Antarctic Riddle

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 226, 24 September 1938, Page 6 (Supplement)

Antarctic Riddle

the extension of British J' claims to sovereignty over hug« areas of the Antarctic mainland it is as well for all those with the interests of the Empire at heart to look into the manner In which these territories have been acquired, the economic possibilities they contain, and the repercussions which must occur in the future when the nations of the earth one* ngnin turn their eyes on this region in icarch of raw materials. The following nrtii lc is in the nature of a bird'seye view of the exploits of the explorer nnd the whaler, and the influence of both in gradually uncovering the possibilities <>f the frozen wastes of the South. The great land mass of the Antarctic t ontiiicnt was first sighted at Enderby 1-und l>y .lolin Biscoe in 1831. A year litter Kemp discovered land to the east of Bistop's discovery, but both these coasts were not re-diseovered until nearly 100 years later. Biscoe circumnavigated the continent in 1831-2, but all he saw of ths vast mainland was a black peak which he named Cape Ann of Enderhy Land. Previously it was known that land existed in the Antarctic, but it was believed to he islands, the theory being that the Pole was surrounded by a chain of inlands. It Was thought that Biacoe's and 'lenip's discoveries were groups of iHlnnds. it whs not until Ross discovered South \ ii'toriji Land in 1830-41 that it was realised that the terra australis of the ancients actually existed. The first to set foot on the continent proper were the Norwegians, H. J. Bull and L. Kristensen, from the ship Antarctic, sent out by Svcnd Foyn, of Tonaberg, with 'be hope of estii(dialling s whale fishery. This landing took place at Cape Adare hi rcbruiuy, lttwo. Captain Cook's Description It is perhaps as well to go back some I'Ml years to get a proper perspective of discoveries in their correct sequence. Captain Cook's circumnavigation of the Antarctic Ocean In 1773-4, showed the immense expanse of the southern ocean encircling the globe about the 09th parallel. Being constantly repulsed by ice and i>li/./ards, Cook ussumcd that if land lay beyond, it must be St region of desolation hidden beneath ice and snow. And once and for all the idea of a populous fertile southern continent was proved to be a myth. Cook's own words were: "If land lay beyond this it wat as countries condemned to everlasting rigidity by nature, never to yield to the warmth or' the sun, and for whose wild and desolate aspect 1 find no words." It Is this period in which the hunter, appears on the scene. Fur seals abounded in these stormy seas, and to some extent whales were taken also, the result of these voyages being the discovery of a large number of islands, around the coasts of which the hunter carried on his trade. There was Kerguclen la 1772; the Mouth Shetlands were discovered by the English whaler, William Smith, in IBlH| in 1820 Bransfield discovered Trinity Land, which was explored the following year by American sealers, Pal* iner and several others. South Orkneys were dlecovsrsd by ths ssahrs Powell and Palmer, and ,la IMS WtMell named lie groan. Graham Lead was aaaexed or JrMaki hydspUls Blsms fa !.otwesa ,the BeHfcsgaifsa. and tbe Amvrican sealer, Palmer,; vho t Ja Ms Utile tariff Of 4#, tons, aot oMljF;3taattd seals at South Shetland*, Wut aiso ixpldred s gnat psrt of Trinity Land* Vis meeting took-place oa board tho 'hlg' Russian flagship, and when I'lkliaer had told hU thrilling account of all ha had discovered, Bellinghausen got up. iifl, dSepty noted, explained: "Here I staad listening to a slip of a lad who tails me that he commands a little cockleshell, no bigger than one of the tenders of my frigate, that he has fought his wav through storm snd ice, and has reached the point which 1, tbe commander of oae of the best-equipped fleete, have sought for day and night during so many long, toiWome years." Ths story illustrates the hardihood It nd fearlSMMaK of tho ploaser sealer nml whaler, who plunged to tho sooth through ice-strewa Mas, nsrrowly missing disaster, with nmh strained sad leaking, thsir am wora' ot/k with unceasing toil ead ettaln, often ftrfaksa with Kunr«;«M course Antarctic Oceaa atoatthe Soth saralklla 1810 and dWcwstad Peter I.lslead, Just within the M***; dian of 10 W,; which, wse dsiniteiy tl* first land to bsdisiie r erod witljfoyflie. Antarctic Circle. BsoW ther to the eastward eeosstl&ewhld. hs named Aleisnlsr L Lead. Names at rtf ihmn And as tho para >s—sd tho osakrs and whalers, while foUowing their lawful occasions, combined exploration with their commercial pursuits. Itsry Toyaga brought homo new dlseorsries aadVrtea* •ions of other*. Oae has only to pafc at a chart to these regions to sss the many names of these hardy pioneers surrounding tho continent—Smith, BellingImussa, Palmer, Powell, Weddeii, Morrel,l Biscoe, Kemp, Balleny, Nares, Lsrsen, Ross, DUrvllle, Bouvet and Wilkes. Although ths voyage of Sir James Clark Hose, with the Erebus and Terror in 18M-41, wss purely scientific and exploratory, his report on the large number of whales met with spurred whalers to further efforts, and with the necessity for further knowledge of the distribution of land in southern seas, exploration for its own sake began at last to eotnn Into it« own. However, it was another 60 years before thie exploration was along well-organised lines. It was in IBM that a new era for southern seaa dawned, that of exploration combined with whaling activities, and purs exploration combined with every phase of scisntlfle investigation. It was in that mr that the Norwegians agsin mads a descent upon the Antarctic. Christen Chrietensen sent out an expedition under C. A. Larsen to the Weddell Sea and another in 1005 to the South Shetlands. Great modern discoveries were msde in the area around the Weddell Sea by C. A. Larsen in 1809-4 (King Oscar Land and Foyn I Coast) i Otto Nordenskjold, 1001-4 (James lines Js'md); Bruce. 1002-4 (Coat's Land)] Filchner, 11M1-12 (Lultpold Land), snd Shaeklcton, 1014-10 (Calrd Coast).

In the Ross Sea area, on the other side of the Continent, where geographical considerations made explorers' work more spectacular, there hae. been a great forward movement, especially on the long coastline of South Victoria Land. Here came Borchgrevink, Scott, Shackleton, Mawson, Amundsen and Byrd, whoso exploits are too well known to ba recalled here.

With the rapfd development of the whaling industry, mainly by the übiquitous Norwegian, Britain became much interested in the Antarctic, and in 1908 the Falkland Islands Dependency was established to control whaling activities in that area.

In 1023 the Ross Sea Dependency, comprising the ares around the Ross Sea, was placed under the administration of Now Zealaad, and similar mea,awpM warn taken to .lieense whalers and ana. •' In IM4 the Prsneh Government issued adsarss pis ring Adelie Land under the sdmialsfratloa of ths French colony of MadfgMcar. This land had been disfjmffd by Durnant DTJrville in 1840, and ' the British Government tacitly nwplstd t>e Preach claim in 1011. • Ths an—ration at Adelie Land called attentioa to this unsatisfactory position fromths Australian point of view of the owasrship ef wgtoas Tying south of Australia, and ia lWfc a deputation from ths Australian National Res earch Council urged the thea Prime Minister (the Right Hon. 8. M. Br (ice) that sanction bo sought for ths administration by Australia of that sector of the Antarctic Continent between '90 deg. E. and 160 deg. E. The matter was discussed at

New Zealand Has Staked A

Claim, But Must Do More!

the Imperial Conference in 192(5, and it was placed on record that there were certain areas to which a British title already existed t>y virtue of discovery, including Enderby Land, Kemp Land, Queen Mary Land, the area which lies to the west of Adelie Land, and which, on its discovery by the Australian expedition of 1912, was named Wilkes Land, King George V. Land and Oates. Land. The "Banzare" Expedition In 192&-30 and 1030-31, the British, Australian, New Zealand Antarctic ResearehvExpedition, led by Sir Douglas Mawson in the Royal Research ship Discovery, explored the greater part of the sector, 45 deg. E., to 160 deg. E. Sir Douglas Mawson proclaimed, at various points, British sovereignty over the whole area, between 45 E. and 160 E. except Adelie Land. New land was discovered joining Knox Land to Wilkes Land. This was named Banzare Land, the name Banzare being derived from tile combination of the initial letters of the title of the expedition.

In June, 1033, the Australian Antarctic Territory Acceptance Act was passed by the Federal Government, and this huge slice of the continent south of the 60th parallel and between 45 E. and 160 E. longitude, came under the jurisdiction of Australia. This sector includes tho eastern portion of Queen Maud Land, Enderby Land, Kemp Land, Macßobertson Land, Lars Christensen Land, Princess Elisabeth Land, i Queen Mary Land, Knox Land, Banzare Land, Wilkes Land, King George V. I Land and Oates Land.

Foreign discoveries in this sector are Queen Maud Land, Lars Christcnsen I-and, Kaiser Wilhelin 11. Land, King Leopold and Queen Astrid Land, Knox Land and Wilkes Land. Norwegian Names Perpetuated When introducing The Australian Territory Acceptance Bill in the Federal House of Representatives in 1933, Air. Latham, the then Attorney-General, said:—"ln January, 1030, the Norwegian, Captain Riiser Larsen, in the Norvegia, visited,-' shortly after the Discovery, the area west of Enderby Land and gave it the name Queen Maud Land, and in 1931 another Norwegian vessel, the Forlyn, gave the name Lars Chrietensen Land to an area between Macßobertson Land and Princess Elizabeth Land, which the Discovery had explored some days before. Honourable members will notice on the map provided for their information there appear a number of Norwegian names. A request has been made that we should continue to recognise certain Norwegian names that have been given to various parts of this area, and the Commonwealth Government is glad indeed to accede to the request to perpetuate the association of these intrepid Norwegian sailors with this area."

The Norwegia was sent out by Mr. Lars Chrietensen on a purely exploratory and scientific cruise to circumnavigate the continent, with special reference'to the Enderby quadrant, while the catcher Torlvn, attached to one of Lars Christensen'e factory ships, doing a little exploring by the way, discovered and named Lars Christensen Land.