THE SOUTH POLE

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume II, Issue 94, 3 April 1912, Page 5

THE SOUTH POLE

CAPTAIN SCOTT’S EXPEDITION. FURTHER NEWS BY THE TERRA NOVA. THE NORTHERN PARTY. [per press ASSOCIATION. J As Campbell’s party was not picked up only an incomplete report of their previous movements can be given. They landed at Cape Adare on February 18th, 1911. the ship sailing the following night. Their hut was completed on March 3rd, with only one interruption from a gale. Its site was in the middle of the Adele penguin rookery, which occupies a very dry spot on a moraine which extends far up the mountain side. The hut was thus surrounded by countless numbers of penguins. During the whole summer the first blizzard of hurricane force was experienced on March 19th when the anemometer broke after recording a wind velocity of 84 miles an hour. During the winter these severe gales were not uncommon. They shook the hut violently. On one occasion the porch was blown away; otherwise, except for minor mishaps, the hut stood well, being stayed by wire ropes passed over it and secured by two buried anchors. The sea finally froze over the bay. During the last week of May short sledging trips were made in the bay.

It was intended to start a journey at the end of August over the sea ice towards Cape North, but a heavy blizzard on August loth took all the sea ice out to northward of the moraine and the west side of Robertson Bay. The sea having refrozen Campbell and party left on October Sth. The sledging was over the sea ice entirely. A very bad surface was experienced, necessitating relay work and slow progress. West of Cape Barrow the thin ice was found already cracking. As the coast here affords no spot suitable for landing or for retreating from beyond Cape Scott to Cape Adare, except over sea ice, the ice being obviously about to go out again, they were compelled to retire to Robertson Bay. The remainder of the time until the whole went from the bay in the beginning of November was occupied in making sledging trips about the bay for collecting geographical specimens, photography, surveying, etc. During the last two months they were confined to the moraine and the mountains immediately behind it until they were relieved on January 4th, 1912.

The Northern party were able to make good geological collections during ths whole of the period they occupied the hut. Continuous meteorological, magnetic, and other observations were taken, which were simultaneous with similar ones taken at Cape Evans. They enjoyed excellent health throughout. THE WESTERN GEOLOGICAL PARTY’S REPORT. The Western Geological party, consisting of Debenham, Wright and petty officer Evans in charge of Griffiths Taylor, landed at Butter Point below Ferrar Glacier on January 27th, 1911. A depot was made on the Cathedral Rocks on January 31. They then sledged west 15 miles and down the glacier, entering a dry valley.

A snug camp was made in an alcove 30 feet deep excavated by the sun into the glacier. This alcove shows the tremendous melting power of the sun in these regions.

About 2400 feet above the glacier Debenham discovered an extinct crater of the late Glacier Age ; also that basalt flows 80ft. thick. On February 4th the sledge and cooker were stored in the depot and the party portaged five days with food and gear down the snow-free dry valley to the sea. They lived on cold food without discomfort for this period. A deep freshwater lake four miles long, of which only the surface was frozen, full of algae, was traversed. Gravels below a promising region of limestones containing garnets were washed for gold, but only magnetic gold was found. They returned down the Ferrar Glacier on February 13th. While crossing the new harbour the ice on which they were sledging suddenly commenced t.o flow out. A quick rush across a mile of cracking floe just brought the sledges to fast ice in time.

They then steered south for the Koettlitz Glacier. The route up the middle of the glacier lay ovei- a most difficult surface. They were constantly falling through thin ice into pools of water two feet below. On February 24th they reached the west coast of Koettlitz Glacier, near Heald Island, through a fringe of ice monoliths. A week was spent in this vicinity. A large subterranean stream originated here and flowed under the moraine and glacier for 25 miles to the sea. It formed a well-used route for numerous, seals whose blow holes occurred at intervals .along it. Along its course were several caves encrusted with beautiful ice crystals which were investigated by Wright. They returned from the Koettlitz Glacier along the edge of almost impenetrable pinnacle ice N.E. of Dailv Isles.

On March Sth they suddenly emerged on open water, a bay newly formed in this ice, which forced them to enter the pinnacles. It took two days to negotiate six miles of this surface after which they were able to sledge on sea ice again. A violent blizzard lasting 48 hours kept them camped on the edge of the barrier just where the ice had broken out with Bowers a week before. At the first lull they made for Castle Rock. Crossing the promontory they descended to Discovery Hut on March 14th, having been out six weeks.

A remarkable feature was that this part.v encountered very little strong wind and no blizzards, while on the western shores of Cape Evans very bad weather had been experienced during the same period. The party in charge of Griffiths Taylor with Dcbenham. Grant and Forde again left headquarters no November 7th, 1911. for Granite Harbour. The sledging loads were exceptionally heavy, totalling 14001 b. and

this necessitated relaxing the speed to five miles a day. This brought them to their destination on December Ist.

At a cape nine miles inside of Granite Harbour a stone hut was built and a blubber stove installed. For over two months seal meat was the staple food, blubber, being almost the only fuel used when on the coast. The first week was devoted to exploring the northern shores. A furious blizzard resulting in two feet of snow prevented them sledging farther north.

During the next fortnight they sledged around the west coast of the harbour, finding near masses of marble remarkably large and interesting contact miners, such as topaz. At their headquarters thousands of wingless insects of two different species were found clustering halffrozen under almost every pebble.. On December 27th they started exploring the western highlands. They passed the tremendous ice-falls of the Mackay Glacier by portaging the sledge gear up 1000 feet of granite cliff. Steep boulders covered the slopes. A prominent nunatak was reached, and here they found numerous well preserved fossils, probably crustacean. Debenham also discovered specimens of bituminous coal. These were almost certainly derived from a well-marked outcrop of beacon sandstone in the nunatak. Beautiful polished pavements and perched blocks characterised the vicinity, forming the motet remarkable examples of glacial action hitherto seen in Victoria Land.

The work done last summer by the geological party in conjunction with this season’s work has resulted in a survey of some details, both geological and geographical, of the whole coast north of Mount Morning to Granite Harbour, including what appears to be a good new route to the inland plateau behind Granite Harbour.

On January Btli they returned to the stone hut to await the ship’s arrival, but over 30 miles of fast sea ice remained between them and the edge of the open water. After waiting for weeks until only ten days’ available sledging food remained, they decided to retreat over the Piedmont Glacier to the Discovery Hut via Butler Point. No specimens of personal gear could be carried. Some 20ft. crevasses were crossed the first day, but then a route was found at the. 1000-feet level, which avoided the. largest crevasses. They found all the sea ice had broken out south of Dunlop Island. After coasting around the open water for the next ten days the party were crossing the Blue Glacier when they were picked up by the ship on February 15th. It is highly probable that the Terra Nova will be able to obtain the specimens from Granite Harbour in 1913. SUMMARY OF SCIENTIFIC WORK. The general plan arranged for the scientine work ot the expedition has bun carried one so far almost entirely. Self-registering meteorological instruments have given a continuous record of barometric pressure, temperature, wind velocity and direction. These have been checked every tour hours by eye observations. The upper atmosphere has been investigated by means orSsmall balloons, wnich have shown the direction of upper currents to the height of six nines and the temperature up to five miles. An almost unbroken record of magnetic elements has been obtained, and absolute magnetic observations have been made every week. Self-registering magnetic instruments were installed in a room excavated in the side of a small glacier. This eliminated changes oi temperature which are a serious cause of error in this class of work. All through the winter the auroro australis was observed every hour, but very few brilliant displays occurred. The atmospheric electricity has also been studied. Ice work and physiography have afforded much field work. Vexed problems regarding the origin of alpine topography, when Europe and other temperate regions were undergoing an age of ice, are being studied in the examples offered by the retreating glaciers in Victoria Land, where the Ice Age still obtains. The mainland offers a rich field for petrology with an abundance of mineral-bearing quartz veins, but of no economic value. Specimens of coal of economic value and well preserved fossils have been found near Granite Harbour. At the winter quarters an excellent field exists for ice work in the glaciers in front of which the hut stands. The cape is formed largely of a massive moraine with lava flows from Mount Erebus. Pendulum observations for the value of gravity have been carried out. A tide guage has given a continuous record and marine biological work has been carried out throughout the winter at a hole kept open in the sea ice for nets. Water samples, sea temperatures, quantative and qualitative observations on the minute organisms at various seasons are giving interesting results. The parasitology of all the seals, penguins and other birds and fish available has already given good results. Some new protozoa have been found. The above work has fully occupied the time of the scienti£c staff. It indicates that there is an ample field for further research in every direction.

Successful biological work has been carried out on the ship, including seven trawls, from which a large collection of the deep sea fauna of the Antarctic has been obtained. A number of catches with a tow net have been obtained, which show the vertiea distribution of the transparent floating organisms of the sea. Continuous meteorological observations have been taken in the ship, linking up Australasia and Antarctica. Natural history research has been greatly assisted by the use of the kinematograph, many thousands of feet of film having been used in securing permanent animated records of the interesting bird and animal life in these regions. Every phase of sial, penguin and squa gull life has been thus illustrated. Some remarkable kinematograph nlms have been

secured showing for the first time the killer whale, the wolf of the sea, in his native elements.

TERRA NOVA AT LYTTELTON. Lyttelton, April 3. The Terra Nova arrived at Lyttelton at daylight and was brought in by the tug and berthed without ceremony. She has suffered no serious damage, the only visible marks being the stripping of one plate on the stern. Members of the expedition came ashore immediately and went to Christchurch. STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS OF THE EXPEDITION.

The returned members of the expedition showed a marked indisposition to talk at the ship this morning, but Mr. Kinsey, Captain Scott’s agent, promised that an official message would be elaborated later in the day. The party was disappointed to learn that Scott has been prestalled by Captain Amundsen, but they express the conviction that Captain Scott reached the Pole probably by January 11th or 12th, and would return to his base a month later. He had an ample stock of provisions at the last depot, 150 miles from the Pole, and there was no cause for anxiety on that account. General exploring and scientific work would be carried on during the remainder of this season and next until the return of the Terra Nova to the south, and the parties have plenty to occupy their time. Campbell’s party should be able to return to the base in winter when the sea was frozen.

Lieut Evans, who contracted scurvey when returning from the southern journey, is still very weak, and will be confined to the house for some time, otherwise all returned in the best of health and the membesr certainly look as if Antarctic air conduces to physical wellbeing. SHACKLETON’S OPINION. (Received 3, 8.5 a.m.) i London, April 2. Sir Edward Shackleton, interviewed, calculates that Captain Scott must have reached the pole about the 18th of January. MODEST CAPTAIN AMUNDSEN ANY AUSTRALIAN COULD HAVE GOT THERE. (Received 3. 9.25 a.m.) Sydney, April 3.

. Speaking at a civic reception to Captain Amundsen at the Town Hall, Professor David paid a high tribute to the Norwegian. His dash to the Pole was a magnificent feat.

Captain Amundsen, in reply, thought they were paying too much attention to his South Pole business in Australia. There were men in the audience who with snow shoes and dogs would make much better time going South than he did. Captain. Amundsen subsequently tpld the story of his expedition to a large audience and with the assistance of many splendid photographs. Professor David states that from Captain Scott’s own story he is absolutely certain that the prize of the South Pole belongs to Captain Amundsen.

Professor David also has little doubt that Scott, on January 3rd, having all the serious difficulties overcome and having sufficient provisions, barring accidents, should have reached the pole within a fortnight of the date of the letter.