SCOTT AND AMUNDSEN

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 17 February 1913, Page 5

SCOTT AND AMUNDSEN

NO RAGE FOR THE POLE. RETURN OF THE TERRA NOVAV HOW LIEUT. EVANS WAS SAVEI>. A TERRIBLE JOURNEY. (Specially written for the Age.) , Captain Scott appears to have been " fully aware that in all probability his party in their endeavour to reach th« South Pole would be forestalled by Amundsen. He denied, however, any intention of racing Amundsen, for iu a. private letter he wrote: — "Wo shall leave for the sontfi with high hopes of accomplishing; our object, despite the reverses of last season, but there is a chancethat we may not catch the «hip, and" we have decided to arrange for h;>r return in 1913. I am fully alive to the complication in the .situation arising out of Amundsen's presences in the Antarctic, but, as any attempt at a race might have beer* fatal to our chance of getting to the Pole at all, I decided 1.-ng ago to do exactly as 1 should have done* had Amundsen not been here. If lie gets to the Pole he will be bound to do it rapidly with dogs, and one* foresees that success will justify him. Any way he is taking a big riik*. and if he gets through be will hav«? deserved :his luck. Meanwhile, yon imay bo sure that we are doing the best we can to carry out our plans." The Terra Nova left Cardiff on June. sth, 1910. It -was the best-equipped, expedition that had ever set out to» enter the Polar regions. On Decem-r ber 9th, having called at Capetown and New Zealand, the Terra Nova encountered th 0 pack-ice, and three* weeks later entered Ross Sea. Captam Scott bad resolved during the* early pare of 1911 to winter in McAi.ii ldo Sound, where preparations would ,bo made for the geographical and scientific work ot the expedition. The final dash for the Pole began atthe beginning of October. This meant a journey ot fc>oU miles, over ice, glacier, mountain height, and plateau. The party expected to reaclt the Pole on December 22nd, and there to- plant the Union Jack, given by Queen Alexandra to Captain Scott at Buckingham Palace in June, 1910. The closing in of.the winter made. it necessary for the Terra Nova tc* leave McMurdo Sound, and she reach,—, ed Lyttelton early in April, 1U12., Her Commander was entrusted wittt the- following massage from Captain Scott: — "1 am remaining in tho Antarctic: for another winter, in order to con-' tinue my work." The latest news sent by him to the* base at McMurdo Sound"showed thaton January 3rd lie had readied *. point 150 miles from the South Pole,, and was still advancing. The last, party to leave him and his four com-, panions on; that date consisted of Lieut. Evans, Mr Lashley and Petty-, Officer Crean. Bidding Captain Scott arid ;his comrades farewell, they turn-t ed northwards in latitude 87.35. They travelled eighteen miles a day till January 9th, when a blizzard was encountered. Shaping tneir course direct for a depot near Mount Darwin, across Shackleton's Ice Falls, at the head of tho Beardmore Glacier, they made a descent of many hundreds of reet, mostly riding their sledges, and linallv reaching the foot of the. fails on, January 17th. Half-way down the glacier, th e party got into a maze o£ ice-falls, pressure ridges, and crevices, during thick weather. Lieut. Evans was now suffering from scurvy, and when Is 6 miles from Discovery Hut, h e was unable to stand without the* support of .ski sticks. His legs were swollen and discoloured. For four days they struggled onwards, covering fifty-three miles. Lieut. Evans was unable Ho move further, and he had to be placed on the sledge in a sleeping bag. On February 17th, four days, later, they reached Corner Qamp, but what with incessant snowfalls the* two men could barely move the sledge. Food running short", and. Evans' condition becoming serious, Orean started for Discovery Hut, thirty miles distant, while Lashley remained to nurse* the invalid. Crean reached the hut, greatly fatigued, after a march of " eighteen hours, and found Dr Atkinson and Barof with.dog teams. They travelled through driving snow a\t night till they reached Evans' tent, bringing fresh food with them. With. the dog team* they took the invalids to Discovery Hut, where ho rapidly recovered. Lieut. Evans undoubtedlyowed bis life to the courage and exertions, under most, trying circumstances, of his. comrades.