Milford chronicle., 1913-02-14
STORY
OF DISASTER
Tells Of Terrible March Back
From South Pole.
Oates BODY NOT FOUND
Diary Tells Of Suffering and Death In
Storm When Within Eleven Miles

Details of the disaster in which Cal
tain Scott and four OF his men pc
ished in the Antarctic were brough
to London in special dispatches.
Captain Scott, DR.. Edward A. Wi
son and Lieutenant II. X. Bowers die
within eleven miles of the depot Q
One Ton Camp, 155 miles north O
the South Pole, and their bodies Ia
in their tent nearly eight months be
fore they weer found by a rescu
party.
All of the members OF the party di'
not die OF starvation. Edgar Evan
and Captain L. E. G. Oates, who wer'
the first to go, were victims of Othe
agencies. Evans slipped upon the ic'
and suCcumbed to concussion OF tn
brain on Feb. II last. One month latel
Captain Oates, weak from scurvy
frozen feet, frozen hands and tester
staggered from the Samp one night
saying that he might not return fol
some time" That was on March Il
last. He was never seen again and
his body was not found.
The records of Captain Scott were
recovered by a relief expedition. They
showed that he and his party had
reached the South Pole on Jan. IS
1912. There they found the tent and
records left by Captain Roald Amund
sen when he quit the pole on Dec. H.
1911.
Six other men of the Scott expedi-
tion, who had been through a perilous
experience, were found to be safe and
well. They composed Lieutenant W.
L. A. Campbells expedition, which had
been sent to make geological investi-
cations to the east Of Cape Evans.
The search party left Cape Evans
after the winter on Oct 80 last. The
party, which was organized by Sur
geon Atkinson, consisted Of two divi-
sions, Atkinson taking the dog teams,
with Wright being in charge Of par
ty including Nelson, Gran, Lashiey,
Cream, Williamson, Keohane and
Hooper, with seven Indian mules.
They were provisioned for three
months, as they expected an extended
search.
One Ton Camp was found in order
and all proyisioned.
Proceeding along the old southern
route, Wright's party sighted Captain
Scott's tent on Nov. y. Within it were
found the bodies of Captain Scott, DR..
Wilson and Lieutenant Bowers. They
had saved their records, hard pressed
as they were.
From these papers the following in
formation was CLEANED:
The first death was that OF Seaman
Edgar Evans, petty officer Of the royal
navy, who died Feb. II at the foot Of
Beardmore Glacier His death was ac-
celerated By a concussion of the brain
sustained while travelling over the
rough ice some time before.
Captain L. E. G. Oates, of the Sixth
Inniskillen Dragons. was the next
lost. His feet and hands had been
badly frostbitten from exposure on the
march Although he struggled on he
on March 16 his comrades
knew that his end was approaching.
He had borne his intense suffering for
weeks without complaint, and he did
not give up hope to the very end.
On March Is Oates was really IN
able to travel, but the others could
not leave him, and he would not hold
them back. After his gallant death,
Scott, Wilson and Bowers pushed on
northward whenever the abnormally
bad weather would permit them to
proceed. They were forced to camp
on March q in latitude 79 degrees 40
south, longitude 169 degrees (
% minutes east, eleven miles south OF
the big depot al One Ton Camp.
This refuge they never reached ow- /
ing TO a blizzard, which is known from /
the records of the party at Cane /
Evans to have lasted nine days, over /
taking them, and their food and fuel
gave out and they succumbed to ex-
posure.
In Captain Scott's diary Surgeon At I
kinson found the following, written |
shortly before his death:
This message to the public:
THE causes of the disaster are not |
due to faulty organization, but misfor.
tune in all the risks which had to be
Writing is difficult, but for my
own sake do not regret this Journey,
which has shown that Englishman
can endure hardships, help one an.
other and meet death with as great
a fortiude as ever in the past. We
took risks. We knew we took them
Things have come out against us, and
therefore we have no cause for com
plant, but bow to the viii of provi
ience, determined still to do our best
TO the last
"But if we have been willing to give
our lives to this enterprise, which is
ior the honor Of our country, / appeal j
10 our countrymen to see that those
who depend on us are properly cared
Tor. Had we lived l should have y
tale to tell of the hardihood, endur
lnce and courage of my companions
which would have stirred the hearts
II every EEglishman.