The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-06-20
From the London News.

From the London News.
rHE first account has reached this
country of the experiences of Frank
L Wild and seven companions. all less
than % years old, who. forming the sec
ond base OF DR.. Douglas Mawson's Ant
arct expedition, with characteristic pluck
chose to be landed on Il moving Antarc-
tic glacier rather than return to Aus
tralia. A year later they We're rescued
with great difficulty by Captain Davis Of
the relief ship Aurora. Ths chief result
of their exploration was the discovery 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.
Mr.. wild tehs the following story of
his party's experiences.
I'VE left Mawson at his base in Adele
land January 10, last year. with orders to
Knox land. The former we soon ascer-
tained did not exist and impenetrable
pack prevented us from getting wit.iln 20
miles of Knox land, with the result that
instead OF two miles we cruised for 1900
miles and still found no chance of land
ing. February il we sighted glacier.
which had probably been mistaken by
Wilkes for Termination land, and on the
18th found landing. 1t looked an i'm
glacier, and its terrible cliffs 10 feet high
were badly broken and crevassed.
Il fully realized the possibility of its
breaking away, but thought the risk
worth taking. However, / asked all my
people separately If they were willing to
land, and trusting In my judgment they
cheerfully consented. We had thought Of
landing on fast foe. five or six years
old, which We had seen some days pre-
viously, but fortunately did not, or we
should have all Lcen lost. Landing our
hut and stores, and iloisting them up this
dangerous cliff, was a long and difficult
business, and our next care was to move
them from the broken edge to spot GAO
yards distant, where we erected out hut.
During these operations the whole
party worked ii hours a day. and six
days after the Aurora had departed we
were able to leave our tents and occupy
the hut. During the period tae tempera-
ture varied 40 degrees, dropping as low
as minus is Fahrenheit. We covered ls5
miles in dragging stores between the
glacier edge and the hut. The next
morning we made preparations for sleds-
ing. but were detained until the middle
of March by blizzards and snowdr.fts Is
feet deep. In the meantime all the sea
ice blew away. leaving lis with a Fer
pendicular glacier edge UP which it was
Impossible for pcng,iins or seals to reach.
and for Ave months we had to depend en-
tireiy on timed foods.
1--WE soon found it impossible TO go on,
and turned blcl for home. When two
miles from our hut another blizzard held
us up: ono tent collapsed and its three
occupants were unable to move or get
food for Sc hours.
"The winter was very bad. with con-
stant gales, but We managed to keep well
and cheerful. We had regular routine,
meals at stated hours. work In morning
and afternoons off, and we amused our
selves with hockey. football and skiing in
fne weather. and chess. draughts and
cards when unable to venture out. Every
Sunday 1 conducted divine service in the
morning and We did nothing except es-
sentfal camp work. In August we again
made preparations for sledging, one party
Of three going eastward and another to