DR. MAWSON EXPEDITION

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10685, 12 July 1912, Page 5

DR. MAWSON EXPEDITION

EXPEDIENCES OF AURORA PARTY.

(By Telegraph — Press Association.)

CHRISTOHTPE.CH, Last Night,

The .steam yacht Aurora .returned from her winter craise, all hands being well. .The Aurora is 'sailing in the interests of D,r Ma-weon's Australasian .expedition, and re-tarns to bring the leader ar.d his party back to Australia in iN'ovemtcr. In the meantime, die has ibeen conducting scientific investigations in smb-Antarc-tic .seas.

The Aurora left Sydney on May ,17th, and (When in the latitude of the reported R'oya'l Company Islands, no trace of land was discovered. Captain •Davis says definitely that the islands do not'exist where they 'are laid down o,n -tJie diarts, though owing to the lfature of the weather experienced, it -is possible that land exists in the vicinity.

The expedition i cached Maequarn'e Islands on June Bth. The five men .eonytibuting Dr Mawson-'s Macquarrie Island party w<?re found a»ll well, and doing good work. The wireless station was working admirably, and daily weather reports were senifc to Melbourne, H'pbart and Wellington, and messages were caught from as far as Fiji and Western Australia. The cperator believes that messages from Miicquairrie Island have been received at Da- Mawson's base in the Antarctic, b'ut owing to damage to part cf it lie apparatus no messages have been (received from the base. Sea cilC'pliftii'ts were found in abundance, and sea leopards also were seen. 'Tlhe Maori hen's a'mpor'bed from New 'Zealand some years ayo have -multi•p'l'ied exceedingly. The party next visited Auckland and Ender-bv Islands.

Mr "Waite, of the Canterbury Museum!, lias secur-ed a valuable collection for the Museum. A sea elephant, which was secured, is .nearly 17 feet •in ilengjth, and vjhen aHve weighed over a ton.