MAWSON'S -STORY

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 50, 28 February 1914, Page 5

MAWSON'S -STORY

HOW NINNIS AND MERTZ DIED FORMER FALLS INTO A CREVASSE LATTER DIES ON THE TRAIL. LEADERS STRUGGLE TO SAFETY. (By Telegraph.- -Press Association.— Copyright.) LONDON, 27th February. Dr. Mawson's personal narrative, published in the Daily Mail, states : "14th December was a beautiful day, and Lieutenant Ninnis, Dr. Mertz, and myself were in the highest spirits, owing to our arrival on an unbroken plateau. The trouble then seemed to be ended. Dr. Mertz was acting as 'trail breaker/ a quarter of a mile ahead. I followed with the first dog team next, and then Lieutenant Ninnis came with the sledge carrying most of the , vital necessities. This v plan was adopted in order that the first sledge would not suffer (if a crevase _ was unexpectedly found) in the crossing of a crevasse, of which we had already negotiated scores with my team, jl called out : 'Crevasse !' This to put Lieutenant Ninnis on his guard. "Looking back soon after crossing one crevasse, nothing met my eye excepting an expanse of snow and ice. Then the 1 possibility of Lieutenant Ninnis having fallen -into the crevasse dawned upon ] me. . # Hastening back, we came to a yawning abyss, and when our eyes became accustomed to the dark blue light, I heard a dog moaning, and saw it lying on a ledge 170 feet below. There was no* trace of Lieutenant Ninnins. We called for hours without receiving an answer. "Meantime the dog ceased moaning, and an eerie stillness shrouded the depths. The remaining sledge contained only one man's food for one and ahalf weeks, and none for six dogs. "We improvised a tent from the tentcover by utilising a pair of ski and the theodolite. Nine hours after the accident we read the burial service over the crevasse where Lieutenant Ninnis disappeared, and started on the return journey. "Two clogs gave out daily for want of_ nutriment, and we were a hundred miles from our hut pn New Year's Day. Dense snow was falling daily, and Dr. Mertz had become very weak, but he continued very cheerful. I could not have wished for a better companion. "On 6th January Dr. Mertz was unable to walk. I dragged the sledge with? much toil only two miles and a half with the help of the sail. Dr. Hertz died at midniglit on the 7th. My own condition afforded little hope, but I decided to push on, and did not need any I reminder that in the following month snow would be experienced daily. "Several times I fell into crevasses to the length of the sledge-pole, and was scarcely able to crawl out. The skin and nails came off my hands and feet, owing to the intense cold. The discovery of a food cache finally enabled mo to reach the hilt."