THE NEW ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13502, 29 July 1907, Page 6

THE NEW ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION.

THE SEALER NIMROD. \.' ''■■'■ /"".■ ':'% -'•. ;■■ "CONFIDENT : OF REACHING THE '■.'. POLE." [from GUI'. OWN' COBRESrOXDEN-ff] London'. Juno 21. I LEAi'tN" that the Newfoundland . sealer Nimrod, the vessel .which has been acquired by Mr. E. H. Shaekleton for Lite purposes of his projected expedition to the South 'Polar regions, has arrived -in the Thames, and has taken up a berth in the East India Docks, after a voyage across the Alantic which was prolonged by bad weather to 15 days. lam informed that the conduct, of the vessel during the voyage gave every satisfaction, and Captain Rupert England, who has now taken over the command, believes that the Ninirod—which, by the way, is to be re'ehristcned before taking her departure for the Far South, and is to be known as the Endurance will prove well adapted to withstand the perils of the Sooth Polar seas. Captain England, who will be. tin.: commander of the ship, as distinct from the leader of the expedition, is a lieutenant in. the Royal Naval Reserve, and has made two voyages to the same part of the South Polar area to which the course of the Ninirod will be directed, having served as chief officer, on board the relief ship Morning in connection with the Discovery expedition. The Ninirod is .smaller than the .Morning, but is very strongly built. She is of 33'4 gross tonnage, and '227 tons net register, compared with the 444 tons gross and 297,;T0us net of the Morning. In length she measures 136 ft, and in breadth 26ft. At present she may be described as a schooner-rigged vessel, with auxiliary steam power, capable of maintaining without sails a, steady seven knots per hour. The engines, though small— 50 to 60 horse power-are in good condition, and will remain in the ship'. Altogether,' including the landing party, there will probably be 31 or 32 members on board when the expedition sails from New Zealand early in the New Year. There is very little time to effect the various alterations if the shin is to sail from the Thames by the end of July, but arrangements for carrying out the work as rapidly as possible have already been completed. This week the Nirfirod went into dry dock at Blaekwall, and a few weeks of hard work on her will no doubt make a great difference in her appearance. In the course of an interview. Captain England observed : " So far we .have got, to within measurable distance of the North Pole, and now we. not only hope to get closer .to the Soult Pole than anyone has got to the North Pole—'out, what is more, we are confident of reaching the Pole, itself." About a dozen members of the expedition will bo landed on King Edward VlL's Land, upon which no known "British, foot has yet trod ; that spot is the base of the expedition, and parties of three will at once, set about exploring. They will go wbo'-c they may, always having as their objective the Sooth Pole. The indispensable motor-ear will accompany the chosen 12 as will also the ponies; "but, should these fail," said Captain England, "then the men will do the whole thing themselves"—this referring to haulage. Captain England is stated to look the confidence he feels. He, has travelled a. great deaf, and his experience makes him realise tin' whatever difficulties may be. in his way, the 460 miles that separate us-J-so far as records go-from the' .South -Pole will be got over between now and July, Built in 1866, the Nimrod is accredited with having brought to shore no lower than 400,000 seals.