ANTARCTIC EXPLORATION

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLVIII, Issue XLVIII, 11 February 1913, Page 5

ANTARCTIC EXPLORATION

FHOM CAPTAIN COOK TO THE PRESENT DAY. The story of the quest for the South Pole, in its way, is one of the mosi romantic in the world's record. There is a. long list of Antarctic explorers. They belong to almost all nations and to all times during the past 130 years; and at the hen<l there stands perhaps the greatest- of all navigators since the world began, a man who has shed the lustra of his name over many places in the South Pacific. It was Captain James Cook .who first led the way for the expeditions which have culminated in those of Scott and Amundsen. In Cook's time it was generally l ' believed that a vast continent stretched across the South iTole and debouched from the Antarctic regions into tropical seas. In his second voyage, 1773 to 1775, he went south to look, for that land. He crossed the Antarctic Circle for the first time, and went within 1120 miles of the Pole. He discovered nothing! Practically the only result of his efforts was to prove that if there was an Antarctic continent it must be inside the Antarctic Circle.

About 40 years later Alexander the First of Russia sent forth two polar expeditions, one to the North Pole and one to the South. The southern expedition wa-3 in charge of Fabian von Bellinghauseu, who was the first to discover land inside the Circle. His discoveries were a little island and- a large area. He named the former Peter the First Land and the latter Alexander the FirstjLand, establishing a fashion which has given to the Antarctic the names of many crowned heads, and which has made it, as "far as nomenclature is concerned, a very aristocratic region. Four years later Jame6 Weddell, a retired master in the British Navy, pushed his way 185 miles further south than Cook's; record, and reduced the distance to the Pole to 945 miles. The Enderby Bothers, London shipowners, who conducted a large sealing trade, sent out John Briscoe and John Balleny, both of whom cruised about, the Circle looking for land, but neither of thero went as far South as Weddell. A NOTABLE NAVIGATOR. After this came a, very notable navigator. Captain Dumont D'Urville, a gallant Frenchman and a famous- scientist. Burning with patriotism, he set out to find the South Magnetic Polo for the honour of his beloved country. W 7 hat he did was to discover Adelis Land, which bears the name of his wife. In the same year, 1840, James Wilkes represented America's, share of the work of exploration. He had a squadron of vessels, including two sloops of war, a brig and a store ship, but they were utterly unsuited for the work he had in hand. Besides that, tn-ey were badly equipped and badly manned. Wilkes, however, was able to do some admirable work. In view of the conditions he had to deal with, his voyage is one of the finest determined efforts on record. Struggling South in a dense fog one day in January, 1840, one of D'Urville''s corvettes, the Astrolabe, sighted one of Wilkes' squadron flyincr the" Stars and Stripes. Tn those desolate region*, . far from civilisation or any kind of human habitation, the commanders found it impossible to .-ink their national prejudices, and parted in the fog, full 'of bitterness, without the <iip of a flag or ■other form of salute. It was explained afterwards that there was a misunderstanding on both sides. Each intended to salute, but each thought that the other wished to avoid an interview. When Wilkes arrived at, Sydney hi* equipment, was unmercifully criticised.

lii his account of his voyage he ffankry admits that his critics had good ground for their remarks. "1 am obliged to agree with them," he says, "that we were unwise to attempt such service in ordinary cruising vessels; we had been ordered' to go, and that was ertmifrh; and go we should." It is reported t'h'rtft "his ships were involved all the time in most difficult navigation through drifting floes and berg*; storms wore frequent ; and togs made life a perpetual misery, as it, was impossible to see the ber!?i ■fl'.'t'i the ships were almost on them." TERRESTRIAL MAtfNTJif I&-M--By this time the study of terrestrial magnetism had been advanced, and to help the investigations the Erebus aiiji Terror were pressed into the service by the British Government. These vessels had been designed for firing large boron's fi'6ni mfiftar's )*i s:e£es, and were of great strength, hut were eiumsy craft to Itavigaic- and sluggish in a-hsweri?i# their helms. They were in' charge iii Sir James Ross, and they had the hoffour of taking Sir Joseph Hooker, one of the greatest botanists the world has known. Ross went in the direction which was later on followed by Scott and Shackleton, discovering two volcanoes, Mount Erebus and Mount Terror, taking possession of the first land discovered ih the Antarctic in Queen victoria's reign, within 710 miles of the Pole,- having beaten Weddeifs record by 235 miles. £n 1875 H.M.S. Challenger, already a famous vessel on account of the scientific investigations she had carried out in Southern seas, added to her distinctions by being the first steamer to crews* the Circle. Later on Svend Foyn, a valiant old Norwegian whaler, sent- out to the Antarctic the first steamer to enter the open water of Ross Sea. Then canw the Belgica, which carried a. more cosrriopblitan crew than had ever been taken to the Ahtaffe'tie before, or has ever been taken there since: Her' commander, Lieutenant Gerlaelie; a Belgian; the second ih command,- Hehryk Archtowski, was a. Pole; the third officer, Lecointe, a Belgian; the mate, Roaid Amundsen, a Norwegian; and the sailors were half Belgian and half Norwegian; The scientific staff included a Belgian, a Roumanian, arid a . PolSj and the surgeon was Dr E, A. 606k5,the American who afterwards startled the world by announcing .that he had discovered the North Pole, These strange comrades, huddled together in a small vessel of only 250 tons burden, were the first men to experience the long darkness of the Antarctic night, an experience which, with lack of artificial' lighting, bad food 1 , and close accommodation, had extraordinary terrors, and m some cases unhinged their minds. Authorities state that the equipment--of the Belgica did not justify wintering in the Antarctic. Prudence called for a •speedy retreat, but a gale of great, severity assailed the exploi'ers, aild l Oerlaehe thrust the vessel into the pack for shelter from the heavy breakers. Finding wide lanes opening under the influence of wind and swell, he pushed southward against the advice of the scientific members of the expedition, determined to make every effort" to outdistance all previous explorers towards the Polo. The Belgica- tried to return, but could not do so. She was fast in the floe, unable to move in any direction, and she remained a prisoner there for nearly twelve months. Dr H. R. Mil!. in his introduction of Sir Ernest Shackleton's book, states that he did more to promote a scientific knowledge of the Antarctic regions than any of the ccstly expeditions that had gone before.

A LONG SERIES. In 1904, France again vclaimed the honours of discovery, Dr J. B. Charcot, 3, wealthy Ftenchman, beginning a fairly long series of explorations, which have been watched with' interest in all parts, of the world. Scotland made her contribution by sending in the Scotia Dr W. S. Bruce, who is now contemplating further attacks on the Pole. In 1893 Sir George Newne's expedition ;n charge of Borchgrevinck, left Hobart in the Southern UrOss, and established a "farthest South" record, 670 miles from the Pole. A German expedition, in the Gauss, crossed the Circle, but did not go much further south. After that came the Discovery, when Scott, Shackleton, and Wilson beat Borchgrevinck's record by 207 miles, and reached within 463 miles- of the Pole, a distance which, in turn was reduced by Shackleton to about ICO miles.