Arctic Tragedy

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXVI, Issue 236, 18 September 1936, Page 5

Arctic Tragedy

SHIP WRECKED

Only One Survivor Out of 34 on Board

FOUR-MILE SWIM

By Telegraph—Press Assn—Copyright. COPENHAGEN, Sept. 17. Eugene Gondec, sole survivor of tne Bolar expedition aboard tne Bourquoi Bas, saved his life by clinging to a piece of wreckage, on which he was washed ashore, after the ship was wrecked in a terrific storm on its first night out from Reykjavik, Iceland. The expedition was under the leadership of Dr. Charcot, known as the French Shackleton.

Dr. Charcot had sailed for Angmagsalik to bring back to France Robert Gessai and Michel Perez, who, with Paul Emile Victor, intended to cross Greenland by sleigh and carry out scientific investigations.

The ship sailed from Reykjavik on the night of September 15 and was immediately wrecked in a fierce storm while trying to return. The rescue vessels foiftid only the masts above water. Aboard the Pourquoi Pas at the time of the tragedy were Dr. Charcot, seven French scientists and a crew of 26, all French. Eugene Condec, the only survivor, was washed ashore unconscious four miles from the wreck after nearly four hours in the water. He stated: “Tho vessel ran aground at 5 a.m. and immediately sprang a leak. The engines stopped soon afterwards and the boiler burst. Terrific seas broke over the decks, preventing the launching of the lifeboats. I managed to swim ashore because I seized a piece of wreckage. The others were either washed overboard or trapped.” TRIBUTES TO~DR. CHARCOT (British Official Wireless.) (Received 18, 12.30 p.m.) RUGBY, Sept. 17. Warm tributes are paid in the Press to the work of Dr. Jean Baptiste Charcot, the famous French Polar explorer and scientist, who was drowned off Iceland.

The president of the Royal Geographical Society, Admiral Sir William Goodonough, described him as one of the most gallant Polar explorers.

Dr. Jean Baptiste Etienne Charcot, the fomous French explorer, was born in 1867. He commanded the French Antarctic expeditious of 1903-5 and 1908-10. The latter expedition sailed in August, 1908, from Havre in the Pourquoi Pas, which was at the time one of the best-fitted-out and most up-to-date vessels that had ever set forth ou such a quest. The expedition, which was conducted on a most scientific basis, resulted in valuable information being secured. A new coastline in 70 degrees south latitude was mapped, as also were Graham Land, Adelaide Island, Alexander Land, and Deception Island Much work was done with regard to the sea, such as taking soundings, surface and deep-sea temperatures, deepsea dredging, and fishing. The expedition returned to Rouen in June, 1910. Dr. Charcot was the discoverer on his first expedition of the Antarctic island of Charcot Land, at first thought to be part of the mainland but discovered to be an island in 1929. Dr. Charcot published accounts of his explorations, “Le Francais au Pole Sud, ” in 1905, and “Le Pourquoi Pas dans I’Antarctic, ” in 1910. In addition to his exploration work Dr. Charcot, the son of a famous French physician, was himself a physician of some note and held important posts, besides publishing a number of medical works. /