o r.i.nx'ety need be felt for the health of Scott's sledge tea> v i', as he was absent from the surveying and depot, laying, and had necessarily to eat .sledging rations-wililc. the others were in.'the hut. , OFF TO MEET SCOTT. Cherry, Gerrard and Diimtiri kft Discovery Hut to meet Scott on February 26th.

THE TERRA NOVA. iLieutenant Pen;neil, who h in charge of the Terra Nova, reports as follows: " j The Terra Nova left Lyttetton on December loth, 19il, wi.th mules and does, and a>further year's snpipilies. •Exceptionally fine weather was experienced all the way. ' 'Sbmidiings'- weie taken .from: New Zealand to the Antarctic. •Many, ice!bergs were ?net soutih of 61deg., and loose pack ice was' meit •at 64deg.. south. The party finally left the pack early in January, .after parsing through 130 miles. The dogs were exercised daily on large floes at Robertson Bay, which was completely filled with pack ice. DIEFIOUI/T RELIEF. Icebergs were reached on Jomuary 3rd. IcJbergs and swift- tidal streams made the relief of Lieut. Ca.mplbell's party (henceforth called the Northern party) diffioult, the ship being able to approach the beach only at Cape Adare foriwo hours.

THE NORTHERN PARTY. . The Northern party embarked on Olaimiary 4'jh, aaid were landed at Terra Nova Bay, north of Drygalski Barrier, on the Bt>h. They proposed to work due north■and tiienee eastward with, the object of examining the north-eastern extreme of the inland plateau both geographically and geologically. WESTERN PARTY. The sh'p then proceeded south to -relieve the western geological party. She was delayed some days by a heavy pack and could not approach nearer than 25 miles to Granite Haribour. • \ • . ■ „ ' * ■ It was- not till February Gth that the ship was" able to be secured alongside safe ice. The sh'p was then three miles north of Cape Evans, and stores werfe sledged ashore until the 14th. The mxiles

and new doge were landed in excellent condition after being aboard 55 hours. The ice, T.liieh was breaking up, but not moving out, stopped all communication with the shiore. On the 14th the ship proceeded to Biutter Point depot, where she found * note from Mr Taylor, reporting the safety of the Western- geological party and their departure for Hut Point. HAMPERED- BY PACK ICE. The shajp, steaming soutli, picked up the geological party at Blue Glacier and then proceeded north to relieve the northern party, but owing to the hea,vy pack this was not effected despite several attempts. Lieut. Evanis was picked up at Hut Point, and a further unsuccessful effort was made to relieve the Northern party. On March sth the fdiip finailly loft Cape Evans. The following members embarked •for the return journey : Dr Simpson, and Messrs Men re, Porting, Taylor,' ■Bay and Anton. Messrs Williamson and Archer landed for service ashore,] changing places with Messrs Forde' and Oldfield, who will now serve on the Terra Nova.

Mr Drake proceeds to England, returning: to the' Terra Xovti for the next relief voyage.