The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-08-10
Frank Wild and Companions
Endured Months Of Danger
and Privation Rather Than
Return to Australia With
out Explorers.

The first account has reached England
Of the experiences Of Frank Wild and
seven companions, all under thirty years
Of age, who, forming the second base Of
DR.. Mawson's antarctic expedition, with
characteristic pluck elected to be landed
on a moving antarctic glacier rather than
return to Australia A year later they
were rescued with great d4fficulty by
Capt Davis. of the Aurora The chief
result Of their exploration was the dis
covery Of a great tract Of land, with $50
miles Of coast line. probably extending
to the pole itself. which has been named
Queen Mary's Land.
Speaking to Reuters representative of
his experiences, Mr.. Wild said:
I'VE left Mawson at his base in Adele
Land on January 10 of last year with or
ders to form a second base on Sabrina
Land or Knox Land. The former We
soon ascertained did not exist. and i'm
penetrable pack prevented US from get
ting within sixty miles of sKnox Land.
with the result that. instead Of two miles.
We cruised for 100 miles, and still found
no chance of landing. On February II
we sighted a glacier. which had probably
been mistaken by Wilkes for Termination
Land, and on the 18th found a landing.
this being Shackleton Glacier. 1t looked
an impossible spot. 1t was clearly
moving glacier. and its terrible cliffs a
hundred feet high were badly broken and
crevassed.
ct fully realized the possibility Of It
breaking away. but thought the risk
worth taking. However. asked all my
people separately IL they were willing
to land, and. trusting in my judgment.
they cheerfully consented. We had
thought Of landing on a fast noe fve
or six years old, which We had seen some
days previously, but fortunately did not,
or We should have all been lost. Land
ing our hut, stores. &C.. and hosting
them up this dangerous cliff was long
and difficult business, and our next care
was to move them from the broken edge
to a spot $40 yards distant. where we
erected our hut.
Life On the Glacier.
During these operations the whole
party worked fourteen hours q day, and
six days after the Aurora had departed
we were able to leave our tents and oc-
cupy the hut. During this period the
varied 10 degrees, dropping
as low as minus Is Fahrenheit. We COW
cred 1856 miles in dragging our stores be-
tween the glacier edge and the hut The
next morning VIC maoo PIePAi1aons LUZ
but were detained until the mid
lie Of March by billiards and snow drifts
fifteen feet In depth. In the meantime
Ill the sea Ice blew away. leaving US with
l perpendicular glacier edge up which it
vas impossible for penguins or seals to
reach, and for FIVE months we had to de-
PEND entirely on timed foods.
I'VE soon found 1t impossible to go on,
md turned back for home. Carrying only
fifty pounds per man the going was 20
aard that we only covered mile and a
quarter in eight hours. down hill and
sinking three feet in snow. When. two
niles from ou- hut another blizzard held
- up; one tent collapsed, and Its three
were unable to move or get
'ood for thirty-six hours.
The winter was very bad, with constant
Iales, but We managed to keep well and