N.Z. Party On Site Of Polar Ordeal

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30044, 31 January 1963, Page 10

N.Z. Party On Site Of Polar Ordeal

(By GRAHAM BALING, DS.IJt. Antarctic Division Information Officer! SCOTT BASE, January 30.

The site on which one of the legends of heroic polar exploration was made has been discovered by a New Zealand field party at Inexpressible Island on the coast of Victoria Land.

A few days ago, the party found remains of the snow c ve in which Lieutenant V. L. A. Campbell and the five others of Scott’s northern expedition spent the Antarctic winter of IMfi. marooned on the island and living almost entirely on seal and penguin meat Scott Base learned of the discovery last night when the party leader, R. 'Hewson, of Auckland, sent a morse message on his field radio. Hewson’s party is completing a mapping and geological survey in the Victoria Land m-Huitaim. They had hoped to find the site on descent to the coast at Tern Nova Bay upon their withdrawal tram th* field They found the entrance to the snow drift cave-' * sealskin roof supported by « ski pole and bamboo masker flag. Tattaead wtodnroofo almadoned 58 years ago atm lay nearby win ranwrais *nd penguin akfiletanft. arirw! teal uide* e seei stove

made from a biscuit tin. and a blubber lamp. They were unable to enter the cave which was only 400 yards from the sea.

Bum But Campbril's party left McMurdo Sound in January, 1911, for King Edward VII Land on the other side of the Rom Dependency They hoped to land there, build a hut, and winter over But they could not reach land because of heavy ice They returnriHn the expedition ship. TsmrNova, to Cape Adare at the Northern tip of Victoria Land and wintered . In January, 1912, the Terra Nova, commanded shifted 1 * them Bay about the same time that was rßßcnini' me Pole, ... » They had six weeks’ sledging rations as well as a small, emergency food and fuel dump The Tem. Nova could not tfwm n p because

storms blew heavy ice into the entrance of the bay On March 1, Campbell realised that rescue was unlikely and began killing seals for the

winter. Others in the party were Surgeon G. M. Leviek, R.N.. R. E. Priestley (now Sir Raymond Priestley), the geologist, Petty Officers G. P. Abbott and F. V. Browning, and Seaman H. Dickson. For half the winter they bad no biscuits and ate only meat and blubber.

Birthday Treat On birthdays they had luxuries such as 25 raisins each and smoked dried tee leaves which had been brewed many times They ate bleached and decayed seaweed and tried to imagine it was eabbage. Their boots were worn out and they suffered continually from frost bite. They almost suffocated with black, blubber smoke and endured an epidemic of enteritis. In September, 1912, they bad to prepare to sledge 200odd miles to their base at Cape Evans, on Rose Island, but found their 'leg muscles tad shrunken almost to notbWith carefully-saved atedg--4*B "tana, foer act eta-for Cape few on . Odobee 1* previous summer when about half way. wjutuiuani Mseca ana

their boots full of holes, they reached Boss bland in 37 Hewson * party also found a food dump left by Pennell on Inexpressible Island when, leaving the Antarctic in 1213 with news of the polar party's death Still intact an a manhauling rtedm. six weeks’ rations for six men. including two tins of biscuits, cocoa, sugar and oatmeal There is • cooking set, a polar tent (weathered to shreds), a pick axe.shovel, and 110 feel of climbing rope; The party left the dump »d hut as they found tt but frdt sops biscuits from a broached tin. They reported the site easy to find from the ground. «ew Of Hardship Pennell recorded that the Terra Noya’s crew took mementoes from the hut. otoerwiee nwre_ might have been found The igloo reveal* a story of hardship which Campbell newwould tave toM.” PmmU wrote. Tn.odd corners were disoydad etotoe*. mftantod with Hewson’* to to withdrawn by an ■ijiiwli next. wees.