The Mena weekly star., 1913-02-13
CAPT. SCOTT KNEW HOW TO DIE
Wrote Farewell Message to World as Death Came in Polar Storm.

Wrote Farewell Message to World as Death Came in Polar Storm. London, Feb. 1.-The story of how five heroes died is told in ex- cerpts from the diary of Capt. Rob ert F. Scott, written as death came from exposure and hunger in the antarctic blizzard The farewell message was found with the bodies of the heroes and bits of it were signaled from the Terra Nova, the masterless ship, as it passed Oa- maru, New Zealand, yesterday.
 Grief and pride in the simple mar rative of high courage, endurance and sacrifice given in the message are close competitors for doml- nance in the feelings of the British public today.
 How Heroes Met Death.
 Tt is white and not a black mourning we wear for these gall lant souls who have done and dared so greatly was the comment Of a cabinet minister. The closing words of Capt. Scott's epic were:
 Had we lived l should have had tale to tell of the hardihood, the endurance and the courage Of my companions which would have stir red the heart of every Englishman. These rough notes and our dead bodies must tell the tale. But sure ly, surely a great and rich country like ours will see that those who are dependent upon us are properly provided for
 T do not regret this journey which has shown that Englishmen can endure hardships, help one an other and meet death with as great fortitude as ever in the past.
 The words have had an electric effect. Steps were taken at once to respond to his appeal by assuring a comfortable future for those de- pendent on the men who, while waiting certain death, could still write that they did not regret their journey.
 The HcroiSm of Capt. Oakes.
 The excerpts so far received in dicate that Capt. Oakes, whose hands were terribly frozen, feared he might detain the other and so deliberately wandered out into the gale to perish and be out of the way of his companions.
 The others later tried to push on, but were forced into camp again March 2i, after nine days of strug- gle in the blizzard. Food and fuel both were exhausted.
 Probably realizing that his party was doomed, Capt. Scott entered III his diary four days later, March 25: "A message to the public" In this he said the disaster was not due to faulty organization, but to misfor- tune. He said nobody in the world could expect successfully to en- counter such temperature and storms as they had met on the barrier, which so retarded their progress.
 A Cairn Over the Bodies.
 According to the dispatches, the Terra Nova relief party which found the bodies read simple Du- rial ritual oyer them. A calrn was erected over the bodies.
 The relief expedition then set out in search for the body of Capt. Oakes, but although they covered over 20 miles they discovered no trace of it.
 It was with great difficulty that the party brought back all of the records, including Amundsen's let ter to the king of Norway, and a large quantity of geological speci- mems.
 March 25, 1912, the date of Capt Scott's last message to the pubic, is believed to have been written only four days before death over took the party.
 Arranged to Divide Rewards.
 Captain Scott's interest in the welfare of the men was emphasized by practically the last business ne transacted before he left to join the expedition in New Zealand-the sale of his story.
 He declined to make any private profit from the transaction and de- cided that the total receipts should go to increase the financial reward of the men who had undertaken to Share with him the dangers of the antarctic region.
 Mrs. Scott is assured of good pension from the British govern ment, A memorial service for Capt Scott and his companions is to be held in St. Paul's cathedral Friday. Flags in all parts of London are at half mast today.