Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 130, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 May 1913 — PERISHED IN DESERT [ARTICLE]

PERISHED IN DESERT

Story of Burke and Wills’ Fatal Exploring Expedition Recalled.

Disaster Caused by Bad Luck Due to Incompetence—-Beven Member* of Party Who Attempted to Cross Australia Succumb.

Sydney, N. S. W. —One of tile saddest stories In connection with the exploration of Australia Is that of Burke and Wills, whose monument terms one of the principal sights In Melbourne, a lofty pillar of stones in the Royal park, showing the precise spot whence the 111 fated explorers, accompanied by a party of thirteen others, including two German scientists, together with two years’ supplies carried by camels, started in 11660 to cross Australia from south to north. Stuart had made an unsuccessful attempt fifteen years previously at a cost of £4,000 (920,000) to perform a similar feat, and Stuart hid made two failures, although by a singular coincidence he ultimately succeeded In the attempt The overland telegraph posts still in use mark the course which he took and he was borne through the streets of Adelaide in triumph, though a physical wreck, on the very day that the,bodies of Buirke and Wills arrived on their way to their last resting place in Melbourne.

The story, which is graphically told in Life, is one of remarkable enterprise, equipped regardless of expense, utterly ruined by incompetence and bad luck, the one, indeed, being the cause of the other. Burke, who had been a captain In the Australian army and subsequently Inspector of police at Melbourne, knew nothing of the Australian bush, was “haphazard In his methods, kept no journal of his own on the expedition,” and according to one who knew him well, “used to alter his mind so often that it was not possible at times to understand what he really did mean.”

I,*indells, 'who was originally second in command, left the expedition at un early stage, and predicted certain disaster at Cooper’s creek. At Menindle, on the Darling, Burke and Wills, the surveyor, with six others pushed forward to Cooper’s creek, leaving Wright to follow with the bulk of the supplies “at the earliest moment”

lYom Cooper's creek Burke again puibed forward with Wills, King and Gray, half a dozen camels and an altogether Inadequate equipment of stores, and made a dash for the sea, leaving Brahe with three men and ample supplies, verbally instructing him to follow on Burke’s tracks when Wright arrived. Burke managed to reach the Fllndau which had a tidal motion, showing D>at the sea was not far off, but as the little party had nearly exhausted theiryprovisions, they determined to return to thq camp at Cooper’s creek. On the vay they lost one of the men from starvation, the single day’s delay caused by burying their comrade being responsible for the death of both.

Various expeditions were organized from Melbourne to find the missing men, one of which discovered King, a wasted figure, "covered with some scarecrow rags and part of a hat,” who showed them the place where Burke and Wills had died. It Is a curious fact that, whereas Burke’s last orders to Burke were that be should shoot the blacks down at *nce If they gave any trouble, they were almost the only ones who shed tears over his grave, and it was through their unfailing kindness that King's life was saved.

Altogether seven pemben of the expedition perished, white the sum actually spent on it amounted to £67,000 <|285,000). by far the largest sum, we are told, that was ever spent in Australian history on a single exploring expedition. And yet, by a strange irony, though the weather oopdtttona were perfect, food abuad-

ant stores ample, and there was every reason to expect that the expedition would be attended by greater results, It was a failure from beginning to end. from sheer lack of those qualities which, though all else may be provided, are in the long run Indispensable to success.