"GIVEN UP FOR LOST."

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 466, 26 March 1909, Page 6

"GIVEN UP FOR LOST."

EXPLORING EXPEDITIONS OVERDUE. "A TERRIBLE SHOCK." (Special to The Dominion.) Chrlstchurcli, March 26. Ono of tho members of the expedition had a most interesting tale to unfold regarding some of the non-scientific aspects of tho great enterprise. "We had to leave a lot of stores behind us," he said, "as we had great difficulty in getting off thoso that wo were enabled to ship. Wo lost ono of tho boats in a gale, and several members of tho party nearly lost tho number of their mess. This boat and another were engaged in transferring stores from the ice, when a blizzard canio on with great ferocity. Ono of the boats succeeded in getting back to tho ship in safety with the crow badly exhausted. The other boat, however, did not faro so well.

An oar was broken and the' boat was forced back to the foot of the ice. Those on board had to be hauled up by ropes, all more or less frost-bitten, and the boat itself sank out of sight. The Bhip had to put out to sea for two days, and was unablo to take the men off the ice owing to the severe woather conditions prevailing. On the second day, however, they wero all got off safely. ~ '^J e northern party, which discovered the Magnetic Polo, viz., Professor David, Dr. Mackay, and Mr. Mawson, were given up as hopelessly lost by the ship, as thov were long overdue. The ship searched 300 miles of coastline, and eventually picked up tho party in a little inlet of Drygalski Barrier. They had had a very rough time. Ihey only arrived; thero the night before, and were staying in the hopo of being picked up. It was the biggest piece of luck in the world that wo managed to find them. Ihey were due back in January, and it was then February 4. After .landing them at tho hut, the ship proceeded to the Great Ice Barrier, to search for Lieutenant bhackletons southern party, which should have been back by .Fobruary 15. The iNimrod got a severe gruelling in going round, and many days were occupied in the journey. She was kept dodging about between the Discovery hut and the Base hut, waiting for them to turn up. All hopo of s . eel °S 1 th «n again was abandoned. As it turned out they were not picked up until March 1. They were picked up at Hut loint and were found through their hcliographmg to the ship. Only Lieut. Shackleton and Mr. Wild could be seen, they having come in after a forced march to get relief for Ur. Marshall, who was suffering from dysentery, and Lieut. Adams, who was staving with him they being camped 28 miles away! Naturally those on board received a fccrnblo shock, thinking that tho other two membors of tho party had been lost. However the matter was quickly explained, p.mi Lieut. Shackleton, after getting a litW eat, set off again with a relief party two hours later, and picked them up. .AH returned safelv to tho ship at midnicht on March 3. Thoy were all terribly thin, but as soon as they came on board they \voro given decent food, and you could almost seo them putting the flesh on again. Everybody was tremendously proud of Lieut. Shackleten s groat achievement of beating Captain acott s furthest south record by 366 miles " Tho speaker stated that tho ship had proved perfect for tho purposes of the expedition and had stood the ice pressure wonderfully