SHACKLETON'S PLAN.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 13299, 7 February 1914, Page 10

SHACKLETON'S PLAN.

FOR CROSSING GREAT ANTARCTIC ' CONTINENT. TO LEAVE BUENOS AYRES NEXT OCTOBER, LONDON, Dec. 30. Columns are devoted m the newspapers to-day to Sir Ernest Shackleton's plans for his proposed expedition to the Antarctic next year. The expedition is generally bailee! as indicative of • the spirit of British bull-dog determination. The main, object of the expedition will be to cross the South Polar continent from Weddel Sea to Ross Sea, a distance, roughly, of- 1700 miles, making the South Pole a half-way house on the great journey, of which at least half will be overall entirely new route. It will be the biggest Polar journey ever attempted, and if successful will open up, m the Weddel Quadrant, a vast unexplored region, which is still a blank "on the map. The actual programme of the expedi-' tion is dependent upDn the monetary support \yhich may bo secured from tlie public, but there is" no doubt that tlie undertaking Will be proceeded with, and will be the greatest m the '-history of Antarctic expeditions. Provision will be made m case' the party has to spend two Avinters ill the south, but Sir Ernest hopes for ,a mild season, which Avill enable him to reach Ross Sea by May, 1915. ': An interesting feature of the . equipment to be used, by Sir Ernest _ will be sledges driven Joy aeroplane engines and. an aeroplane with clipped Avings to aid m propelling the sledges, over the ice. ' The trans-continental party will consist of .six men and 120 dogs. The animals chosen, will be those accustomed to team, and post work hi Alaska arid Siberia, and they will be handled by experienced .Canadians. v.SHACICLETON'S S^ATEAIENT. In an interview dealing with his plans, Sir Ernest said : "The main object of the expedition will be the crossing of the polar continent. ' The unknown fields m the world which are still uhconquered are rapidly narrowing doAvn, but there still remains this great work. Of recent- / years the • interest ' of geographers and ' the public '. has been concentrated, on the approach to the pole from Ross Sea. "Except Dr. Bruce's discovery of Coats Land m 1904, and the results of the Filchner expedition "• of last : year, we know scarcely- more' -of the Weddcll Quadrant than Aye did m Weddeli's day? There is a vast unexplored region m the big Avhite space, oh the. map. . "The crossing of the south polar continent will be the-biggest polar journey ever attemptedj' a longer journey than to the pole and back and infinitely more difficult, because Aye: shall always be advancing over neAv ground j with no depots to draw from. The minimum distance from sea to sea is roughly 1700 statute miles, and more than half the distance-will be positively, a new route. With good fortune it is probable that, ■the '■'whole journey will cover new ground. That is to say, after , reaching the pole from Weddell Sea'we may strike out a route over to Ross Sea, which Avill be neither 'that Avhich I followed on my previous journey and which Captain Scott toolc, nor 'the other and shorter one adopted by Amundsen. TRANS-CONTINENTAL PARTY." "Tho expedition will have two ships, both driven by oil fuel, giving a radius for operations four times greater • than coal. The larger A-essel will leave Buenos Ayres early next October for the j Antarctic^ reaching, if possible, 7b" i degrees. Avhere there is a good landingplace,, discovered by a German expedition.- ' . , ! " , "If the ice conditions permit, the ex- 1 pedition will reach the base at the beginning o/ -November. A shore party j of six men- -will land and proceed immediately on the march* across the continent. Othenvise, permanent Avinter quarters will $be made on Weddell Sea, and depots avill be laid out toAvards the pole beforbthe Avinter, m which event the' expedition will cross the continent the following year. - "In addition to the six men of the trans-continental party, there -will be a biologist, a geologist and a physician ■atta-ched 'to< the ship. Others may be added- ii the funds- permit. Probably thirty men Avill be taken altogether. We will also" use an aeroplane and aero-motor-driven sledges." . I