Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-13


Sir Douglas MawSon Is one OF the
most distinguished living explorers man who
not only knows the Great White South In her
most relentless moods, but who has already
experienced adventures enough on the ice bar
rier, the mere telling of which would I'LL book.
His first journey to the Anthracite was as q
member Of the Shackleton expedition Of 1907.
when he made seve al long sledge journeys and
was one OF the first party to climb Mount
Erebus, the towering ice-covered mountain that
rears its head 1880 feet above the plateau.
His next exploit was to set out accompanied by
Sir Edgeworth David and DR.. Forbes Mackay to
discover the South Magnetic Pole.
The little band of intrepid explorers achieved
their object after jon: ney Of over 1900 miles
OF sledge travelling in itself q great feat OF
endurance 1t during the journey that
Mawson first realized the possibility of further
land exploration. OutpostS had been thrown
ashore by former expeditions at Cape Adair In
the east and Gaussbeg in the west. Between
them lay . vast region far away from the track
of any former expeditions.
Upon the return of the Shackleton expedition
in 1909 Mawson resolved to go south in
order to penetrate farther into the mysteries
Of the unknown region. To do SO meant facing
once more the ze:o temperatures billiards.,
treacherous ice felds-a hundred dangers-but
the fascination was too strong to be resisted,
and as soon as he could gather the necessary
funds he purchased the scaling vessel Aurora
ana organized the AUSTRALIAN AnC2rCLlc eXpc-
dition Of l9ll19l4.
With stout hearts and high hopes the ship
load of explorers sailed away. AS the coast line
of Australia faded into the mistS of evening
and the Aurora turned her bow into the land
of ice, how were those aboard to know that she
carried two of that gallant band to their deaths
tSpon the polar trail, and that another-Sir
Douglas Mawson himsch-before he saw the
shores Of his homeland again was to face death
in its most painful foim alone in the awful
silence of the empty south and escape its cold
= breath only after one Of the most terrible
ordeals experienced in the history OF explora-
ton?
DEFORE relating the story Of this ordeal .
- word or two may be said about the condi-
tions under which sledge journeys are made In
the Antarctic. 1t is so easy to write, They
loaded up the sledges and covered Is miles that
day" but the reader who knows only that much
cannot guess what it means to cover hundreds
Of miles in terrible weather without fresh food
and in constant peril of cold snow blindness
terrible death or leave them to the lingering
tortures involved in the endcavor TO struggle on
againSt impossible odds.
During sledge journeys the only shelter avail
able as protection against the worst billiards in
the world is light tent just large enough to
accommodate three men. Each man has q
sleeping bag Of reindeer skin. it having been
round that IOr clOCnlnS TAKEN OH III the HlOTn~
ing upon rising is frozen too hard to put on
again when night comes. The tent is sup
ported by five bamboo poles and is secured
against the winds that sweep across the Ice
fields by piling against the outer 1im
Before party sets out provisions are carefully
weighed out-so many ounces per man per day
land then packed in canvas bags, each con-
tsining rations for three men for week. By
this means 1t is not possible to eat too much
at the beginning of a journey without knowing
it. Only one bag must be opened each week.
Cooking Is done by lamp burning parraf1n.
and the only saucepanS carried are OF aluminium,
each Of which when filled with ice gives just
three pints of liquid.
Sledging is hard game at the best Of times
and every ounce of load counts so before q start
is made everything is cut down to the smallest
possible compass. The sledges measure IL feet
long by feet wide. drawn by dogs or men.
Sails are carried which can be hoisted to tighten
the labor Of hauling when there is a light fol-
lowing wind. Before starting out the food Is
checked and rechecked, distances out and back
are worked out carefully TO make sure there Is
no error, for should the party meet disaster the
mems lives will depend upon what is packed
upon the sledges.
Everything is planned with meticulous care.
Scientists at home have advised upon the
ratiOnS needed the stoves, tents, Sledges, every
thing have been tested again and again. 1t Is
dtfncult to believe that anything can go wrong.
Usually 1t doesn't, for before q man goes south
he Is As flt as fiddle. and before he goes on o
long sledging journey he is usually experienced
in ice work. But If something does 60 wrong
If some sudden peril threatens the little band
then death, grim and relentless dogs their every
step and is ever near-as near as it was to
Douglas Mawson during the terrible journey
whose story we are now to relate.
Three men are trekhing into the interior OF
the Antarctic Continent. With them are 16 dogs
hauling three sleGgas loaded with nearly 1000
pounds Of food and equipment. The three
men are Douglas Mawson, DR.. Mertz and Lieut..
MINIS. They are weeks out from their base.
but the weather IS good and all goes according