SCOTT STORY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 24 September 1913, Page 5

SCOTT STORY.

THE LATEST INSTALMENT. ' A DISAPPOINTED PARTY. (Received Last Night, 10.25 o'clock.) LONDON, Sept. 23. The Strand .Magazine has published a further instalment of the Scott story. It states that when beyond Shackelton's most southern point on January 9th, the party encountered a blizzard, and two days later, when they were within eighty-five miles of the Pole, they experienced heavy pulling, the sledge rasping and creaking. They covered only six miles a day. No one ever had such hard work before. The story continues: "With four more marches of double figures we ought to get through. It is going to be a .close thing. On the 15th wo made our last depot of four days' food, twenty-seven miles from the Pole, and with nine days' provisions. On the 16th Bowers' sharp eyes detected what seemed to be a cairn, then a black specK. Before long we found a black flag tied to a sledge bearer, and sledge tracks, ski tracks and many traces of dogs' paws. This told the whole story. The Norwegians had arrived 1 first. It is a terrible disappointment and i am very sorry for my loyal companions, but they are determined to carry out their compact, and tho next day we march to the actual Pole and hasten homo with all speed. Certainly the Norwegians found a easier way up than we did. On the 17th we made our sixtieth camp at the Pole. There is a high headwind with the temperature of 22 degrees. There was a curious damp feeling which chilled to , the bone. Meanwhile the unfatitmable Bowers, laying himself out, gets sights under difficult circumstances." On the 18th Bowers saw a little tent two miles from the Norwegian camp. In it we found records and the names of five Norwegians who were there on December 16th. 1911. Mitts and warm things were left in the tent as though the weather had been warmer than was expected, also a note from CapfaTn Amundsen, asking Captain Scott to send the letter to King Haakon of Norway. The party then built a cairn, at the Pole camp and hoisted the Union Jack, and photographed themselves. "We found an old underrunner of a sledge, and commandeered! it as a yard for our'sail. Finally we tied 1 the Union Jack to a stick, as near the true position of the Pole as we could fix. On the. 19th we started homewards. Heavy dragging was met with notwithstanding the use of a sail. The surface was bad and drifting snow clung to the ski. The pulling- was really awful and there was heavy pulling before us for a hundred miles, where it had been difficult enough dragging downhill." Four days later we encountered blizzards, and for three days the guiding cairns were visible half a mile away. We repeatedly lost the track. Lieut. IJvans is badly frost bitten on the hand. Captain Oates is suffering from the cold, and all of us are getting pretty thin and we are resting jn wet sleeping bags. On February 4th Captain Scott and Lieutenant Evans fell down a crevasse. The latter had another fall when he must have struck his head and received concussion of the brain. On February Bth the party missed the way on the summit, .'which ended in our being caught in a maze of crevasses and huge unbridged chasms. Food was running low, hut at length wo discovered the long-looked-for depot. The journey from the summit to the Pole occupied twenty-seven days and tho return journey twentyone. For nearly seven weeks we experienced low temperatures and almost incessant wind. The descent of the glacier took eleven days. Being out of the wind we devoted part of the day to geological work and found veritable coal seams. February 11th was the worst day of the trip. Turning east out of an area of ice pressure, we became entangled in a regular trap of irregular crevasses. A hbrrible light made everything look fantastic. Wa went short of supper, only one meal remaining in the bag. Pray Godl we may have fine weather to-morrow. On the thirteenth we slept well after tea and one biscuit. We theri pushed ahead.

TROUBLE BEGINS. DEATH OF EVANS. Received This Morning, 12.25 o'clock. LONDON. Sept. 23. Lieut. Wilson suddenly saw a depot flag at 84024" and the next day was spent at Shambles camp, where there was' plenty of horse meat. New life seemed to come with greater good, but the weather was against us. The tracks were faint and the party frequently went astray in the dim light. Evans Was getting worse and could give little help., On the 17th he lagged behind the others. AVe stopped for lunch as Evans did not appear we skied back. He showed signs of collapse ,and said he thought he must have fainted. 1 By the time the sledge was fetched Evans wass unconscious. He died in the tent after midnight. It was a swift ending for a gallant sailor. A cnapter of accident had converted tlio strongest man and the handiest artificer into a drag on the party. Ho had done much to help Wilson, who was suffering from snow blindness and cold in the feet. By March sth the fuel was lo.w. Oates was nearly done up, his feet being in a wretched state. Wilson's feet also gave trouble.