BACK FROM THE ANTARCTIC.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1675, 6 April 1904, Page 23

BACK FROM THE ANTARCTIC.

THE THREE POLAR SHIPS AT LYTTELTON.

ACTIVE EXPLORING WORK

CHRISTCHURCH. April 1. The Antarctic ship Discovery, with the Morning .and Terra Nova, arrived at Lyttelton this morning from the Antarctic regions.. All are well on board.

After the Morning left _the Polar regions on her return to civilisation in 1903, the ice remained fast within four miles of the Discovery. The temperature fall rapidly. The men were employed: laying in a stock of seal meat for the winter. The winter season passed most pleasantly, and in all respects with greater comfort than that of 190?. The weather was. on the whole, colder but less windy. One hundred degrees of frost were recorded in May.

The routine of scientific work and observation was continued as during the previous year. Sledging commenced in September under uteri severe conditions. The parties were constantly in ai temperature below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, and' frequently the record was below 60 degree®. Hie lowest was 68 degrees.

Skelton and party found a. 'new route to the west, and established a depot 2000 ft up a glacier, sixty miles from the Ship'.

Soane severe frost-bites occurred, but none were serious. The parties return in splendid health. On October 6, Barnes and Mu lock, with four rum and a supporting'party of six, started fen a strait in latitude 80 degrees South. They encountered continuously bad weather, and very heavy surfaces, but eventually reached the strait, and found it to contain a large glacier from inland ice. The depot established by Captain Scott last year was found to have moved a quarter of amale to the north. The party returned on December 13th.

Lieutenant Royds, Dr Eernacchi, and four men started on November 10th with five weeks’ provisions, and reached a point 160 geographical miles southeast. of the ship. They travelled continuously over a. level plain. Neither land nor ice disturbance was met with and evidence was secured showing this vast plain to bo afloat. Dr Eernacchi obtained a most uniform series of magnetic observations. These jouriieys were performed under very unfavourable conditions of weather and surface, but the results will add much to the existing information regarding the polar regions. Captain Scott, Skelton and four men and a supporting party of six set out to the west, on October 12th. and reached a height, ef 5000 ft on a glacier eighty miles from the ship on the 18th, when the sledges gave out on hard ice .and they were forced' to return. They reached the ship- on the 21st, and started again on the 26th, but were delayed by winds, and were forced to remain for six and a half days in camp during a continuous gale. They gamed, the summit on November 11th. crossed 180th magnetic meridian on November 20th in about longitude loo.ldeg east, then proceeded west with two" men, Evans and Lashley, for eight days and a half, and reached a point 270 miles from the ship in latitude 78deg. south, longitude _l46fdeg east. They regained the glacier on December 15th, ami reached the ship on Christmas. Eve. The interior of Victoria Land was found to continue at a height of 9000 ft, and this is evidently a. vast continental plateau. The glacier valley possess magnificent scenery. Dr Ferrar explored’ the valley in detail, discovering sandstone with plant remains. In the middle of December a camp was found nine miles north of the ship. All hands were at work with the saws, and 180 yards of channel were sawn in twelve days through ice 7ft to Bft thick in the direction of the open water, seventeen miles from the ship, but the saw cuts became partly refrozen, so that the effort was futile.

The relief ships arrived together at the ice edge on January sth, and all hands were employed in sledging the collection of instruments, etc., between the ships and the Discovery. The ice broke rapidly, however, towards, the end of the •month, the edge reaching, within eight •miles of the .ship*. During the early part of February the gain was slow, v but was increased by systematic explosions, the crews of the relief ships being employed in making holes for this work. On the 12th another break-up commenced, and the relief ships reached Hut Point, amidst much excitement. t On the night of the 14th, two heavy charges placed the Discovery ,in open water.

On the. morning of the 16th a heavy south-west gale commenced. During the night the Terra Nova found a shelter to south, and the Morning was driven north, hut the Discovery dragged her anchor, .and was forced ashore, remaining for eight hours in a critical position. The ship eventually freed herself. The ships kept close along the coastline, and on the return voyage it was discovered that Balleny and Russell Islands are identical. The Discovery arrived -at Auckland Islands on March 15 th with ten toms of coal remain'mg on hoard, and the Terra Nova and Morning rejoined on the 19th and 20th.

LONDON, April 2. Referring to £ha return of the Disi-

covery and the relief ships to Lyttelton (New Zealand), the newspapers warmly congratulate Captain Scott and the nation, on. the valuable addition to the knowledge of the Antarctic.