THE FROZEN SOUTH.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19141, 6 October 1925, Page 9

THE FROZEN SOUTH.

ANTARCTIC EXPLORATION. CAPTAIN WILKINS* EXPEDITION. PROPOSED AEROPLANE FLIGHT. [FBOM oca OWN CORRESPONDENT.! LONDON, Aug. 36. Captain G. EL Wilkins, who returned recently from Australia, after spending two and a-half years in the wilds collect ing specimens for the Natural History Museum, South Kersington. has lost no time in making plans for a new expedition. Captain Wilkins was with Stebnsson in the Arctic, and he was a member of Shackleton's last expedition, and chi* time his thoughts are turned again to the Antarctic Seas. It is proposed to set out in 1926 and follow the coastline from the Bay of Whales to Graham's Land, covering 1500 miles by aeroplane. As the scheme is not too ambitious and there will not be the expense of fitting out a vessel, it is likely that the expedition mil be commenced up to time and carried out with success. Captain Wilkins has just been to Norway where he has made arrangements for the purchas j of the aeroplane in which Amundscu attempted to reach the North Pole. He found the Norwegian explorer sympathetic with the new scheme. The plane, which was used only for twenty-five hours, showns signs of contact with the ice, but it is in good flying order. Centre of Whaling Fisheries. " Having completed these arrangements with Amundsen's representative," said Captain Wilkins, "I proceeded to Sandjeford which is the centre of the whaling industry. From that centre the whaling ships leave each year for Graham's Land. The Norwegian whalers realised the importance of the work we have in hand, and were only too glad to help convey my machine and supplies to the Bay of Whales, whence I expect to start the flight at the end of 1926. "We expect to follow the coastline to Graham's Land, covering 1500 miles of the new coastline and arriving at the areas visited by several whaling companies that employ between forty and fifty boats during the whaling season. I have spent two summers with the whaling captains, and they are prepared to give further assistance to a British expedition, and have agreed to take my aeroplane on its arrival and convey the party back to civilisation. This will eliminate the necessity of going to the expense of furnishing two one to convey the party to the Ross Sea and I one to meet the expedition on its arrival. " Captain G. E. Mathews, who was very nearly successful in reaching Australia during the first Australian flight, will be the first pilot, and a Norwegian will be the second. We do not expect that we will meet with great difficulties on our Antarctic flight, for we shall be following a coastline from one known point to another, and if suitable oondi tions are found we will alight at severa points to fix our position astronomically, If the work is successful it will result in the exploration of more than doubi'f the coastline discovered by any othei Polar expedition and give an idea of the geographical features some distance inland from the coast." Other Advantages. Captain Wilkins also considers thai the expedition will be advantageous from the point of view of whaling. "It is known that the whales leave Ross Sea and travel in an easterly direcyon," he said, "and that they also arrive at the other side of the Pacific in a westerly direction. But is is believed that the whales found in the Rosp Sea are of a slightly different species from thos£ killed on the Graham's Land side. Ii this is true there must be a point lying somewhere in the area we hope to explore where the two migrations of whales must part which would be a most suitable spot for whaling. Such geographical exploration as we do may give us a knowledge of a favourable harbour for a whaling base." The meteorological objective of the expedition is to locate a position which will be suitable for the establishment oi one of the stations in connection with a scheme for collecting meteorological data from the Antarctic.