TO CLIMB EVEREST.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17245, 11 January 1924, Page 8

TO CLIMB EVEREST.

ANOTHER ATTEMPT TO BE MADE. GENERAL BRUCE AGAIN LEADER. By Telegraph Press Association—Copyright ” Times " Service. (Received January 11, 9.55 a.m.) LONDON. January 30. A rraiigemen Is have been completed ior the forthcoming third attempt to conquer Mount Everest. Brigadier(ieneral Bruce will again be in command, ai,.:l will he accompanied by Messrs Norton. Mallory, Somerveli, Noel Bruce aiid Morris, members of last year s expedition. The new members are N. E Odell, of tbe Imperial Institute of .Science, J 3. Beetham and A. ('. Irvine, of Merton College, Oxlord, and J. \ . Hazard. Major R. Kingston and E. O. Shebbearce. 'l’he climbing party will be equipped with oxygen apparatus, which will be modified in the light of last year’s experience. The expedition will leave Darjeeling at the end of March and will lollow the 1922 route via Ronguk \ alley, where it will re-establish a base camp at the end of April. They expect to renew the assault on Everest at the end of May.

Tvast year s attempt to conquer Mount Everest did not succeed ; but it was held to have shown the possibility of the undertaking, at least under favourable conditions. The expedition left Darjeeling in March, and on May 20 four of its members (Messrs Mallory, Somervell, ’Norton And Morshead) reached a height of 25,000 feet —2OOO feet higher than was attained by their predecessors in the previous spring. Three of them, leaving Moisbead behind, pressed on at once, and attained a. height of 26,800 feet without the aid of oxygen. With the help of that gas two other members (Captain G. Bruce and Mr George Finch) reached 27.300 feet, only 1700 feet fflom the summit: but there they stopped. The plan was for this to he the opening of the final attack on the mountain, to be made bet wen June 6 and 34. Unhappily, on June .3 the monsoon broke : seven of the bear ers were swept into a crevasse. and flit her attempts were made impossible by the weather. Interviewed a few weeks ago, BrigadierWGeneral Bruce gave sopie account of the plans that have been made for the next adven-tiu-e. The personnel of the new party will Lje stronger, if not larger in number. Only voung men have a chance of cliinibing above 23,000 feet. Some mistajkes will be avoided which were made last year, and much study has been given since that attempt ~ was made to che improvement of the scientific apparatus. It is doubtful wher^t 1 j tIlC P art >'’ s camps can be established further up the mountain, owing to the inability of human beings to carry stores beyond a certain height, and no animal by which stores' might be borne can ever get near .the top of Mount Everest. Jf man rearhe.s th*m he will have established at one more point bis superiority to all the beast creation 4 ' The exploit is. above all tilings, said General Bruce, "a great sporting adventure.” As such it will appeal to sports lovers throughout the World, and the bulletins of the Kenrecording progress and perils, will be read with as eager interest and as keen hopes for the partes success as they were last year