Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1913-02-19
Tells OF STRUGGLE
DIARY KEPT BY CAPT. SCOTT DE-
scRI8Es TERRIBLE BATTLE
AGAINST DEATH.
APOLOGIES FOR HIS NOTES
sFitish Explorer Says Rough Paaes
and the Bodies Must Tell Story
Capt. Oates Left Party and Perish
ed Alone.

ed Alone.
: London, Eng, Feb. IA number
Captain Scott and four OF his men
persisted In the Antarctic are brought
here in special dispatches of the Cen
,tral News Service.
At a meeting of the Royal Geo
graphical society announcement was
made of the disaster resulting IN the
death of Captain Scott, DR.. e. A. VIII
son, Lieut.. H. r. Bowers, Capt. l.. E.
&C. Oates and Petty officer Il. Evans.
Captain SCOTS party, said Douglass
w. F'reshf1eld, Yice-presdent of the
Geographical society. in making the
announcement, found Captain Roalo
Amundsen's tent and records at the
south pole.
Overwhelmed by Blizzard.
On the return trip, about March %,
1912, eleven miles from One Ton de-
pot. blizzard overwhelmed them
They had suffered greatly from hun
ger and exposure and the death OF
Scott. Bowers and Wilson virtually
was due to that They died soon
after the blizzard swept down on the
party.
Oates died from exposure few
days later. The death of Evans re
suited from q fall. The other mem
bers of the expedition are reported 10
be in good health A searching party
discovered their bodies and records
some time later.
Captain Oates evidently set out
from the tent in which the four men
had all but succumbed to starvation
and exhaustion to brave death alone
in the blizzard which had overwhelmed
them. After struggle for weeks Win
his hands frostbitten, Oates declared
to his comrades that he was going to
set out in the storm and didn't know
when he would come back. He lett
the tent and was never seen again.
He evidently knew he was setting CUT
to meet his death alone
Give Up Struggle With Storm
The others later tried to push on
but were forced into camp again
March 81, after nine days of struggle
in the blizzard Food and fuel were
both exhausted.
Probably realizing that his party
was doomed, Captain Scott entered in
his diary four days later: "A message
to the public" In this ne declared
that the disaster was due not to faulty
organization, but to misfortune. He
said nobody in the world could expect
successfully to encounter such tenn
Deratures and storms as they had met
ON the barrier, which so retarded
their progress. When they arrived
within eleven miles of One Ton depot
they had fuel for only one hot meal
and food for two days.
The doomed explorer wrote apollo
geticalIy of his rough notes" He said
these and the bodies must tell the
tale He appealed to his Ncountrymen
for the care Of those dependent upon
the perishing explorers.
White Mourning for Victims.
Grief and pride in the simple nara
tive of high courage, endurance and
sacrifice given in Capt. Robert F
SCOTS farewell message to the world
are close competitors for dominance
in the feelings of the British public
1T is a white and not a black
mourning we wear for these gallant
souls who have done and dared sc
greatly" was the comment of cabi
net minister.
The closing words Of Captain SCOTS
epic were:
"Had we lived I should have had q
tale to tell OF the hardihood. the en-
durance and the courage of my com
Uanions which would have stirred the
heart of every Englishman These
~ough notes and our dead bodies must
tell the tale But surely, surely a
great and rich country like ours viii
see that those who are dependent
upon us are properly provided for.
Words Have Electric Effect.
These words have had an electric
effect Steps are on foot to respond
to his appeal to the nation by assur
ing a comfortable future for those de-
pendent on the men who. while await
ing certain death, still eould write
that they did not regret their jour
uey.
memorial service for Captain
Scott and ais companions Is to be
held IN ST. Paul's cathedral Friday
Flags in all parts of London are flying
at half mast
DYING NOTE FROM SCOTT.
Farewell Message From Explorer
Found on His Corpse.