SONS OF NIPPON.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1048, 10 February 1911, Page 5

SONS OF NIPPON.

: -'■ ADVENTURINGVSOUTH, : M. .7 77 - i THE JAPANESE ANTARCTIC EXPEDI« ' ? j -^~::o;: ; : \ .TibN/Jv - 7 :- v :^. ->^'- ABOARD THE KAINAN'M4RTT. "^ :.:.I]Te''.K«inan Maruisi unmistakably from 7 •'■■■' j "furrin parts." < Nothing like her has. ;,:^ : ;} been seen in Port Nicholson before.' • ' 1 Imagine a long rakish-looking -vessel,'"».'?' >-.] light grey in colour, with three masts of VU equal heighti and. a squat, dark : ,grej> • ■ ' *j stump of a funnel, which just manages'•;■ v-; .'.j :o poke its head up above, the mass -of ..'V' : . I deck-hamper in the centre of the ship, ; '. ;;-;i and you have a' fair-idea of tho kind 'of ,7 '-%/?■■■''§ craft the little brown Sons of Nippon,.' V; ;:jj t'wenity-se'von all'told,; are "navigating" all ■'.; 'f.'| the way from Tokio to the southern: iceV ■ .'•'" ■'; .-j en'route to the Pole. :' ' 'j v The Barrier of Language.' ",;;;;:-jj There is, however,. a- : dark and 'un-;.. .' A fathomable mystery about the ship and;' ■■'■■' 'ij its people, With Monsieur Jean Crap-' 7.d aud, of the French frigate Kersaint, one: '?! might venture a tentative "bon jour,"': : 7 ;| and so at. least get a start. But oner -~:~>\ doesn't even get so far as that with the" .4 little brown men-of the Hainan'Maru.j 77 VJ ' lou .speak English?" you ask of NisKi-7 7: - :;| kawa of.Matsuma, as you meet them on 7".i the Quay. They smile, politely,engaging-;y:V%" i y, but say nothing, for, comprehending'- v '1 nothing of what you have said, they have-77'774 nothing to shy. ■ -.'-•■ ■-. -.; ':<::>.;:.>.f>-.;3 , The Kain'an Marii. M,' 7; ;• j :; v The Kainaii-ilaru.lies just off thd nOTr: 1 -'.. J breastwork near the Thorudon'Baths, anii l ...-.-?•:*=.J if her absurd little funnel and one- other*:'',; : ,-i:\ i masts wore lifted out of her, she would 1 ; :,7 ; j pass for a West Coast Umfor':Bcow^'A'.f f * ; ;-:Vr''j representative of The Dominion pulled: -•: y.-7:j out to7the vessel yesterday afternoon, > v 77] and was helped over the side, on to ''the:. ; ■-;-.'■-'---f 4 t'?ck by a friendly 'brown hand. "Youi ':!*■?!'. : ?\ speak English?"-■ asked the ; pressman,v.-^ r -'.VJ hopefully. The man: : from Nippon"'* "v : v :-3 smiled, amiably, but said nothing. \: So 77 Jv i did another and another, till «t last"theM- : ;'fiK3 second officer, who could speak7a smat-^'-"7;3 tering of English, fwas run.. to'earth. .7V \ "'.;. : j After that the ship bech'mo -intelligible. 777'..-1 Yesterday ,;• being coaling day, the vess'slC' ,* was not exactly in the .best condition./ -'■ ..:'.-'j for receiving visitors. .But: ther,'-:ar-'_. •'.«'. 7■ ] rived, nevertheless. So", while part'o'f;:'- ':>77r! the ship's company, dressed 'for recep-: ; v-; v i7c] tions, attended -to the visitors,- the ;re-ii7;77,.. ; j maihder, attired: for t the reception 'of j' : '■,"""*'.'■- <\ more essential things, attended '- to' the< ; ; ; - : '■->] stowage: of' the coal. Among the -visi- r {'7'|iij tors were the Chinese Consul (J[r. Yung.•7'7¥>;i Liang Hwang), and the Consul for Japan-' ; " - 3 (Mr. T. W. Young).. ; '7;;:;7.'A : ' ; .:.;:-:7.;!v^j^.y.;^

J- -Like a Second-hand^ ] Two things strike ° the observer as ; h«.■'.*.' rambles about the ship;^There r the apparent inadequacy l of the'- vessel's V ; v" equipment for South 'Polaf: second, (he' astonishing iumble'-.of ar- ' - :',■- tides of all kinds—the deck 'looks lilje'vV -; a second-hand shop.'•. At .■-■ : st«rn, ; 'fc-J : where a projecting rack-is 'fixed to 'the''• bulwark, is a bundle of >ery lishtly—al- \ "..-£ most precariously—constructed-' sledges.'r,: Forward, of that is 'the ■.'wheelhbuseii.iaV- ■! sort: oft* wooden iri".'wnich'-('':-sits, the steersman," sheltered':fr6iri;thß7 : ; ' weather. • Just • in' front'r of the,wheel,is ",:"■ the entrarce to the, chartroom and, ; of- f '. ?; fleers' quarters.,-Everything there is'■■'on') / •'" the '"mulrum in parvo" principled-v7Thi9f"! bunks are into a 'small,'space; ' : in. the crew's quarters,' .forward,; and;' 'K; reached by a yawning abyss of astairway;l- ;■■'.' they are arranged in;tiers. 'The place is -'■'"•'.' fairly dark; with a characteristic odour, ;-',.' .perceptible in all Oriental abodes. .How-', i- : ' ;ever, it'-loolcs comfortable enough, -and ;-• -'should certainly 'bewarm and snugvh/the ■';■:'. jhleak days to come/. Between the-officers'- I - . 'quarters ; and -those of the' crew' isLttheij cook's galley,: quite a' commodious, place; ' wit h. a bricked-up fireplace, and generousj •:! ■'.'■■ ly,'equipped with cookingutensils; "*I/M"-'j dog kennels are also'amidsh:ps.';'' ; Out or-',' the 26 dogs which were purchased at the , ; oiitset only l? now remain.'' The torrid-' j; latitudes en route proved to be too trying '-' for the ! : : . r -T; f "i.-'-Pfi''''A' : -'.'.'-' V-\ •V ' '~. Z~- Explorers arid -' '/''■"_ The following is'a-complete list of: the,'i?, ; name's 'of; the- exploring i:party;and ..the:':"•,crew of ' Exploring party: Lieutenant N. Shirase;■; ■ •'" (commander);"S. Mushio : '(medical;'offi- '''s'-.' cer); LTakeda and-I.VTada (scientists); ■:': S. Meura, K. Watanabci: Y. -Zamabe,;S.' i; Jlatsumra, ,Y. Yoshmio, 'K. "Xisha]&wa, \ i and S. Hariamari;-total, 11....'?• ',■■'■'' \ .';■'-;•' Crew: N. Komura (captain); Z.' laciro-i '"•:•. (chief officer) ;.T.,Tsuchiya-(second ; offi-': «. cer);' K. Shimzu; (chief- engineer);-..T.)-> Shima (purser); K..Sakaf (boatswain); I. "< \. Jasuda Xcarpehter); S."'Jakagawa, I: Sato, y ; . K. Watanabe, J. .Kamada, K.'Shib^da,X? -V T. Tiikushima"(sailmen); B.'Fujihira, R.\..; v Sugisaga, and S.' Jakatori-(firemen); to- J;;■ tal, 16. -; . - : •/%;:;>