THE AURORA

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 11, 12 July 1912, Page 8

THE AURORA

WILL LIKELY COME HERE IN A FEW DAYS, „ It was originally intended that th« Aurora, on her return, should come direct to Wellington, but owing to on* of the sailors haying broken a leg during dredging operations, it was thought advisable to put into Lyttelton to secure early medical aid. It is probable that the exploring vessel will come here in the course of a few days, but her absence will not interfere with the programme already arranged. This contemplates an early exhibition of the Mawson kine- j matograph pictures, for which over four hundred invitations wifl be issued. Mr. Conrad C. Ertel, secretary of the ex- J pedition, who arrived in town from Christchurch-this morning, cannot under stand how the statement got abroad that the films taken on' the recent. cruise were unsatisfactory, as he states that over two thousand feet of magnificent films were obtained.^lu Sydney over three thousand people witnessed the exhibition of Mawson pictures, , the illustrative lecture being delivered by Professor David, who accompanied the Shackleton expedition ; while in Hobart an equally successful address was given by Dr. Mercer, Bishop of Tasmania. The lecturer in Wellington will be Captain Davis, of the Aurora, who was formerly in command of Shacldeton's exploring ship, the Nhnrod. Captain Davis, in addition to being a competent navigator, is said to be an excellent speaker. Besides showing the scenery of the Far South', the pictures will also illustrate the biological work of Mr. Edgar R. Waite, Curator of the Canterbury Museum, and his assistant, Mr. Haynes, who were members of the last expedition. There are five members of the expedition at Macquarie Island, which was visited by the Aurora during her cruise; twenty, including Dr. Mawson, are at the main, base in Adelieland^and, eight are at the secondary base, about a hundred miles from Gaussberg. There are three New Zealanders in the party (without reckoning Captain Davis, who hails from Lyitelton)— namely, Mr. H. Hamilton, son of Mr. A. Hamilton, Director of the Dominion Museum; Dr. Whetter, of Dunedin; and Mr. Anderson. The crew of the Aurora, numbers twenty-five. Mr. Eitel, the secretary j returns' to Adeheland in November next to join Dr. Mawson, and it is expected the expedition will return' in April of next y*ar.