VIGIL ON ICECAP

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 182, 1 May 1931, Page 9

VIGIL ON ICECAP

Young Surveyor’s Danger ATTEMPT AT RESCUE Airman Racing to Scene FLIGHTS TO GREENLAND By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright. (Rec. April 30, 10 p.m.) Stockholm. April 29.Captain Ahrenberg, the famous Arctic airman, who flew to Greenland in 1929, and who has been engaged to attempt tlie rescue there of Augustin Courtauld, hopped off to-day for Iceland on his heroic mission. A London message states that the keenest national interest has been roused by the efforts to rescue Courtauld in the Arctic. Courtauld’s parents, interviewed on their arrival on the Berengaria at Southampton from the United States, said they ,were confident their son would come through safely. The Danish fishing inspection ship Odin left Reykjavik for Greenland with

an aeroplane, which it intends to land on the coast sixty miles from Angmagsalik. From there it will be flown to the expedition’s base. The English pilot’s name is not available. Thus two airmen are racing to the rescue of Courtauld. The “Daily Mail” says that the British people owe a debt of gratitude to Captain. Ahrenberg. .

Fifteen of tlie youngest explorers who< have ever comprised a British party sailed from London on July 6, 1930, to survey the Arctic ice-cap of Greenland. They constituted the British Arctic Air-route Expedition, under the auspices of the Royal Geographical Society, and their average age was 22. They planned to be away for 15 months, and to conduct the survey with a view to establishing an allBritish air route across the. Arctic to Canada. This is the shortest route to Canada, and this definite step has been taken to test its feasibility. 1 Youthful Veteran. The leader of the expedition was Mr. H. G. Watkins, a hardened'Arctic “veteran” of 23. His companions were all of a similar age, and each was a specialist. Mr. Watkins explored Labrador in 1929 and Spitsbergen the year before. The expedition reached its objective and established a base camp on the southeastern coast and a station on top of the iee cap. From the main base dog sledge expeditions went into the interior, mapped out the route, and made arrangements for petrol dumps. Captain Schjelderup, a Norwegian, who bought the Quest after the last Shackleton expedition, took the party to GreenDuring the remainder of the summer much useful work was done, and in October a party made an important journey from the base camp into the interior, but violent storms were encountered, and after a review of the situation it was decided, in view of the increasing shortage of supplies, to postpone the survey and take steps to consolidate the base camp and a camp known as the "centre station.” Courtauld’s Decision. A dispatch from a member of the expedition to the “New York Times” tells of Courtauld’s decision: “By this time only sufficient dog food remained to take on three sledges to the centre station, with food and fuel for one man on full rations until the end of March” (of this year). “Therefore, Courtauld volunteered to remain alone at the centre station until- such time as he could be relieved by aeroplane, or, if necessary, until the end of March, by which time sledging will again be possible.” The position now is that although : Courtauld- should have been relieved a month ago his companions have been tin- I able to reach him by sledgiug, and there is considerable anxiety as to his safety. It is pointed out that only one man in the past has found it possible to winter on the Greenland ice cap—a bleak, incredibly, inhospitable land of ice and low, barren "peaks.