POLAR EXPLORATION

Otago Witness, Issue 2924, 30 March 1910, Page 66

POLAR EXPLORATION

LONDON, March 22. The dogs, tents, and sledges that Captain, Scott will take with him are to be named by the schools that have given subscriptions towards the outfit of the expedition. NEW YORK, March 26. Sir E. Shackleton is at present the guest of the Transportation Club of New York.. •■ , - In responding to the toast of his health, he said he felt sure that Captain Scott would succeed, because he had the -ight methods. The sneaker said he believed that the Americans would have an equal chance of reaching the Pole. WASHINGTON, March 27. President Taft received Sir Ernest Shackleton at White House. FREMANTLE, March 22. Mr J. Allan Thomson, who is now reeddent in Kalgoorlie, has come to an arrangement with Captain Scott to accompany the Antarctic expedition as geologist. Mr 'Thomson was the first Rhodes scholar who went to Oxford from New Zealand. He will proceed to Svdney to confer with Professor David, and will afterwards go to New Zealand to join the Terra Nova.

AN INTERNATIONAL FIXTURE. (Fbom Oub Own Cobbespondent.) LONDON, February 11. The Anglo-American race to the South Pole may now be regarded as a positive fixture, which will appeal to the sporting and scientific minds dependent only on the American Geographical Society raising £20,000. One-tentb of that sum has already been obtained. Commander Peary was presented with £2OOO in the name of 21 admirers on Tuesday in New_ York, and he at once announced that he intended to deposit the money in the bank as a contribution to the Antarctic Expedition. The plans for the American expedition, though not yet complete, include the ap.pointmant of Mr Bartlett as captain of the steamer Roosevelt. A start will be made next autumn -"or Punta Arenas, South Chile, the vessel coaling there and replenishing her supplies. She will then proceed, as conditions indicate, to Coates Land, or to the centre of the Weddell Sea, and establish winter quarters as far south as possible. The party Will sledge* thence to the Pole. Mr Peary has presented the sledges, furs- .and skins used on the North Pole Expedition With these the Americans, who include many scientists xtyo accompanied Mr Peary, will attempt .he 800 or 900-mile journey to. the Souti Pole. If it comes to an actual race \«ericans

*rgue, the Biitish will have a slight advaiW tage, as they will start from a base lOC miles nearer the coveted goal. CAPTAIN SCOTT'S PROPOSALS. Captain Scott, R.N.,, visited the Bootham Friends' School, York, yesterday, and was the recipient at the hands of the scholar of a cheque sufficiently large to purchas one of the dogs and sledges for the com ing South Polar Expedition. V He said thii was the most generous response made b} any public school to his appeal. '•• He then explained the method of travel he p-oposed to adopt after reaching the ice-pack, stating that four of the' fittest men would be left to make the last journey. He expressed a hope that the expedition might get there before Peary's, adding that he thought that, in defence of his fellow-travellers, he ought to explain that while it had been said that Peaiy took no white man with him to the North Pole, but'sent him back, he really could do nothing else, because he travelled with three Eskimos and one white man, and when he sent tKe Eskimos back he was bound to send the white man as their leader. Therefore, he had no choice bu* to. send Bartlett back somewhere before, reaching the final goal. " A .certain amount of injustice had been done to Peary, rn ■this respect, and he thought it would have been better if he had organised the party so that he could have got another white man there, because the evidence of twa white men was naturally, more readily received than the evidence of a single man. Captain, Scott added that he proposed thafc in each of his parties there should be four whites, so that the world would nave the evidence of three to suport the evidence or tha leader, and he believed that no fabrication could be supported by three whit* witnesses.

RETURN OF FRENCH EXPEDITION. Telegrams received to-day in London from Punta Arenas (Chile) state that the steamer Sud, which has arrived there, reports that she found the Pourquoi Pas, Dr Charcot's Polax ship, at anchor at Port Gallant,- in the Strait of Magellan.; The captain of the Sud supplied l'r Charcot with fresh provisions. Dr Charcot refused all' information I regardh g hia expedition. , • ; >. The Pourquoi Pas left Havre m August, 1908, for Buenos Aires, and-took fter final departure from civilisation - a* Punta Arenas bri December 20. The last, news heard of the' explorer was to the* effect that the expedition had reached Deception Island in the South at Christmas, 1908.. and had begu » scientific work. It was added that th i expedition intended to winter in- Alef ander I Land, and would not be hean of again for 10 or 11 months. The main object of the expedition is t< test the theory that the South Pole "* the centre of a vast continent. Dr Char* cot hoped, should this view be proved correct, to be able & trace the history ol the changes which took place in Europe during the, glacial period. Dr Charcot was inclined to share the theory that the Antarctic holds marvellous secrets concerning the origin of life, and, writing on the subject, said:—'"' The heart beats faster at the thought that we may-discover the remains of an extinct world, ■ and thus bring back new ideas on the history of life and the earth's organism. The expedition was in every v -,y well equipped for n* work. The Pourquoi Pas is a specially* built three-masted barque of 800 tons, 134 ft 6in long, with a beam of 31fv Though a sailing vessel, she is fitted witt. steam, her engines being of 550 h.p. She was provisioned for three years. Th« staff consisted of three young naval officers and Drs Guoedon, Liouville, and Gain who are respectively the geological, zoological, and botanical .researchers. Cinematograph records were also to be taken.