ANOTHER DISASTER.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14600, 26 February 1913, Page 9

ANOTHER DISASTER.

THE MAWSON EXPEDITION. TWO MEMBERS PERISH. i i ; BAD NEWS BY WIRELESS LEADER LEFT BEHIND. (By Cablo. —Press Association.—Copyright) (Received February 25th, 8 p.m.) SYDNEY, February 23. Professor David has received a wireless message stating that two of Dr. j Mawson's party, Lieutenant Ninnis and Dr. Mertz, are dead. There are no details. Last night Prof.s.sor David received a message from the Macquarrio Island station stating that the Adelie Land wireless plant is again working, adding that Dr. Mawson and several men had miised the Aurora owing to unfortunate circumstances. Tho operator was then trying to receive a long message from Dr. Mawson, but tho conditions ware very bad. The messago at this point was broken. This afternoon Professor David received the fo.lowing additional wireless message: —"Ninnis and Mertz are dead. All others well. Mawson and six others probably winter in Adelie. Very successful sledging." Professor David says:—"lt is difficult to reconci.e tho messages just received with the earlier wireless reports, which stated that the Adelie Land wireless station had been dismantled and that Mawson and all hands had left on the Aurora for Wild's base, Wild being in charge of I the second portion of Dr. Mawson's expedition, consisting of about eight men, which wintered at the termination of th* glacier, some V2QO milewest of Dr. Mawson's headquarters at Adelie Land. Professor David thinks that possibly the fatal accident happened during the progress of embarkation, and may have been duo to tho" springing up of a blizzard! But it would bo idlo to speculate. Ho described Lieut. Ninnis as a fine, fearless British military officer, much tho same type as the heroic Captain Oates. Dr. Mertz was a medical man as well as a scientist, of high attainments. Both were of fine physique, and looked upon as very valuable members of the expedition.