DESERT TRAGEDY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18759, 16 July 1935, Page 2

DESERT TRAGEDY

VICTIM’S LAST LETTER SURVIVOR’S At'FOUNT PARIS, June 7. Tragic extracts from a letter written by Airs. Knight, the Englishwoman victim of the Sahara tragedy, just before she perished in the desert between In riucssam and Tamanrasset, while on a motor ear journey, are published in to-day’s Intransigeant. in a message Irom Algiers. “My Dear Jacques.” the letter runs. “L hope you have succeeded. As tor me, all is over . . . we have no more water or petrol . . . how hard it. is to open veins.” This last phrase would seem to explain. the gasties on Mrs. Knight’s body, which had apparently been self-inflicted in an attempt to end her sufferings. .Mrs. Knight, tlie widow of Air. it. W. H. .Knight-, the airman who lost his Jite in a crash near Agadez in the Sahara, and Air. Peyton, an Englishman, who lived in Switzerland-, left Agadez on .May 22 by motor ear for Nigeria. They were accompanied by two Frenchmen, M. Huebert and A!. Chauvotir. and the first stage of the journey was Tamanrasset. which they expected to reach the same night. OVERLOADED CAR An account- of how Airs. Knight came to he a member of the party and of their subsequent-adventures is now made available in. a statement by one of the rescued Frenchmen, Al. Chaiiveiir, who is still in hospital at Tamanrasset. “We readied Agadex without inn dent.” said Al. t.Tiaiiveur. “There \ve met Mrs. Knight who. wishing to return to England, asked us to take her across the desert. The ear was already over loaded, hut. we agreed to take her. Airs. Knight- took im luggage, and to lighten the ear we sacrificed some provisions. We carried about five gallons of water. “When a lion l midwnv to Tamanrasset we took on some more wafer from a well. An hour later two tracks opened out lielore ns, and fate led us lo choose that hv which we made a fatal dolour of nearly 40 miles to (lie east. “On the morning of May 2a our peirot was exhausted. (ini- situation (bon was alarming, for our food was inadequate and onr water supply was nearly finished. MIRAGES “We spent the day in scooping out a hole under the car in which to obtain some relief from the burning sun. As the day advanced we became more and more unnerved. “At about 5 o'clock in the evening. .Mr. Peyton and Mrs. Knight decido<l-to set off iii an attempt to walk to to Guezzan. We gave Ihem the rema.iiiing water —something under 5? pints cacti-and they set off. “AL Huebert and myself remained in the hole under the car. It was not till May 28 that we were rescued by AL l.edimrdouzz.i.” The two Frenchmen wire in a somewhat- demented condition when found. They raved of mirages and of hearing cascades of water. They are slid lying very ill at Tamanrasset.

It is learned that Airs. Knight and Mr. Peyton made good progress in their walk towards In Guexgam during (lie night of May 23-24. They were conquered by the sun. however, in the afternoon.'

When they had covered about 20 miles Ah'. Peyton, how had only an ordinary sofi hat to protect him, was stricken

down with sunstroke. The last drop of water had been drunk. Mrs. Knight was able lo go only about half a mile farther. The courageous woman had lint a few weeks earlier seen her husband crash ‘to Iris dealli in this same Sahara.