ANTARCTIC TELEPHONES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14567, 2 January 1911, Page 8

ANTARCTIC TELEPHONES.

CAPTAIN SCOTT'S SYSTEM.

The experience of past Polar expeditions has enabled. Captain Scott to equip himself wonderfully well for his journey in search of the South Pole; but one of the details that 'lias been carefully worked out has, so far, escaped attention (says tTie Dominion). This is a system >by moans of which he hopes to be able to keep in telephonic, communication with the ship or with his land, base when sledge journeys may have token him long distances away. In the extreme cold of the Antarctic regions ordinary electric batteries would be rendered useless by the frost; and so the wo of accumulators, which will bo charged from a dynamo on the ship, has been decided upon, and: it is estimated that even a temperature of about 7Qdeg. below zero will not interfere with the working of the system. Wires of aluminium will be used, as iron or copper would be too heavy. Of this wire Captain Scott has taken south with him six re-els, which weigh only just over 1001b, and which are sufficiently compact to be carried without difficulty among the equipment of a sledge. It is expected that the dryness of the atmosphere and the stability of tbo atmospheric conditions will make it quite possible to lay t he line merely on the surface of the fro?, snow, which experiment has shown to be a non-conduc-tor, so that it will be unnecessary to increase the amount of baggage by carrying poles. On the other hand, though, it will bo impossible to utilise the earth for the return front, so that two wires will have to be need instead 1 of one. It is expected, however, that, the high conductivity of aluminium and the' exceptional acoustic properties of the dry Antarctic atmosphere j will make the Polar telephone ano of quite exceptional clearness and power.