LIFE ON THE ICE

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 1 August 1928, Page 5

LIFE ON THE ICE

WHILE WAITING FOR RELIEF. THE ITALIA CASTAWAYS. CECCIONI’S USEFUL WORK. L'Hitvvi i*iyoo A.siiocUiUuu—By Kleutnc r«ir.gukj.>u '■‘•W rigui.j —bi.iLcu £>ervicej. " LONDON, July 31. ‘‘The irresponsible rumours, unjust to General Nobile and the expedition, necessitate that Signor Alussolini suouid order an inquiry immediately,” stated Professor ; Behounek, the Czeebo-Slovakian scientist, before departing for Prague, says a copyright message.

“When we fell from the airship General Nobile’s first words as he lay blood-covered and almost unconscious were that he was glad- I was unhurt. He took charge of the smallest details, although he was most injured of all. The Italia comrades, were a band of brothers, a band of heroes. “Ceccioni was the Robinson Crusoe of the red tent camp. Though so injured that he' could not move, he never ceased to help; he re-established the radio, made us all felt slippers l , fashioned kitchen utensils from the most desperate materials, and made a prei ions grill on which ' bear meat was cooked. AVhen the radio wire would not stick he prevented a fatal breakdown by using tinfoil from a sardine tin, soldering the wire over a kitchen stove he built. He even made a sleigh on which he was transported to the lirassin.

“Trojani, the philosophic engineer, became chef. AVhen ever the wireless brought good news we became as gay as schoolboys. General Nobile gave each a malted milk lozenge. “Biagi was a' fresh-air fiend; he never slept in the tent, hut placed his sleeping bag under the wing of Lundborg’s damaged aeroplane and slumbered happily. In the morning he discovered polar bear footprints all around. Almost daily in a little dinghy he made lengthy explorations of the ice canals

“Two niedits before his departure Professor Malmgren expounded to the whole party his idea- of marching: to North Cape. All except Commanders Zspni and' Mariano opposed the scheme. General Nobile, eventually yielclin!i owirier to Professor Malmgren’s reputation as a polar expert. On the eve of fris departure Professor Malmgren seemed less confident, and told me in German, which nobody else understood: ‘I feel yon will be rescued and we lost. ’ I offered' to -write to his mother if we were rescued first.” General Nobile’s train departed from Nuremberg to the accompaniment of hoots and ra ten 11s after a brief halt at the station, states a Berlin message. Members of the Italian colon v among the big crowd shouted for fair pin v.