The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1928-07-07
MOBILE Tells
SUFFERINGS
ON ICE
BY GEN. UNTBERTO MOBILE
Commander.in-C Chief Of the Lost
DirigibIe Italia

OnASbDAO AO0AO
Copyright. 1928. by The Washington
Herald. In the United states and
Canada. South America, Great
Britain and Cuba-World
Rightk Reserved
ABOARD THE CITTA DR. MI.
LANO, VIRGO BAY, July Thy
wireless). although I must awaiC
the return OF my stranded comrades
before disclosing fully the story OF
our long stay at the red tent camp
= a story such as / believe has sell
dom been told-there is no reason
why I should keep silent.
There are some notable episodes
that may prove interesting to many.
First, there is my dear friend
Malmgren. / feel confident that ne
will return safely with his two
companions In spite of the apparent
failure of all attempts to find traces
OF their march across the ice.
The well.known Norwegian
hunter, Kramer, came aboard yes
terday bringing supplies from KINGS
Say and In conversation with some
OF our officers expressed the view
that as no trace of the Malmgren
party had been found. the party
must therefore have been lost.
Still Has Hopes
The hypothesis that the three men
may have fallen into the depths Of
crevice while crossing from F'oyn
Island to North East Land seems to
me very far.fetched. In any case, one
might have fallen. but not all to-
gether.
Moreover, I have great faith in
1Talmgren personally. He was aboard
the Maud from 1922 to 1925 during
the historic drift of that famous boat
across the glacial Siberian ocean.
Those three years taught him all
there is to know Of polar hardship
and dangers, and how to resist them.
It was during the evening Of that
tragic May % that, opening my eyes,
saw all my comrades around me.
Malmgren, who had fallen a short
distance from me and had hardly
moved since, suddenly said:
There is nothing to be done. We
must die
Then he remained silent for some
time, sitting down on the ice with
his head resting on his arms. He
seemed to be thinking deeply. OF a
sudden he got up again and, coming
toward me, said:
thank you, general, for consent.
ing to take me with you; but now
we are going there under the wa
ter. |"
No. Malmgren. YOU have no right
to take your life. When God wills
that our hour has come, we all will
die together. but it is not for us
to anticipate Gods viii. We do not
know what He may have in store
for us, in His wisdom.
Cameras Burned
Malmgren appeared to have been
visibly moved by my words. He
said nothing at all, but sat down
again. apparently dissuaded from his
design.
In order to cook the white bear
flesh that became our staple diet,
we had to burn ali our cameras.
The only white bear we were able
to kill approached our tent out Of
sheer curiosity and was plodding
forward with obviously pacific in
tentions when Malmgren felled him
with a well.aimed shot from his re-
yolVer.
Considering the expedition from
q purely objective point Of view.
/ wish to say that despite its dis
astrous end the many scientific
purposes / had in view were
achieved with the exception of the
oceanographic work. That could
not be done without a landing at
the pole.
II only I had not determined to
make the planting of the Italian
flag at the Pole coincide with the
anniversary Of Italy's entry into
the world war on May "a, 1915. the
disaster might have been avoided.