THE QUEST OF EVEREST.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 78, 3 April 1926, Page 9

THE QUEST OF EVEREST.

GALLANT COLONEL NORTON. FOUNDERS MEDAL OF R.G.S. LONDON, March 31. The Royal Geographical Society has awarded the Founder's Medal to Colonel Gilbert P. Norton, for his leadership of the Everest Expedition in 1924.— (A and N.Z. Cable.) The third Mount Everest Expedition left Darjeeling at the end of' March, 1924, on the journey through and Tibet to their base camp at tbe foot of the Rongbuk Glacier. General C. D. Bruce, who commanded the expedition of 1922. was again in charge, but as soon as the Tibetan tableland was reached, he was forced to return to the base owing to malaria, and the leadar- ; ship devolved upon the second-in-corn- ; mand. Colonel Norton. Perfect weather : wa3 experienced in the early stages, i which took the route of previous expediI tions. and the base camp was reached jon April 29. Plenty of local labour i was available for transport. Exceedingly heavy weather prevented the fixi ing of advance camps, and a blizzard. 1 which continued for 4S hours, greatly delayed projrres*. ultimately neoessitating returning to the base camp to recuperate. Fine weather on May 17 permitted a resumption of the journey and Camp No. 4 was established at an altitude of 23.000 feet. Bad weather followed an 1 the lowest temperature reci-rdcl by the expedition. 55 degrees nf frost, was on tbe night of May __. On -Tune 1. Mr. Mallory and Captain Ceoffrey Bruce, with eight porters, established Camp Ni. 5. two fragile 191 h tents, at a height of 23..">00 feet, and on -lune 3 Colonel Norton anil Dr. Somervell, with three jtoriers, established Camp Nu. 0. at 2(1.700 feet. These two started for the summit or. June 4 without the aid of oxygen, but were forced to turn hack exhausted when at a height of about 25,000 'feet. Four day= later Mr. Mallory and Mr. Irvine, with the assistance of oxygen, made the final attempt from Camp No. 0 which was to end so tragically. They were last seen climbing steadily for the summit at an altitude of over 25.200 feet, determined by the theodolite. Search was made for them on June 10. but no traces were found. The question as to whether they reached the summit lias been much discussed, but, with the exception of Mr. Odell, who wa3 the iast to see them, the memintrepid gentlemen did not reach the top.