HORRIBLE PRIVATIONS.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLVII, Issue 138, 13 June 1913, Page 5

HORRIBLE PRIVATIONS.

SCHROEDER—STRANZ EXPEDI-

TION.

FRICTION AMONGST THE MEM-

BERS

A TERRIBLE STORY,

[Pbess Association.] (Received June 12, 10.20 pan.) CHRISTIANIA, June 12. The survivors of the SchroederSfaanz expedition state that friction was rife from the outset.

When the ship was frozen up at Spitzbergen the German members left the Norwegians aboard: and pushed towards Mossel Bay. They soon broke into two parties. ' ; Dr Dettmers and Dr Moeser apparently perished, while the others, under Ritscher, were obliged to leave Henr Rave with Dr Ruediger, who was frostbitten. The remainder went to Advent Bay j for medical aid, but were delayed by ■terrible blizzards. Finally Eberhardt, RotvoM, and Stenersen refused to continue, and determined to return to the ship. 'Ritsoher and! one dog struggles on -to Advent Bay. He nad a handful of barley daily for a week and then nothing. He arrived crawling on his hands and knees. i Rnediger and Rave waited seven weeks. They had one meal daily of mildewed oats and salt meat. The last shirt was used for bandages, and they were forced to make a final effort -fco reach the ship.

Ruediger's foot was frozen, and iras crumbling bit by bit, and Rave constructed a mechanical boot with, the wood from a ski and fragments of leather and cloth, enabling Ruediger to totter along. Rave made a cake from the scrapings of the barrels, rotten flour, and decayed meat, and after amputating -the forepart of Ruediger's left foot ami part of his fingers Rave dragged Mm to the ship. Eberhardt, Stenersen, and Rotvold met with terrible weather crossing iVijde Bay to Salmon^ Lake. Eber- j liardt complained of pains in the head,, and said: "I cannot move." Stenersen replied: "You must do all you can ; it's not far. We have no sleeping bags." The three kept together for an hour, but when Rotvold and Stenersen reached the top of a hill and looked back Eberhardt had disappeared. ~.,,1,1.111, .„-..