The New Zealand Times. SATURDAY, MAY 30, 1925. THE POLAR BASIN

New Zealand Times, Volume LII, Issue 12151, 30 May 1925, Page 4

The New Zealand Times. SATURDAY, MAY 30, 1925. THE POLAR BASIN

One-quarter of the world’s people is lamenting Amundsen, the intrepid and usually successful explorer of ice-bound regiens, as dead. Another quarter, considering him as wandering hopeless, is beginning to clamour for a relief expedition, which Amundsen himself has said could, being subjected to similar conditions, have no more chance than himself of a better faring. Thq remaining half of the world is coin tent to wait and see, relying on the allegation of experts that Amundsen has verification work to do requiring many days after his arrival at the Pole, about which there is, in view of his magnificent equipment and long experience of Arctic conditions of travel, no doubt. Joining -the “wait and see” people, we can make at our ease a brief review of the work of Arctic exploration, as recorded m many histories. . , As fighting with dangers has exercised ;m irresistible fascination over mankind, we might go back to the days of Noah to search for traces of Arctic explorers. . • It will be quite' enough, however, if we begin with the days of the Norwegians who discovered Iceland, and the Irish geographic monks who passed that island and peached the coasts of Labrador, bringing back, like the Norwegian adventurers, wonderful stories of a great continent, mighty harbours, and wonderful people, whom we might—in the spirit of fable which reigned supreme in those days—describe (though these explorers did not) as akin to Othello’s “Anthrophagi, whose heads do grow beneath their shoulders.” , . , Beginning in that time, we find reliable accounts by the patriotic, enterprising, masterful, and learned Sa|xon King Alfred, of the chequered career. The King he was whc> first established an English Navy, to the great discontent of the (northern’ freebooters who infested the seas of Northern Europe. After the good King’s clear account <?f the explorers of the ice-bound nprthern coasts, we enter a region of doubtful history. When we reach terra firma, we find Sebastian Cabot in possession <s£ Newfoundland, and the merchants of London City agog for a passage through the Arctic regions to reach the “gorgeous East sooner than by the new passage alleged to have been opened by Columbus through his discovery of America. Here we are in a world of adventurous action peppered over with famous names. They are name§ of men who, in default of the caravels, pinnaces, and other unseawqrthy craft of their time, would probably have embarked on the discovery of the North-West passage in “dug-outs” little better than washtubs. Such was their temper, and such the fascination of battles with “bergs” and fights with “floes.” First cousins of Don Quixote they were to a man. A “fly botte” of fifty tons was regarded by them as we regard the Olympics and Mauretanias to-day. Drake’s Golden Hind—the ship of “the world unsurpassed’’—whose cargo of silver so dazzled good Queen Bess and set most of her sea-dogs a-sailing over the “Spanish Main”—was one of these mighty vessels of fifty tons. Men of that day viewing her blessed God'for the wonderful progress of naval architecture. And the spirit of these navigators! Sir Humphrey Davy, m command of a crazy ten-tonner, leaking badly when caught in a heavy Atlantic gale, being adjured to abandon her and take refuge in one of the fifty-ton leviathans of the flejet,' was adamant. “As near heaven here as anywhere,” said he, and in the morning the ten-tonner was nowhere to be seen. . By such men in their crazy craft, ill-prbvisioned, badly found, with limited fuel, the work of Arctic exploration went forward briskly. The Nor’-West passage, trade with Muscovy, the hunting of the great whale, these were the attractions. Swedes, Norwegians, Russians, Frenchmen joined in the j pursuit of .them, and gradually they spread the knowledge of the; Arctic Seas.< Their losses were formidable, and their* dangers multifarious. Hudson, put overboard by mutineers, wi|th his son and faithful friends, in the great bay that bears his naiqe, furnished the-, most pathetic of the untoward fates that overtook so many. The name of the others is legion. * Exploratory efforts continued, nevertheless. Three centuries engraved the names of "the intrepid explorers 1 on the scroll of fame. In the first two search for the Nor’-West passage was just fumbling in the dark, without any certainty that there? was a passage at all between the northern continents of Asia ajnd America. In the third of these the Russian Behring, doubling the formidable Cape Khelouskin, and sailing along the Siberian coast, discovered the strait which received his name, and so gave the touch of reality to the search for the passage. Then the Nor’-West passage passed from the region of myth into actuality. It was discovered. And then it was seen to be impossible for any trade purpose. Nevertheless, the’race to reach it from the American, side continued. Little by little the coasts and islands of the North came into the maps of the world, degree by degree the northern latitudes were unveiled, and still the Nor’-West passage remained the unreached goal. is the most pronounced name in the list of the searchers. In 184 she sailed, accomplished the passage, i.e., got within easy reach of Behring Strait, and was heard of no more,,till the end of his story was found by McClure -and McClintock, the latter clearing up the last of the mystefy in 1857, in the Fox, fitted out for the -search by Lady Franklin. The wreck of the ships, their abandonment, the perishing of the last man, a ghastly row of tins of rotted preserved meat giving clue to their fate—such was the end of the story. This report was the last of a long literature of search which, without finding Franklin, added much to the knowledge of the Arctic regions. In 1899, Nordenskjold, sailing from Archangel, coasted Siberia, passed through Behring Strait, anchored in a port of Japan, and the useless Nor’-West passage was talked of no more among men. Arctic exploration turned to the North Pole. America took part, contributing the De Long and Greely expeditions—both disastrous. Italy sent the Duke of Abruzzi, who reached 83 north, and told the tale of that degree. Nansen and Amundsen made their famous drift in the Fram, failing to touch the Pole, carried off by the drifting ice; a very comfortable life the two had until Nansen had to take to the ice, and made one of the most wonderful walks in the history of mankind. Then the Americans sent Peary, who had made the record advance to 87.6 North. This time he reached the Pole, taking for the United States the honours of victory in 1899. He reached it by sledge—a 400-miles journey over* the sea ice from Grant Land. In \ this journey one can anchor—a hope for Amundsen in case of the worst. That journey of Peary’s flatly contradicts the expert who declared the other day that Amundsen, being surrounded by seas, must inevitably perish if his airplanes have broken down. Amundsen, obeying the call of danger that has fascinated the long historic line of explorers, conquered the South Pole. In the hope of his safe return from the other Pole, we join the throng of the watchers of “wait and see.”