RACE TO THE POLE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 14325, 22 March 1910, Page 7

RACE TO THE POLE.

THE RIVAL EXPEDITIONS. WHY SCOTT IS LIKELY TO REACH THE GOAL FIRST. Command™ Pkary's proposals for a United States Antarctic 'Expedition give definite character to a desire which . has found frequent expression in the United States during the past few mouths, says a correspondent of the London Morning Post. The return of Commander Peary from the North Pole has given a strong impetus to the ambition of American geographers and explorers to send forth the first expedition to reach the South Pole. At one time it was feared that an attempt would be made to forestall Captain Scott and establish the base of an American expedition on the shores of McMurdo Sound, the headquarters of the British expeditions which have done so much in the last decade to extend knowledge of the geography of the Antarctic regions to the south of New Zealand. Commander Peary's proposal that the American expedition should work from a base on the opposite side of the Antarctic area- affords welcome evidence of a desire not to trespass on the sphere- marked out by Captain Scott as his Held of operations. Other British explorers, however, may not view the American expedition with the same satisfaction. The Antarctic regions on the side opposite to McMurdo Sound are occupied by the Weddell Sea, where Dr. W. S. Bruce on board the Scotia discovered Coats Land in 1903. Nearly two years ago Dr. Bruce announced his intention of seeking to reach the South Pole from Coats Land as a base, and Sir Ernest Shackleton has also under consideration the advantages of making Coats Land the base of his next Antarctic expedition. If Commander Peary's scheme is carried out the British and American expeditions will be engaged simultaneously in seeking to reach the South Pole from opposite sides of the Antarctic regions. There is not much prospect, however, of the American explorers winning the race for the South Pole under these conditions. Coals Land is still virgin territory, and the most southerly point to which it has been traced is just south of the 74th parallel. An American expedition with its base at this point would, as Commander Peary says, be about 2000 miles from tho base of a British expedition with its headquarters on the shores of McMurdo Sound. It is not quite correct, however, to say that the two camps would be at approximately equal distances from the Pole. Between the' most southerly known point of Coats Land and the South Pole is a distance of about 1100 statute miles, while between Cape Royds, on McMurdo Sound, and the South Polo is a distance of about 850 miles. Moreover, while the American explorers would -be adventuring into an absolutely unknown region, the track to the South Pole from McMurdo Sound has already been traced to within about 100 miles of its objective. This will be of immense advantage to the British expedition. The advance towards either Pole has been by slow and painful stages, and Sir Ernest Shackleton placed to his credit an achievement unprecedented in either the Arctic or Antarctic regions when he advanced the southern record by six degrees. But if all previous experience goes to show that the American expedition will not make tho great advance of 16 degrees from Coats Land to the South Pole it will have abundant opportunity of adding to knowledge of the Antarctic regions south of the Weddell' Sea, , Much will depend on the personnel of the expedition, and here the Peary Arctic Club and tho National Geographic Society of Washington are likely to find one of their chief difficulties if they unite in organising the proposed American expedition. The United States have taken no part in the exploration of tho Antarctic regions in recent years, nor have they any men, apart from Commander Peary, who have recently achieved any very notable success in the Arctic regions. . Those who come new to the work of Polar exploration, however, often achieve the great triumphs, and with the assistance of Commander Peary in the preliminary Work of organisation, though not in the actual work of exploration, the proposed expedition, if suitably manned, should result in some notable discoveries.