OCR Text |
Show MYSTERY IS UNSOLVED Utmost Secrecy Maintained Main-tained as to Cause of Scott Disaster London. Feb. 12 Now that the first shock of the calamity to Captain Scott has passed, people are beginning to ask what is the solution of the mystery mys-tery hinted at by tbe captain in his last pathetic story. Clrcumitant arose which took him by surprise and brought about the disaster which end cd in his death and the deaths of his four brave comrades. The utmost secrecy se-crecy Is maintained by the surviving members of the expedition as to vhat Captain Scott referred to, and Lieu tenant Evans, the second In command, has reeolutely dec lined to throw any light on the mystery at present, nor will he allow the other members of his party to explain The mysterj which the public demands de-mands be cleared up is contained li the following exiracts from Captain Scott's dlarj "We should have got through in spite of the weather but for the sickness sick-ness of my second compan'OD- Captain Cap-tain Oafes, and the shortage of fuel in our depots, for which I cannot ac count. The advance party would have returned to Glacier bay in fine form and with surplus food, but for tho astonishing failure of the man whom we had least expected to fail Mystery Deepens. Vague hints which merely serve to deepen the mystery are com eyed m an interview with the Chronicle's spe lal correspondent had with Lieutenant Lieuten-ant Evans and other officers of thi expedition on tho Terra Nova at Lyt-tleton. Lyt-tleton. N Z. Th- correspondent found Lieutenant Lieuten-ant Evans who is now in charge of the Scott expedition in the wardroom where he was chatting with several other officers of the party They talked talk-ed lor some time oi their experiences In their pioneer southern trip before the final dash to the pole by Captain Scott and his companions who perish ed. These officers told of the prtpani lions they had made at the far sou'li to recelre the triumphant explon re on their return. It had been arranged to give Captain Srott and his companions compan-ions a great welcome Everything was ready. Festivities Prepared Everything was ready and the. hole-est hole-est luxuries on board the famous ship were prepared for the expected guests when the Terra Nova arrived at the winter quarters of the expedition with colors flylnr When those on board heard the party on shore cheering thev returned the cheers and the men on iand fulU expected to see the whole p.irn safely on board A? they near d shore Lieutenant Evans shouted at the top of bis. voice "Are all well?" Then it was that Lieutenant Evans and his party learned the dreadful news and knew that all their kindlv preparations were In vail In the conversation con-versation the correspondent learned that Captain Scott was expected back at Hut Point on March 10 and that the party would then have covered nearly 1900 miles. Finally the significant sig-nificant remark In Scott's last mes sage, with regard to the astonishing failure of the man "whom we had least expected to fall Edgar Evans and also a shortage of fuel in our depot de-pot " was introduced into tbe conversation conver-sation Lp to this point the officers had been fairly communicative, but direct lv this question was introduced the;, became very reticent. Fuel Shortage "The shortage of fuel to which Captain Cap-tain Scott referred is hardly of sufficient suffi-cient importance to deal with In a communication to a newspaper." sa.d Lieutenant Evans "1 think you had better not touch upon it." The correspondent then pointed out the significance of what Captain Scott had said; that he conld not account for the shortage; that he had referred to It as one of the contributory causes Of the disaster and had suggested thar but for this and two other misfor tunes, the remnant of the party might have won That Is quite true." Lieutenant Ev-ans Ev-ans replied He then went on to ex iplain that the southern part had sufficient fuel to Inst one month lonc-er lonc-er than the time they expec ted to take for the whole Journe to the pole and back. Then the suggestion Is that thev ought to have been Independent of th" depots?" was asked Serious Details-"Yes." Details-"Yes." Lieutenant Fvans replied. ; "that i6 so. Of the four parties who ,came back after supnor,i,lP the polar :part, hardly one reached th" base of 'supplies with more than a day's fuel In hand." The correspondent then asked Offi jeer Adair to what shortage Captain Scott could posslbh have referred to and for which he wrote that he could not account for at this time. At this Lieutenant Evans said he did not wiBh to discuss the matter further jand repeated his previous remark tb;it li was not a subject with which he I thought It necessary to deal at present pres-ent The correspondent then asked ! him if Surgeon Atkinson, the leader of the search party, who was present might answer questions "Yes. Lieutenant Evans replied, "but I must reserve the right to check him If the questions you put to him ; Beem undesirable " Pretext for Silence Just then Lieutenant Pennell. anoth er member or the expedition, but not lone of those In the search party. In terposed "I think." he said, "that It would be highly undesirable tu enter Into de-, taUs. some of whlcb might hurt peo- j pie's feelings and It would be merely pandering to the morbid tastes of a, section of the public to publish things which had better uot b- published " Li-uiena-nr Lvans concurred m this view and consequently Surgeon Atkln son said nothing at the time and the attempt to throw auy I'xb' "P0" tne significant and Important passages In Scott's diary has proved a failure Tbe Impr.-sslou received from tho1 conversations Is thai explanations v ill b- maae. bin nut yel The urn-cpondont urn-cpondont Is not in position io taj that the shortage of foe' svas Cauaed , by any one's carelessness, although1 lhat seems to he implied by Taptaln Beotfa words Great surprise is expressed here a' Onptaln Scott's reference to Seaman Edgar Evans Evans accompanied Scott on his first attempt to reach the j pole ten years ago and the lender then praised him highly |