TRAPPED IN ICE-FIELD.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13972, 19 April 1916, Page 4

TRAPPED IN ICE-FIELD.

TWENTY MEN LEFT BEHIND IN WALK TO LAND. LONDON.. Feb. 25. Three survivors of the Wilson ' liner Sappho, which was abandoned m the ice m the White Sea, arrived at Hull yesterday, and told a graphic story of theiradventures. Twenty-three, including Captain Martin, left the ship, but one after another broke down through physical exhaustion during a four and a-half days' -journey, over the ice, and were left behind. Only three reached the shore, Jack Stokes, o' Flamborough, Martin Hanhia, of Mull, and the sacond officer Ashf ord. Tho .Sappho left Archangel on November 28, and should have reached Hull about Christmas. After leaving Archangel, said Stokes, the vessel became fixed m the ice, and the crew abandoned her on December 24. On the afternoon of Christmas. Day some of the party lay down on the ice and snow whilst the others walked about.

"About 9" p.m.. we started to walk again, and kept on all night, as there was some moonlight and the stars were out. At 10 o'clock m the morning I .Captain' Martin said: 'I cannot go • any further,' and gave the ship'£..papers and other documents' to the steward. The steward, however, would not leave him. Nineteen of us were therefore forced to leave the captain,' the steward, and one of the A.B.s, who refused to go further. "One of the firemen fell into the water, and was nearly frozen His hands were stiff and ho could hardly nrbve hi*» legs. We had to leave him behind.. The- 18 walked the whole of the second night, until 4. tlie next morning, ; when the younger men forged ahead, s.s the older men. were handicapping! them, i .'."■. "What happened ...to nine, of the others who went on ahead, I don't know," continued ,Stbkes ; "but the six of us kept on another day. . • ... "The party now consisted of second officer Ashf ord, . second engineer • „Mc•- -• Andrew, third- engineer Bartlett, the first mate. Mr Bromby, and Hanhia and myself. After traveling., further- we sighted land, but broken ice and water barred '-our' way. Mi* Bromby wis the : next man to give up. On the third it commenced to snow, and m- the evening the chief engineer gave up. "We travelled over snow three to nine feet deep, slid down hills and waded through water for 13 hours. At length a Laplander with bus xl edge and a reindeer team' discovered us about 10 miles from Sosnovetz. We were "taken to a village where a man, a doctor 1 suppose, cut away the blackened portions; of our frozen feet. Second oftioer. Ashf ord later underwent an operation."