New-York tribune., 1912-04-02
NARROWLY ESCAPED DEATH
Faced Extraordinary Combina.
tion of Adverse Circum-
stances, Luck Being Per.
sistently Against Him
from the Outset.
PONIES ADRIFT ON SEA ICE
Dog Team Falling Into Crevasse, Head
of Expedition Saves Himself Only
by Hanging On to Bridge
Over Which Party Is
Travelling.
tBy Cable 70 The Tribune ]

rBy Cable 70 The Trlbunel
London, April 2.-Captain Scott's own
story leaves no doubt that the honor Of
discovering the South Pole belongs TO
his Norwegian rival, Amundsen. The
disappointment here is very great and
is only partially relieved by the 10
cision of the newspapers that. like the
Oxford and Cambridge struggle on Sat-
urday, there was no race.
Scotts narrative is a vivid record IT
splendid endeavor, indomitable courage
and thrilling adventure. Terrible
weather and an accident robbed him of
many ponies and dogs, and from first
to last he had to face an extraordinary
combination Of adverse circumstances.
The story Of the expedition is con-
tained in long statements in diary form.
The first, dated October 80. covers the
whole Of the period between January
and October, 1911, the period Of prep
arations for the actual march to the
Pole from the base at McMurdo Sound.
The second statement covers the various
stages of the march up to January 8,
when the party was in latitude ~ de-
grees 81 minutes-that Is. within one
hundred and fifty miles of the Pole.
Luck has been persistently against
Captain Scott from the outset, and dur
ing the preparatory stages of the ex-
pedition in February. 1911. he himself
had a narrow escape from death while
returning 70 his base camp on the ice
barrier His dog team suddenly fell into
erevasse, and Captain Scott was only
lsaved by hanging on 10 the bridge over
which the party was travelling.
This. however. was but the first of his
troubles On March l the ice broke up
all around the camp, forcing the sledse
party to beat a hurried retreat. The
men were rescued without much diff
Guilty and the sedges and loads were
also saved, but four of the strongest
ponies were adrift on sea Of ice, and
three Of them were lost.
Dogs Stricken with Disease.
Afterward his dogs were stricken with
a mysterious disease. from which Sev-
e-al died at the end of September.
The first Antarctic telephone came into
Use when Scott established communica-
ton with his headquarters at Hut Point.
over a distance OF fifteen miles. Every
thing was now ready for the southern
tourney, and though the motor sledges
did not work very satisfactorily on the
sea ice. Scott insists that there is great
future for them in the work OF Antarctic
| exploration.
The loss Of the ponies was a great
handicap, and for this reason a final
dash for the pole had to be delayed un-
til very late in the season. Eventually
start was made from Hut Point on
November =, the party consisting OF
Scott. DR.. Wilson, Captain Oates. Lieu
tenant Bowers, Mr.. Cherry Garrard.
Surgeon Atkinson, Mr.. Wright and
Petty Officers Evans. Cream and Keo-
hane.
Adopts Night Marches.
With the object of outstanding the re-
sources of his ponies Scott decided 10
adopt night marches and rest during the
daytime so that the ponies might get
whatever benefit was to be derived from
the warmer weather.
The motor sledge party had gone ahead
five days previously, but before Scotts
party had covered sixty miles they found
that the motors had been abandoned.
In face OF the blizzard the party pro-
ceeded southwark. and One Ton Camp
was reached on November 16.
They had already been Joined by the
dog team, and a stay of one day was
made at One Ton Camp TO give the
dogs and ponies rest.
In view Of the heavy loads to be car
ried and the losses of animals, Scott
limited his night marches to fifteen
miles, and this speed was maintained f0s
a week.
The motor party was at last oyertak.
en-, and though the motors had broken
down through the overheating of the
air cooled engines, Scott is convinced
that that system of motor propulsion
in the AnIaTCtlC is entlTely SdtlsId'loTs.
Five Ponies Sacrificed.
The dispatch from latitude s;37. dated
December 10. states that five ponies had
to be sacrificed to provide food for the
dogs. and as the party continued its
southerly course the weather became
very bad Fierce snowstorms were en-
countered and at times 1t was impossible
to see land. Nevertheless. the latitude OF
1924 was reached on December 4. and
but for the weather becoming worse
Captain Scot thinks he could have
reached the Beardmore Glacier with hve
ponies on December 5. As II was. how
ever, his progress was seriously inter-
fered with by violent gale.
The snowfall was so heavy that the
party was kept busy digging out ponies
and tents The storm lasted four days
and the depth of wet snow was so great
that the party would not have been able