The Second Black Plague Part 6

Updated Sunday 15 May, 2011 12:18 PM

The Second Black Plague: Anatomy of a Doomsday Pandemic

Part 6

by Chris Oakley

adapted from & inspired by material previously published at Othertimelines.com

From the December 18^th, 1970 Auckland Daily Mail:

PREPARATIONS COMMENCE FOR SECOND N.Z. SCIENTIFIC EXPEDITION TO NORTH AMERICA

Several Veterans Of First Expedition Among Volunteers For New Venture

From a letter by the prime minister of New Zealand to the leader of the first North American expedition, dated December 21^st, 1970:

Let me be the first to wish you luck as you return to the inquiry you were unfortunately

compelled to abandon last July...

From Mr. L’s diary entry for Christmas Eve 1970:

Listened to the radio news for the first time in a dog’s age and heard about the second

expedition to North America shoving off later today. Wouldn’t it be great if this time

they actually found some survivors? Morale in this country would pick up like nobody’s

business...

From the December 27^th, 1970 Auckland Daily Mail:

RDS DEATH TOLL UP TO 6000 IN N.Z., 450,000 IN AUSTRALIA, 3.97 BILLION WORLDWIDE

From the paper’s December 30^th, 1970 edition:

SECOND NORTH AMERICAN EXPEDITION EXPECTED TO LAND IN HAWAII AROUND
NEW YEAR’S DAY

From the logbook of the second New Zealand Special Scientific Expedition to North America, entry dated January 1^st, 1971:

For the first time in nearly seven years, I find myself able to say the words ‘Happy New

Year’ with a degree of conviction. We finally have a glimmer of hope that human life

has survived somewhere other than Australia or New Zealand....

From the January 3^rd, 1971 Auckland Daily Mail:

FIRST REPORT FROM NEW NORTH AMERICA EXPEDITION EXPECTED WITHIN NEXT 72 HOURS

From the logbook of the second New Zealand Special Scientific Expedition to North America, entry dated January 4^th, 1971:

The radio signal is getting stronger by the minute as we get nearer to its source. I

expect that within 12 hours, 24 at most, we will know for certain whether it is being

transmitted by human beings or automatic relays...

From Mr. L’s diary entry for January 6^th, 1971:

Bummer. The first report from the Hawaii expedition is delayed on account of weather

problems on this end of the radio link....atmosphere’s playing hell with radio reception--

which probably explains why I had trouble hearing the news last night. When the report

does come through, I hope it’s good news...

From the logbook of the second New Zealand Special Scientific Expedition to North America, entry dated January 7^th, 1971:

We’ve pinpointed the source of the radio signal as being located approximately

twelve miles from our current base camp. I have already dispatched a scouting

party to follow the signal to its origins and expect a report from them by nightfall…

From the front page of the Auckland Daily Mail that same day:

N.Z. DEATH COUNT FROM RDS NOW EXCEEDING 8000;

AUSTRALIA TOLL EXPECTED TO REACH 500,000 WITHIN 2-3 WEEKS

From the logbook of the second New Zealand Special Scientific

Expedition to North America, entry dated January 8^th, 1971:

The scouting party, after an unforeseen delay, has finally returned with their

report on the radio signals’ source…there are no words to describe my reaction

when they told me what they had learned….

To Be Continued

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