EPIC OF THE POLE

Nelson Evening Mail, 30 March 1916, Page 2

EPIC OF THE POLE

| ~ CAPTAIN SCOTT'S DASH. I' DEATH WHILE RETURNING. The'most moving episode in-the his- ~ iory of Antarctic, exploration is the death , of Captain- Scott , and fjfour ..companions. , after they' had reached, the Son ill Pole. Scott re-ached the South. Pole on, January 18, 1912, aiud found' he had been forestalled bv the Norwegian, .'Amundsen. On; the return, jom-neyrthe wholeof the Southern party perished. Their bodies were found by a search, party from '-the base, ami from the Tecords, the following information was gleaned: The first death was that, of Petty-officer v Ed"ar Evans, who died on, February 17 a-t the foot of the Beardmore Glacier. His death was accelerated •by - concus'sio'n of the brain, sustained while travellinra over -rough jco some .-time. previously. Captain h. E. G. Dates, 6th Inniskilling I>ragoons, was the next to be lost. His feet and hands were badly frostbitten .and .although he struggled 1 on heroically, his comrades-knew on March. 16 that his end', was approaching. -He. had borne intense • suffering for weeks without complaint. "Captain Scott wrote: "He was a brave soul. He slept through the ' night hoping not. to wake, b u t he. a-Wolce in the morning. _ It was blowing a blizzard. Oates said: 'I am. , just going outside, and"!' may be some time.. He went out into the blizzard, and) we have not seen him Captaini Scott, added: "We knew that Oates -was walk-, ino- to his dteath, but, though we tried to"dissuade -Mm, we" knew it was the act of -a brave man and" an English. gentleman." It would appear that on March 16' Oates was really quite unable to travel. 1 . The'others could not-leave him.. 1 After Captain' Oates's death, Captain Scott, Dr. Wilson, and Lieutenant Bow-, ers pushed' 'northwards as fast as the weather; which • was ; abnormally bad, would let therti,, but they were forced to camp on March -2-1 in lat. 79deg.. 40m. south, long. 169deg. 25m. .'east. . They were then ll miles south of the big depot at Camip; but this 'they never reached owing,to a blizzard.which is 'known' from the records .to 'have 'lasted nine days. When, the blizzardr, over- - i* took them their food, and their fuel, gave ' out. • ■ , Captain Scott left'a pathetic message, which was found \with .his- dead ; body arid the dead bodies of his cbmrad-gs, <jf which! the following is an extract: — ' 'We took risks; We,. knew. we took them. Things have come out against us, •aiidtherefore we-have no cause for coiriplaint, - but bow- to r the -will of '-Providence, determined ■■■still- to do our best to'the last. But if -\ve'have been willing •to give :oui* lives to this entei'pi'ise,, which is for the-honour :of our countrymen,. I appeal to our countrymen to see that ■those who depend on. usi ai'e properly cared for. Bad we lived I. should:.-■have had a tale to tell .of'. thei.hai'dihood, durance, and. courage of my companions ; which- would have- stirred the :heart of every Englishman. These rough notes and our dead bodies must tell the tale. But surely a. great, iuch< country "ike •ours will see tna-t those who are. .dependent on us are properly provided for."-" ■ ■. j The last woi'dt? were pot penned' m i vain. Britain lias cared lor the de-pen- i dant-s-of the hei-oejg. The Mawson expedition was also marked by the. loss of those who accompanied the leader on-his sledge-trip. The firstdisaster was-'Che Ridden, death, of 'Lieut. Ninnis, who fell .into 'a crevasse j apparently falling:.through the snow-bridge which had supported the- ■ rest of- l>he party. With, hint .fell-thfc bulk of- the and 1 '- the . consequent privations caused.the death.jo'f Br. - Hertz, -the' JSwiss skii-runner, ■ who - was unable to draw nourishment > from -the- /flesh of starving doers.- - ■■ : •■•■■'