VOYAGE TO ANTARCTICA.

Gisborne Times, Volume VI, Issue 296, 21 December 1901, Page 3

VOYAGE TO ANTARCTICA.

The Britisn jvntarctic exploring vessel Diccovery s about to take her departure from 1 yltleton on her adventurous voyage. The provisions general stores and ins!' uments and lire lute have been purchased in England, but Norway has been called upon to furnish the ma-:i purtion of the necessary i'ur clolhi'iir, siedges and travelling outfit. This peltry includes no fewer than fifty-one lenses of reindeer skins fifteen of wolf, thirty-six breeches of reindeer and fifteen of wolf, 133 paii of mitts, 204 paiis of Lapp boots, 218 pairs of hide boots, sixty pimnnes, sixty lined stocking boots for wear inside the piniimes, 182 pairs sheep-skin socks, twenty lcigc reindeer sleeping bags, seven small sleeping bags for sledging parties, and one large six-men reindeer sleeping bag, thirty-six sheepskin caps, twenty-four wolf-skin cans. 12U selected temdeer skins, and so on, of a total value o over ,£7BO.

Among the travelling atticles, all vf which have been made from the best materials, tiiere are seventy pairs of ski (long wooden snow shoes), six lift ski-sledges (that is to say, siedges witn ski-runners), nine Oft, and live 71 feet sivi-siedges, beside live large ironshod goods sledges, to be employed for transporting heavy weights from the water’s edge to tiie depots, or over rough ice. There are also two canvas canoes. eacli to hold two men, and three prams—a large “ ship’s pram ” for conveying stores from the snip to the shore. and other purposes, and two smaller ones for work among the ice. Prams have not been taken by any former expedition to Antarctic waters, nut IJicir value is well-known in Scandinavia. where, when the fjords are covered with drift ice or encrusted with in--wly-formed ice, no other form of boat could be employed, as with their duck-breast bows they never liecome wedged, and when a heavy flow is met with, are simply hauled up on it aral dragged along with case until open water is met with at the other side. They will no doubt p*ove of great, service to the expedition on all occasions, and invaluable when in the pack, or for exploring purposes along tiie shores of the Antarctica. As will lie seen from the above short description, nothing lias been left undone in the way of procuring an outfit of furs an (hr. it nt to meet all eventualities, while ?. more ample or better choice of travelling appliances lias never been 'furnished to any former expedition. L.veiything else having been provided on an equally select and liberal scale, it is r.vt too much to expect that, under trie charge and guidance of such aide (-filters as those appointed to the ccr.imaud, the scientific results will come up fully to tiie expectations of the ration which has just sent the expedition on its way, wishing it Godspeed and a safe return from a successill eutei prise.