TOLL OF EVEREST

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 146, 21 June 1924, Page 7

TOLL OF EVEREST

EXPEDITION MEETS WITH DISASTER

LEIGH-MALLORY AND IRVINE KILLED

(CXITED PRESS ASSOCIATION.—COPXRIGUT.)

(PUBLISHED IN THE TIMES.) (Received 21st June, 1.30 p.m.) DELHI, 20th June. Disaster overcame members of the Everest Expedition, Mr. George Leigh-Mal-lory and Mr. A. C. Irvine being killed. The remainder of the party are safe.

Very little is known of the gigantic mountain, which stands on the borders of Tibet and Nepal, some 280 miles us the crow flies Eouth-west of Lhassa. The difficulties of approach are tremendous, as the surrounding country is practically roadless, very sparsely ijopuluted, an[ i more dangerous to. explorers than any other mountain region in the world. The present expedition, the third organised attempt to scale the_ world's highest mountain, left Darjeeling on 26th-March, under the command of Brigadier-General C. G. Bruce. Major E. ]?. Norton was second in command, together with Mr. George Leigh-Mallory and Dr. T. Howard Somerwell, the three who, two years ago, broke the world's record by climbing to a height of 26,985 ft. Captain Geoffrey Bruce, 6th Gurkhas, a cousin of the leader, was transport officer, and Captain J. B. Joel photographer and cinematographer. Other members of the expedition were:—Captain J. B. L. Noel, 6th Gurkhas; Captain C. J. Morris, 3rd Gurkhas; Mr. N. E. Odell, Imperial College of Science; Mr. Bentley Beetham, Cotherstone, Darlington; Mr. A. C. Irvine, Merton College, Oxford; Mr. J. de V. Hazard, Royal Society's Club; Major R. W. G. Hingston, 1.M.5., medical officer; and Mr. X 0. Shebbeare, Indian Forest Service. There were in addition with the party four Gurkha non-commissioned officers, of whom two took part in the previous expedition.

M.r. Leigh-Mallory has accompanied each of the three expeditions, and it was earnestly hoped that his persistency would on the present occasion be rewarded by a successful ascent of the mountain. He was a. climber of much experience in all parts of the world, and was the only member of the present party who accompanied Colonel Howard Burny in the reconnaissance expedition of 1921. Mr. Leigh-Mallory was a graduate of Cambridge and a school teacher by profession. Prior to-leaving England on the present expedition, ■he said: "The scientific value of scaling this mountain by a trained exploring party may be of great importance, especially in tho field of geology. Everest is either the top or bottom of a great geologic fold, science has never discovered which, and a real examination of the summit may tell us much."

.Mr. A. C. Irvine, of Shrewsbury and Merton College, Oxford, was known to be a good climber, and was one of the new members of the party and the youngest of all the explorers. .Two years ago lie rowed two for Oxford in the"University boat race, and he was also with tne last Spitsbergen. Expedition. His inclusion was looked upon as an experiment, and in order to go he sacrificed high office m England. His remarkable physique, to say nothing of his reputation as a general handy man, justified tne experiment of . exposing, one of his year.s to the rigours of Tibetan travel. General Bruce stated prior to departure that he had no fears on this count, and considered him a valuable addition to the party.