STARVED TO DEATH

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 117, 13 November 1929, Page 11

STARVED TO DEATH

THREE EXPLORERS'

FATE

SON'S LETTER TO FATHER

After the lapse of many months, definite identification has now been established of the bodies of three English exployers found over a year ago in a lonely cabin in the wilds of North-west Canada; states the "Daily Telegraph." They were reported in a cable some weeks ago to be John. Hornby, one of the best-known of Canadian explorers, a son of the late Mr. A. N. Hornby, the well-known Lancashire, cricketer; Edgar Christian, a cousin of Mr. Hornby, and son of Colonel W.F. Christian, Eoyal Artillery; and Harold Challenor Eban Adlard, son of Mr. E. E. Adlard, of Adlard and Son, Ltd., printers, of Hart street, W.C. This identification has now been confirmed.

.Alter a thousand-mile journey, lasting thirty-seven days, over the wastes of the Canadian hinterland, Inspector Trundle of the Royal North-west Mounted Police, has returned to Ottawa. He reports that the bodies were found in a cabin. On a stove was a note directing searchers where to find a diary. This was in the stove, and told a tragic story of a battle against starvation and approaching death. No food was found in the cabin, but a half-pound of tea had been left.

With the diaiy were Mr. Hornby's will, an unfinished book on his explorations, and letters -written by Mr. Adlard and Mr. Christian to relatives. These have been forwarded to Englahd. The letter to Mr. Adlard, addressed from somewhere in the Barren Lands, and dated 12th August, 1926, reads: It is now over one month since Hornby, Christian, and myself have seen a human being beside, ourselves. That was on the trreat Slave Lake at the end o£ July. We are now held up, and have been for more than ten days, by storms and rain, etc., {£? ar? ] mab!c to run the rapids into ftitton Lake, which is now very rough— a.canoe would swamp at once. Travelling has been slow because we have quite a load—about 5001b of flour, 1500 rounds of .303 ammunition, three rifles axes, stoves, tent, camera, tea, blankets] caribou meat, hides, candles, and Heaven knows what—about one ton in all, plus < i? T?"'- all Jamme<i into a 20ft canoe. AH this joint has to be packed on one's back from one small lake to another and round rapids and falls which are absolutely impossible to run. The country is called the Barren Land, and is rightly so-called. Nothing grows on the ground, or rather rocks, but moss and sand, not a particle of wood for hundreds of miles, no human habitation xOT hundreds of miles, but game in the form of caribou (reindeer), wolves, fox, hares, geese, ptarmigan, etc., abounds. For a month now I have lived on caribou and tea, and like it. "CHEERIO." This letter is being written in the hopes of giving it to Blanchet, Government surveyor, whom we expect to meet homeward bound soon. You should get this at Christmas, so cheerio. We .started on 25th May from' Edmonton, and have paddled our canoe from Fort M Murray to Chippewayau; from there to l<ort Smith; from Smith to Eesolution on the Great Slave Lake, and from there along Artillery Lake to .present location. \\e intend staying for two winters; catch fur-at least, Hornby is the licensed trapper; take photographs, etc., and watch the animafcrgo by. We live on our rifles, and see nobody. Winter quarters in an oasis of _timber in the barren lands which stretch for a hundred miles or more We came out by way of Thelon Eiver, Baker Lake, Chesterfield Inlet, into Hudson s Bay to Neilson.

Jyrrell went through in 1900. About a dozen men all told have, been through bo tar. Hornby went three years ago, and the country is quite unexplored. It you don't hear within three years make inquiries from the Royal Northwest Police.

DRIVEN BACK BY STORMS. MF- X- J- Adlard stated that he had received official intimation, from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police of the discovery info SOn and his two com"

"Apparently," said Mr. Adlard, "since the chance discovery of the cabin and the three bodies tw;o attempts have been made by the mounted police to reach the.spot. Ihe first search party was driven back by storms and bad weather, but the-second expedition recently was successful The bodies were buried by the search party close to the cabin in which they were tound.

■a Hornby apparently died on -10th April, my son on 4th May, and young Christian survived till after Ist June This was in 1927. . '

t n j?m lnfo™ed .that Christian kept a lull diary. It is a long document, and is being addressed to his people, who, I understand, are at present in China The diary gives a graphic description of their struggles against starvation, and makes everything clear as to what took place." [Mr. Hornby and his companions set out m 1925 from Chesterfield Inlet, on the ■North-west Coast of Hudson's Bay, to cross the barren lauds of Northern Alberta. Their death was reported by a lone trapper in the summer of 1928, and Inspector Trundle was dispatched by the Government with an escort to secure any data they might have left.]