THE MAWSON EXPEDITION

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXV, Issue LXV, 17 March 1913, Page 5

THE MAWSON EXPEDITION

FURTHER DETAILS

iX CABLE—FJftESS Ai&OUIATION—COPYRIGHT. HOBART, March 16. Mr Eitel's narrative states that while the Aurora, after her arrival at the main base on January 13, anchored on the lee of an ice cliff, a strong gale arose. The windlass having been negligently left open, the heaviest cable glided into the water, not having been made fast, leaving them dependent on a much lighter cable. Bickerton, Whetter and Hodgeman were instructed to proceed by motor sledge as far as possible, and return along the west coast. The motor towing two ordinary sledges, flew up a 17 degrees slope at the rear of the camp at nearly forty miles an hour. The engine became incapacitated thirteen miles out, and they continued the journey afoot, covering over thirteen hundred miles. They returned on .Tanuarv 18.

"We had hoped," he said, "that the Aurora would be able to proceed on January 20 to relieve Wild's party, who were located on the ice barrier, 1600 j miles westward by a sea route, though only 1133 miles as the crow flies, as it was feared that the ice barrier might become detached from the land ice. Our anxiety to rescue them before the sea was frozen ovtfr may be imagined. The fact that Dr IVlawson was recalling the ship when he and the shore party were in complete safety, thus endangering the lives of those on the ship and at Wild's base will probably be criticised, but Dr Mawson was such a thorough leader that we were confident he would provide a satisfactory explanation. There was nothing in the nature of a sudden panic about the decision to desert Dr. Mawson. The only reason was that we believed Wild's party would perish. There was every reason to believe that the brief season of summer calms was over for another year, un the night of February 9, one day after the Aurora's second departure, Dr Mawson attempted to communicate by wireless. All tnat could be deciphered was the words: 'Please wait, cable INiunis, Mertz' and the word 'crevasse' repeated several times, We understood this to mean that before eomoiying with the news contracts we should cable to the relatives of Ninnis and Mertz, stating that they had been killed in a crevasse, This is another instance of Dr Mawson's thoughtfulness. Wild's party accomplished 1524 miles of sledge journeys, not counting relay work. They formally took possession for Britain of the whole area from Kaiser Wilhelm Land to longitude 101.30" east, longitude 67.30 south. This has been named King George V. Land." Captain John King Davis, master of the Aurora, gives the following five reasons for leaving Dr Mawson's party:— The main base was in perfect safety, being fully equipped in every way for a second winter; the short summer in Adelie Land was evidently over; further detention of'the vessel would have seriously endangered the chance of relieving Willd, who was 1500 miles distant, navigation being extremely difficult on account of the constant snow storms and the growing darkness; the only other vessel penetrating the south I in this region was frozen in on Febru- | ary 22; the Aurora was not provisioned for a winter among the ice, because they had landed most of their spare stores for the relief party at flhe main I base. "As a seaman," he added, "knowing tho difficulties we encountered in getting to and from the second base the previous year, I felt that nothing would exonerate me if I further delayed my departure. Being unable to communicate with Dr Mawson it was ' clearly my duty to act as I was con- ' vinced he would wish me to act were I able to inform him of the situation of the western party."