MT. EVEREST EXPEDITION

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LVI, 17 June 1924, Page 3

MT. EVEREST EXPEDITION

ADVANCE CHECKED

(Ry Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) (Australian and N.A Uable Assoeiaijou.

LONDON, June 15.

Advices from the Everest expedition dated 26th May show that the advance was -again temporarily defeated after ascending to camp four on North Col. The cxwdit-ion is now recuperating at the base camp and camp two before making a fresh attempt. Only for superhuman efforts some members of the party and a number of porters would have lost their lives. The conditions at camp four at a height of 23,000 feet were found to be most dangerous. It was decided to evacuate it. While Mr Hazard was shepherding porters down a treacherous descent four lost their nerve and returned to the camp. Their only food was a sack of meal. The others reached camp three. Snow is falling heavily and the cold is extreme, with 50 degrees of frost. It was realised that unless the marooned porters were quickly rescued their doom would he sealed. Next morning Messrs Mallory, Norton, and Somervell started on the dangerous ascent and managed after tremendous efforts to reach the porters and bring them safely to camp three at an altitude at 21,000 feet. They were terribly exhausted and almost frozen. Snoxv fell continuously for twentysix hours, with fifty-six degrees of frost, the lowest temperature experienced on any Everest expedition. Sleep was impossible, not only due to the extreme cold but to prolonged fits of coughing. There was no sign of improvement-, but, many indications of the monsoon breaking. Consequently on 24th May the main party retreated to the base camp, a smaller‘party remaining at camp two.