El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-01-27
STARVED DOC IS
ARCTIC DELICACY
Wilkes Tells of Wind that
Rips Tin Flags, and Sea
Elephants % Feet Long.

Elephants 70 FeeG Long
Washington, D. c., Jan. 27.-Telling
Of times when dog meaL-and the meat
Of starved to death dogs at that
tasted better than any porterhouse
steak he had ever eaten; picturing
region where the average velocity OF
fbe wind is so miles, where bunting
fl.-- --oas to shreds in a few minutes, Il
7ap Of stoutest canvas is threshed 10
nieces in an hour, and flag OF TN
is battered out of shape in the 1lrst
frale so that sheet iron IS the nateIlel
that must be used; describing sea ele-
infants that weigh sometimes as mucR
&c fo11r- tons each ard measure % feet
in length, Sir Douglas MaWson mas
,resented before the National Geo
rraD1fc society one Of the most re-
markable stories of polar exploration
that has ever come from those req IONS.
In his account of his researches along
the great Antarctic continent dlscoV-
cred by rear admiral Charles wilkes
who was the same admiral Wilkes who
figured in the historic Trent aIIalr,
in which he, during the American civil
war, held up the British Packet
Trent" and removed from her mason
and SlidelI-Sir Douglas paid tribute
to the explorer and his work
An Australian Expedition.
Nawson and his party undertook the
work under the patronage OF the AUS
tralian government me steamer Au-
rOra formerly plying in American
waters. was the ship that carried them
away. A midway base with wireless
relay station through which the party
could keep in touch with CIVILIZATION
was established at Macquarle lSland'
which was on the old SAILING snip route
between Australia and Cape Horn, ana
whose beaches are lined with the
wrecks of many a ship. The main base
was established at Cape DennlSon, on
the Antarctic continent, and second
base several hundred miles further
east.
Pictures were brought back by Sir
Douglas showing the nesting places
Of number Of birds Of passage who
go to the Polar continent to nest and,
whose eggs have never been seen be-
fore The birds and sea elephants We're
absolute strangers to fear, ana would
inspect the camera man with as much
seeming interest as the camera man in
spected them.
Land Of Great Winds.
The character Of the winds that blow
on the edge of the Antarctic continent
was graphically shown by the fact
that the men had to lean out upon It.
at an angle Of perhaps 45 degrees, 10
walk in the ordinary wind, Whlle no
camera could record anything but a
blank when the blizzard was at its
height
The hut which was the headquar-
ters Of the party, had one window,
which was in the roof. The breath OF
the men and the steam Of the kitchen
caused this to become frosted over to
a thickness Of five inches. Men gong
out to take the records of the climatic
logical instruments had to break the
ice that froze before their faces, from
one side Of their hoods TO the other, and
pictures showing how their faces were
covered with great patches of frost bite,
told an eloquent story of suffering.
Chasing Leg Of Mutton.
But the scene was not all somber-
The cellar was a natural refrigerator,
and consisted simply or the space IN
der the floor of the hut, When the
cook wanted a piece Of meat he would
send a dog down TO get penguin or
leg of mutton, and would take it away
from him as ne came out. one day the
dog got away with a leg OF mutton
which was rescued only after a chase
of two hours: and then it was so dam
aged that the party voted to give 1t TO
the dogs after all Reading matter
was in great demand. One OF the party
read the Encyclopedia Britannica
/ through to the O's.
Upon one occasion Sir Douglas set
out with Dr. Mertz and Lieut. MINIS
on a coast chartering expedition. After
going about 200 miles MINIS and his
sledge were lost in a great crevasse.
Hours OF calling brought no response,
and the smashed to pieces sledge at the
bottom, told a painful story OF MS rate.
! Thereafter Mawson and MertZ turned
( around and started back to camp. They
ate all the dogs one by one, as they
died by starvation
"OId Ginger" Il Enten.
I 4 Finally there was only one dog left
I old Ginger. "Old Ginger was a noble
animal" said Sir Douglas, "and he was
/ game to the last. But when he died
( Of that sheer hunger OF the Antarctic
wilderness of ice and snow, Mertz and
I [ had to eat his carcass. We ate the
4 bony parts first, breaking every bone
so as to get out the marrow. Raw dog
meat may not sound well at the dis
( lance, or when one is this far removed
I from the ultimate hunger in which the
! stomach seems 20 attack its very self,
/ but there it tasted as good IS anything
I you ever ate.
CrnuIs 100 Miles.
Finally Merit began TO siclSen and
/ TO weaken, and in a few days, Jan. II
/ it was, he died. I almost turned canni-
! bal, so starved-Out was my condition,
! but with it all I buried him, and then
! started back on the hundred mile journey
( that lay between me and safety. Sore
| of body and sick Of mind, it was more
J by crawling than by walking that
/ was able to get back to camp, only ia
/ see the Aurora disappearing over the
] horizon. 1t left provisions for me, how
/ ever, and six men TO search for me
} Nothing but Providence saved me from
/ the fate Of Merit and Minis"
Sir Douglas showed pictures Of beds
! OF coal that tell Of q time when trOpiC
| summer once reigned in this great
/ home of the billiards. and others re-
-