A TERRIBLE TALE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 13 June 1913, Page 5

A TERRIBLE TALE.

CABLE NEWS

(United Freu Auociation —By Eketrie TeUgraf)h—Copyright.)

OF ARCTIC EXPLORATION.

HUNGER, FROSTBITE AND

STARVATION.

THE SURVIVORS' STORY

Last Night, 10.&) o'clock.) CHRISTIAN lA, June 12.

Tli© survivors of the Schrot;d«rstranz Expedition statu that friction was rife from tho outset.

When tho ship was frozen up at Spitzbergen, the German members left the Norwegians aboard, and pushed towards Mossel Bay. They soon broke ; into two parties. Dra, Dettmers and Molser apparently perished. 'Kie others, under Ritscher, were obliged to leave Herr Rave with Dr Euediiger, who was frostbitten'. The remainder went to Advent Bay for medical aid.

They were delayed by terrible blizzards, and finally Eberliardt, Rotvold and Stenersen refused to continue, and determined to return to the ship. Ritscher and one dog struggled on to Advent Bay. He had a haaidful of barley daily for a week and then nothing. He arrived, crawling on his hands and knees.

, Ruediger and Rave waited for seven weeks, and subsisted on one meal daily of mildewed oats and salt moat. Their last shirt was used as bandages. In the forced final effort to reach the ship, Ruediger's foot was frozen, and was crumbling bit by bit. Rave constructed a mechanical boot with wood ski fragments, leather and cloth, tliu-s enabling Ruediger to totter along. Rave made cake from the scrapings of barrels of rotten flour and decayed meat.

After amputating the forepart of Ruediger's left foot, aaid part of his fingers, Rave dragged him to the ship. Eberhardt, Stenersen, and Rotvold met with terrible weather in crossing Wi.jde Bay to Salmon Lake. Eberhardt complained of pains m his head, and said, ''l cannot move!" Stenersen replied, "You must do all you can. It's (not far. ,We have no sleeping bags." ( The three kept together for an hour.'. When Rotvold and Stenersen reached the top of the hill, they looked back, and Eberhardt had disappeared.