BACK FROM THE ANTARCTIC.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVI, Issue 10106, 25 March 1909, Page 4

BACK FROM THE ANTARCTIC.

Received March 24, at 10.55 p.m. London, March 24. The Kin?, through the Daily Mail, offers hearty congratulations to Lieutenant Shackieton for his groat achievement. Lieutenant Shackletons cablegram to the London Daily Mail states that Lieutenant Acia.ns 'meteorologist and magnctician), I\ Uroc-klehursf (surveyor) i>nd. baker), Professor David (gelologist), Dr Mackay (surgeon and surveyor), Dr Mai-shall (surgeon and ntagnetic ia :i), and Mr Marston uulist) left Cape- UuycLs on the sth March to ascend Mt. Krebas. They climbed on th--- Tih with a sledge, carrying t'u-ir equipment *.-: i their Sacks to an a.titude Di 9500 f*vt. The thermometer was 50 de-jree.-; h*. low i'ie zing point. A U/r viiblizzard. bating thirty hours, they ur.-A Mm] the vli crater <»« I'm: S:h. and round uni-pie iumr.r.'les or smoke liolc s. Th.» r.rat'-r vv;l: with Ispar crystals. s' and sulphur. 'Che summit- was reached on the li'Ai. "i a tive crater v.v.3 hair a mile in dfometer and -SCO icot ;!< , r>. Volumes of steam aiui sulphurous ; *.v« te rhdug 20 i 0 feet. Aitvr waki;u ro I editions they glissaded down, and -fhc-l Cape <- :z the* liih. MeteoroolNervations, v/eve taken imtii the .-!•.! nf the '.xpeditmn. Mr Murray. the Molo-ist. abundant mb.r»\v.->| lire. roiifeni. etc.. in n\..-h water lak.s near (."am- Uoyds. ah-:o p-.-n;;'j:n:-. lichens. :m = I mosses. Mr MarsM-i made records <;f the aurora di:»}!•:.vc. whiih v.vrc exceedingly Indian: thivu.rhoui the winter, n.o-;tdy in the, e\ust. an i ~'r'A'-.r.\ in the dire-lion of the magi\;> :ir r er.i'.adt s oi d..i-i:;u a. r.-s the havens. Many au;l ::»d records were obtained <>: currents and ti 'v.-, by which they were able io gauge the diiaiit i v.ork in physio. l'roicssor •;:tvi I en.-.*.-ters the antarctic bergs arc i.is.-ily Mtowher-o. l'"criii mdiolaria wen- : ::;n i in :/:;t»-ial ladders. Much marine dr. cl.i'iv was d«>ne in the winter, shafts i, tunk in the laver ice. The bioio- - ic-.-ii winter Mimies wore continue.!. (. lvcrds were obtained «>* natural hizimy objects. The lowest tern-p-.ratar. r-.-'.jorded was 72 below ti-..- zii:L* j "in:. A studying- expedition uu«i-:it:u:t'!i on v':Vt;:;_e ;-nd ih-ric-ior ihivid - Ui' : n w:;i"h th.L- cava: ice Carrier w;-.s i>l iiM*t. A retain v.a.s mr.de to Care Ibycis nn the ISih Willi I)r">i;u\shail/ Mv Marion, ;i:i I Mr Wild of hoisc.?, etc.) i.h'ir.enant Shackleton started on August 22nd and placed 124 miles *outh of the winter ([iiarters a depot- for the southern journey. ( MA(.iXKTIC VOU. EKACiIF.I). I.tcutenaii: Shae!-:leton states that l'roDavid r-ports that the northern party. conrditinL- *>i Mi' Maiston, iJr ,xdacv. ami himself started on the stii (-etoi,r a <ii;iieult route, many iiard.-Mj-s, ar.d reached on the loth Jaiutarv the nui'_:ne;ie pole in latitude «2 de••r" r-« 25 mliK. longitude 154. pik! hoistei t uion Jack.

I March 25, ;;t O.lv ;i.m. London. March 2-4. \.'y Shricjs:---:',:! : "A ji-iz-riiv I'juv.-l t«"-ni])eratniv was S3 -it?_£rtjcvs f>£ t 'i he L'.-iiVicr Mirfac.- was four.-:! iina'l'o i'or.the motor i-:-ti'">l- tlx.\rWitor moved over t:r ice in iayin:; depots. and eoveriiK; a 4'Jo mik-s. Ihe na v *v. oi iJuntenant 1 ifr Marshall.. Mr Will, and I. with r->nr s an;i a supporting party, jianie!v. >ir i\ Jh-u kiohurit. .Mr .fo\ve. -Ml* Mr and Mv Priestly ;jjn'iM-Utl. left Capo IN »y*is on tin- 29ih «\'t We loft the hut at Point 'lho.d v>ith £'l <iays* provisions. Wo wer? detained at White Inland l>y a Uizzard for nv daw-;. 't he supporting party returned on th-» Tin- Lieutenant Adams' pony was neariv lost o\vin;j; to bad ice rreva^s." I'u the 15th we reached the in September in latitude 72.5 inins.. Joruritudo 163. e took on the ponv maize and provisions, and luivm* reduced our rations- travelled south a!ori'- the ni; ridiau of 163. .lli_rh ridges the snow. alternating with eoftsnti»v. The ponies often sunk to the belties. In latitude SI decrees 4 mins.. I >hot .i j-.onv. and made a depot of oil. biscuit and pony meat. The remainder ■■l the latter we carried to eke out dried . rations, tin the 26th we reached the JJis-u->verv\> southernmost latitude. We en- ' countered soft snow in large undutaiion.s. Two of the ponies went snow Mind, and v.vre shot. We made a depot- in latitude 32 degrees 45 mins.. longitude Received March 25, at- S a.m. London. March 2-». Steering south-smi: h-e.u-t nvm the depot made after shooting "the snowblind ponies, v.-e approached the hich r.tnge of ticw mountains tending >uuth-ea£t. We ft'iind. on December 2nd. the barrier was intiuenejd by pr*asure. and the ridges of sm»w and Ke had been turned into land. We discovered a south-westerly glacier 120 raiUs by 'lO miles on the sth December. \\\> .<t-trted in latitude S3deg. 35. longitude 172. to make the glacier, which was eo erevassed that we spent the whole day ti;_:itin-_' our way up 600 yards. _ A pony disappeared into a crevasse owinir to 'die swingle-tree snapping, but we save«;i the load. We were now hnulmg 230U.S each. Xew mountains were discovered on the eighth of December to the-south-south-west. Many rescues were effected with the help of Alpine ropes. We reached, oa of 6SOO feet. A depot was made in latitude 85, where we iei't everything except food and instruments. The equipment was reduced to tweniy ounces daily. On December 26th we reached a plateau lO.COO leet in height. We experienced many hardships owing to the shortage cf food and xareaed air. Vi e made -a depot on the plateau, and took a tent, utilising the poiovs of a second tent as guiding ! marks-for our return, as the- surface was soft. We encountered a blizzard lasting for 60 hours and Buffered from frequent frostbites. We left camp and on Jamtary Sth reached latitude 83 degrees 25 minntLSj longitude 162 degrees, the mcst-

RETURN OF THE NSMROD. VALUABLE AMD INTERESTING DISCOVERIES.

southerly point hitherto recorded. Here we hoisted the Queen's Union Jack. No mountains were visible, but a plain stretched south. Fresh, eevere hardships were undergone, dysentery also suffered on the slow return journey, •Dr Marshall e=i>eeially sutiering, but with relief from the s' ip all reached the hut at a point completing a fourth of the total journey of 1700 statutory miles. Coal measures were found in the limestone, and upwards'of a hundred mountains ranging from 3GCO feet to 12,000 feet were eeen. In eiiiht I'anires we discovered •ilacienSj and photographed Miirns ol former greater «_da'_ier>. The -South"l'ole is doubtless on ;? n!"'c:ni 10.000 feet to 11,000 feet above the Ms.a. from thn violent blizzards in l::t;lude 8B if a polar «-ahn exists it is in area and not coincident with the i»ec ]»ob'. liood zoological and ;<>voncs v.-oro made. Ab.oard j Nimrod after encountering pac:-: iee, I di.*ct»v«;i\'rl from a p:\sttion in latitude 69 • new raiiLr'* cojist mountains trending southwest then v.-(.\<t for 45 miles beyond Cape North. Ib-eeiwd March 25. at 8.25 a.in Melbourne, March 25. The Minb-trr of Kxternal Affairs is surprised that Lieutenant Shacklctou has sent hi.a Mfi rep-ort- of his explorations, seeing o Commonwealth Government subscribed £SCGO. lie considers that whatever ids contracts with newspapers may ie |.!»'utenant Shaekleton must recognise obligations to the Commonwealth. Vv'irAT THE KXPKDITIOX HAS COST. The cost of the' expedition will be between £30,G00 and £35.C00. The Xew Zealand Government has given £IOOO and the Australian Commonwealth £SOOO. "J"he Discovery expedition was a public one: the Ximnxi expedition is a private one. Tiie cost of the former was met mainly by the Imperial Government and the Hoyai Geographical Society ; the costof tiie latter will not be met by any sneielies or bodies whatever, 'ihe principal supporter of the present expedition is Mr W. J'.eardmore. of the firm of W. ]!eardmoiL- and Co., which builds battleships and makes armour-plate on the Clyde. Mr \V. A. Bell, of Court, Sarrev. a relative of Lieutenant Shackleton, has given .£4OOO, and the other contributors are the Duke oi Westminster, Lord Ivea-Ju and Sir Robert Clark, of Australia, "it is hardly fair to leave the Admiralty and the iloyal Geographical altogether out of the complimentary nofiees. The former has lent several hundred pounds worth of charts and instruments, including a compass, chronometers, and sounding gear, and the latter has several scientific instruments. A '.:reat deal of the £50,000 has been spent in equipment, food, clothing and appliances. The Mauchurian ponies repre-:--vnt- about- £IC3O.

TAIvIX(; HKPv XniK. Ciiristchurehj March 25. The Xinirod at ten o'clock had not- been sign.:lieu at Akaroa. The JMahono. arnviiig from Uunedin_. saw no sign of At one o'clock the Ximrod was still unsignaTcd. Though tlie has cleared she cannot now he in till late in th<* afternoon.