SEA-KING AND VIKING.

Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 79, 3 April 1911, Page 9

SEA-KING AND VIKING.

THE TWO EXPLOBBBS' CHANCES.

ANALYSIS.

-t lie race fer the' Pole between the Nor"w* the Englishman, over that I |U Se*lo,(k)6?t: b'liziza'rd-swept' ice plateau, ■ M'fofce Shackleton had to turn back, ; ought to be one of the most exciting in I he h|*fc°?7 S 1 «?P lora tion. Professor '■ jjyj^'qsio returned to Sydney from on Tuesday last, gives a very interesting analysis of the two explorere ? "'ijhinces. CaptaSn Scott, lie' saJ-β,'h'ad no : ; Hea that any other expedition was comjjnir down to explore 'ttie ground he "aria V';j jhackleton had practically made their ■ 'l iwni ; 'Q n c whole,' the pro- : essoi thinks Captain Scott had a goptf ■ I Chance, but he will ha-ve to fight for ' I : ' fioth men are experienced explorers. '■■toiindsen has the greater numfa of f'lore powerful dogs, and Scott's motors jll 'have fo" foe "left as soon as the ■ imootlier part of the journey is over. ;jL>6tii Will, start from Cape Evans, and Shackjeton's route, as shosyn on -toinapl Aattuhdsen will' start away ■last from the Bay of Whales, Vjud will probably take the course ffhe map Bliows, ■ straight south. The ■Irofessor divides the journey of both iaftles into three stages; the barrier itsge, over the comparatively, smooth ice %l the great ice barrier; the glacier ijtagf, Which is pretty rugged; and the plateau stage, which is high and cold and -' iWimrd-swept. Ihese are shown on the if Scott's way is' mapped out :?or ,JW>> Amundsen's starting point is •tout §0 miles farther sputL It should ' -tea'toUgh" struggle. .'Captain Scott's' winter quarters, says i jrifessor are eight miles south of i|2iscklet6n*s old winter quarters at' Cape Eoyilßi and 14 north of Scott's old win- • ■ : ; 'ier quartere at Hutt Point. They are ' ;well chosen for keeping in touch with the ■ fireat ice barrier, and at' the same time lei»bing "within easy reach oi water Which is ice-free in summer. The ">rest- ■ iirn party," lor which stores were sledged :iever the sea ice, was to include Mr. (physicist), Air. T. G. Taylor J (senior geologist), and Mr. F. Debenham.. . ighe latter two are Sydney ■University $Mw. This party was to study the glaejere SnSie Victoria land Ranges, west ' ;of Cape Evans, in the" autumn, and Mr. *'' '.Taylor was to construct a relief map of fhe country in the winter quarters, durijng the four months' darkness. The lose Of the motor sledge .was Tjnfoitunate, and . jrobably sensational. At that time of year, the sea ice was becoming thawed, " *nd honeycombed by the warmth of the ' ilea water. It is also punctured by seals' • breathing holes, which, are concealed *>y snow, and pretty dangerous. But Captain Scott has still two motor sledges. , : -kom HBPOTS THAtf SHAjCKLETON. ' ■■'! "The report,- Bays Prof. David, "speaks :-",'■ j>f a party of 12 men, eight ponies, and i " ,two dog teams g«gng south, This would \ J(»e in lay- depots between Hut • Point ind'the lower end ol.Jthe BeardTaiore XSAaJaeiV about 350 mue> squth of k lilt. Eretms. :.TMa'was |he huge glacier that gave Shackletbn's' party their perilous tout practicable roadway up on to the high plateau still' 5 farther. fpiftti- "It ■would seem, though the tiic't ii not mentioned, that Captain Scott went south with this depot-laying party. Nothing is . aaW as rio wiy, OM "Sf ttfnnptor sledges , firas ifpj taken with them. With its /-..1e1p a much greater ijuantifcy of pro- ' .visions might have been carried towards the-lower-end'oi the Beardmore Glacier. i however, psP,!*i» not mean to lay a depot as far south as that, but will be content with laying one crjnorp gt, cay, x aboufc 200 south of llonni Id thai case, he could a l>jg one Before By :"; . M^ouTgiie''will ,: have placed hie Sputh ■ : 2<>jk party at a great advantage as compared with Shacklcton's.. SJt appears that .after the southern I ' depot jiarty had started the Terr.a Nova : e»Hed eastward about 500 ixules along I' tie Ice Barrier. She evidently reached J . a high ice-cliff bounding '■■■■ Kpg Edyard VII. Land on the north- .'■_. .. |l .~ r?fl tNCnJENT." ' ?'': , fAnd now, said Professor pavid, " "ojifces Iby far the mQft sensational in- >» eikit «f the f -eipgdrtwin, iar. Gaj»- .■;>'■'"'■ ti«. Scott hdd 'made lip Bis mind, in . : «E he could < "n6t'"'get ashore dn""Kirig - Edward .VII. le.nd, to try to do so at irfjndent called by Shackletou the 'Bay - cfVfiKhales.' But they found a hut al- ,-" i4dy built there—iby' the Norwegian ex- ; plovers in the faawms Fxam, and under - thg'i eqi%By f^'sij ß -4r ct lp leader' •••■. MpndsenV w.Quld' bftv,e • * %| away with the depot-laying party '~; whVn this was made. He *oßd know ntjtbing'ol it till his return. '■■': iW|en he left New Zealand 'he had not V Outl slightest idea that any other Aα- "" taroic expedition would ibe sailing down <y explore ■the new Tegrons. 'wM«h lie had'publicly stated, in England and iAustal|a', would ite Bis' ovni" •Qbjectiye. " " |he thkee stages." ' : : "Amunsdea nas this great advantage, •~.tb»t he will start for the Pole from -. , : »B?rint 80 miles iouth of the point Scott stilts from. From the winter quarters. • : of "both parties the track to the Pole maj"lbe divided into three distinct stages. - Tlw first—(which may 'be «alled the Bar- • : lie?: stages-is over an undulating but . - neatly level surface of hard and soit . «n|^—the' plain of the great Ice Barrier. : JFrjpi Gap|ain Scott's winter quarters to 'the ldwer end of t-he Beardmore glajjer this stage would be about 410 , ■-. suljjß; long. Its length for Amundsen js , r . yet'unknown. For, no doubt, since his ~\~: *3nter quarters lie so much farther ea§t ■. tHij Scott's, Amundsen won't attempt . to leach the Pole by way. of the Beard- ■-. "We glacier. He wiJI pionepr a new S>a|a /for haniself, by some' ■unknQWn. •■■':'• south.of his winter quarters. : ; B^;: since'"tHis stage" will end for him *t?n he'strikes the.Qreat Coast fiange, ';■■ which be, as shiown on the'inap, »t; 4 point farther south, as well" as ■east; 'than that at which Scott -will «*4ke it, his first stage may <be about ■..'." M ;lmle ! &PE- Ppisifely 00, this stage. " may"nave a slight advantage in transport, especially if his motor sledgea ■Work satisfacborily. ' " '. ' . . ,! |he next stage for t>oth parties—it ''be cabled the glaoier stages-will con- »« of the ascent of large and heavily ' wevassed glaciers. Soott intended to ascend the Beardmore gdader, which .uses to a 'height of 8000 ft in albout 100 .-;•. mes. This is the most dangerous arid «fficult part of the journey. Ponies W BKSors are of no use over crevassed Racier and Scott .proposed to haul .• sledges, over this stage 'by dog and : gn power. Sledge dogs usually travel ■'•..!** golf's trot' of about six miles an ; , Tf U fri ast to wreck a sledge". wssed and pinnacled'glacial ice it~ would •Dβ necessary to unharness the . and c men to pull the sledge BLLZZAIU>.SWEPT PLATEAU. ,:..*»« Wtty wiU % over'a plateau, fglpt iviolent bliaards, and neat th^

Pole, probably orer 11,000 ft high. It •was on tips plateau that Shitikfeton towed, .back. Already, rt hfaßS* point south, it was over 10,000 ft hhrh at about 100 miles from the Pole. p O r 6>cott this last stage would be eibowfc 340 rndes. For it wpujd' Ibe over 100 miles less, "ftayeiling rosa jhis pkteau, probably the gre»teV strength apd number of his Greenland give iim the advantage. &> th« re « every prospect of a splendid race between two splendid races!"