GREAT CLIMB

Evening Post, Volume CIII, Issue 142, 19 June 1922, Page 7

GREAT CLIMB

HIGH CAMPS ON EVEREST

RECORD HEIGHT REACHED

GREAT FEAT OF ENDURANCE.

(OMTED PRESS ASSOCIATION.—COPYRIGHT.)

(PUBLISHED IN THE TIMES.) (Received June 19, 9 a.m.)

LONDON, 17th Jnno.

General Bruce, -leader of the Mount .Everest expedition, in a long despatch fro*m the base camp at Rongbuk, gives extracts from a diary covering the recent doings of. the expedition. He states that Mr. Mallory and Dr. Somervell reached the North a Col on 17th May, and five members of the expedition and a large number of porters established a camp there on the 20th, at a height of 25,000 feet. Next day Mr. Mallory, Mr. Morshed, and Mr. Norton climbed to 26,800 feet without oxygen, and thereby accomplished the most successful and daring mountaineering feat yet recorded, and one of the greatest feats of pure human endurance in any field of activity. ' Since the last despatch, was forwarded, great efforts have been,made to complete the lines of communication. General Bruce gives details of the establishing of three intermediate camps, one at 17,800 feet, the second at 19,800 feet, and) the third at the foot of the North Col, at 21,000 feet. . Enormous obstacles were encountered, and the work was carried out in the face of the stiffest ' mountaineering difficulties, across moraines and glaciers and amid deep snow. The party was much hindered by crevasses, bad weather, and intense cold. The third camp forms the advanced base, where enough food has been stored to supply the British party of ten and many porters, and there is also a full alpine kit and a bulky oxygen plant. All the camps are now completed and furnished with every necessity, including fuel. DASH TO MAKE HIGHEST BASE. ; While the establishment of the camps ■was being completed, Mr. Mallory and Dr. Somervell, as an advance guard, started to make a road up the North Col. The weather throughout the operations was unsettled, and the thermometer ranged to eight degrees below zero. The country is almost bate of fuel. The work of the porters is beyond praise, considering the difficult country. In a fortnight they transported sufficient supplies for sixty people for a whole month to a height of between 16,000 and 21,000 feet. This did not include the canlp at -23,000 feet and a camplet at 25,000 feet. The latter is quite unprecedented, as 24,5C0 feet was the previous highest record. How soon the whole force can be collected at its advanced base is a question depending on the supply of elusive Tibetan coolies, on which the expedition ,is obliged to loan. These men are most difficult to obtain, owing to the season of the year. However, the chief difficulties have now ended. The two main enemies are shortness of time and un- ■ nettled . weather. Consequently Mr. strutt, who has a first-class knowI ledge of mountaineering, has been ! placed in charge of the advanced base. .. A DASH WITHOUT OXYGEN. ; It was considered advisable to take f the first opportunity .to make a recon- ) naissane'e before the oxygen plant was t ready, because it was felt that if a camp f could be established at 25,000 feet it I •would be of the greatest importance '"when the time came for the grand I assault armed with oxygen. The weather did its best to annihilate ' this reconnaissance, Mr. Mallory's party having to descend in desperate circum- • stances aiter one of the grandest ■ struggles with mountains ever made. ■ Mr. Mnllofy adds an-account-of this .''dash, which reached a height of 26,800 ' feet. He tells of the difficulties eni countered at the start.owing to some of the coolies being overcome through sleeping in hermetically sealed tents. There were further difficulties as they mounted in the piercingly cold wind, slowly cutting steps in the frozen snow and ice. They, camped at midday in a most uncomfortable position, as it was necessary to send back 'the porters before the weather got worse so as to prevent, them getting frostbitten, ONE CLIMBER BREAKS DOWN. Three of Mr. Mallory's fingers and Mr. Norton's ear wore frostbitten, and Mr. Morshead was badly chilled and became ill. Snow fall during the night, and next morning Mr. Morshead stated that he would not proceed farther, as his condition was such that ho would only keep bis companions back. The other two pushed onward. They were impeded by the snow, but found travelling less difficult than they anticipated. The chief drawback was the difficulty of breathing, owing to the rarity of the air. With the aneroid registering 26,800 feet, they turned to descend, and picked up Mr. Morshead. NEARLY A CATASTROPHE. ' Soon a nasty slip occurred, and the three were held up by a. rope belayed to a single ice axe. They were more '■cautions afterwards, but were now racing against the darkness. Mr. Morshead showed great pluck in descending, but he was unwell and' exhausted', and Mr. Nor. ton had to support him on his shoulder. After sunset they had to cross- a dangerous_ crevasse by - means of a rope which had been fixed when the party was ascending. Their only candle burned out, and hope seemed extinguished; but, groping blindly, someone found the rope which had been left. The party reached camp only to find that the most essential of all things was missing— a drink, for which their parched throats had yearned all day. They relieved their thirst with a mixture of "jam, frozen milk, and snow water. Mr Morshead declared that thirst alone did him up. Mr. Mallory adds: "With a windless day they might have had the summit within reach. The margin of safety was small, and three of" them might_ have been out of action through frostbite. They were not fortunate, but in view of the severe conditions they were not wholly unluckyj"