St. Johns review. (Saint Johns, Or.) 1904-current, 1913-02-28

-,HE world h mourning Captain
Robert 4. Scott, British cx'
plorcr. lie reached the South
Pole. Moro than n year ago
captain Scott and his party came TO
the coveted region, January rs, 1919
Al the pole Captain Scott aud his men
found the tent and records left by
Captain Roald Amundson when that
explorer started bnck from the object
of his expedition. That date was De
cembor ~, 1911, about n month before
Captain Scott reached the goal. News
Of the tragedy Of the Antarctic, the
first OF It's kind, was brought 10 civil
ization by Captain scott's ship, the
Terra Nova, which had gone 20 Cape
Evans "a meet the expedition and
bring its members back, providing they
had completed their task or were ready
10 return. From the shore party left
M the Cape Evans base II was learned
that Captain scott and the four men
with him had reached the pole, but
had perished ON their way back. Cap
tain scott, Dr. Edward A. Wilson and
their way back 10 within i55 miles Of
Cape Evans, when they were caught
by a blizzard aud overcome. This was
about March 20 OF last year. They
were then within n few miles Of food
depot. whore sustenanco and shelter
would have been theirs, Previously
Petty officer Edgar Evans aud Cap
tain l.. y. q. Oates Of the lnniskillen
dragons, who had been In charge Of
the expeditions ponies and dogs, had
succumbed. Evans was the first 20
die. His death was tho result Of con-
cussion OF the brain, sustained by a
fall February ne. oates died from ex
posure March N. Six other men, al
though they had been through n peril
aus experience, were found to be safe.
These men had been sent 30 make geo.
logical Investigations 10 the east Of
Cape Evans. The records Of Captain
Scott were recovered by relief oxpe'
ditiOn.
Under the head Of Captain Scott
was written record Of the trip, kept
MP until the very moment OF death.
In his diary was found what the in
trcpid explorer called a "Message TO
the Public" This message is quoted
here, word for word;
"The risks are not due 10 faulty or
ganization, but TO misfortune in all
which had TO be undertaken. One, the
loss Of the pony transport In March,
1911, obliged me 20 start later than ]
had intended aud obliged the limits of
tho stuff transported 20 be narrowed,
"The weather throughout the out
ward journey and especially the long
gale in the 80 degrees south, stopped
ms. The soft snow in the lower
reaches Of the glacier again reduced
the pace We fought these events with
a will and conquered, but il ate into
our provisions reserve.
"Every detail Of our food supplies,
clothing and depots made ON the in
terror ice and ON that long stretch of
700 miles 20 the pole and back worked |
out 20 perfection. The advance party /
would have returned 10 the glacier in
fine form and with surplus of food /
but for the astonishing failure of the /
man whom We had least expected to
fail
"Seaman Edgar Evans was thought |
the strongest man Of the party and the
BeaTdmore glacier is not difficult in
fine weather. But on our return We
did not get single completely fine
day. This, with sick companion,
enormously increased our anNieties.
II have said elsewhere that we got
into frightfully rough ice aud Edgar
Evans received eoneussion Of the
brain. lie died a natural death, but
left us a shaken party, with the sea
son unduly advanced, But all the facts
above enumerated were as nothing to
the surprise which awaited us on the
barrier l maintain that our arrange
ments for returning were quite ade-
quate and that no one in the world