THE UNKNOWN SOUTH.

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 17, Issue 4, 16 January 1903, Page 2

THE UNKNOWN SOUTH.

With,the rapid progress of human Knowledge, the demands of science require a thorough investigation of all the unknown regions on the face of the globe. In the case of the Tolar extremities of the earth, this investigation is fraught with manifold difficulties, and the task is so enormous that any expedition working single-handed can achieve but little.

An international scheme of cooperation has, therefore, been drawn up for the systematic exploration of the Artie regions. Tt is very difficult to realise how extensive these regions are. The continent of Australia, if superposed on them, would cover but a part of their enormous extent.

Compared with the Artie the unexplored area is six times as extensive. In dealing with a surface extent of this magnitude, it becomes manifest that several expeditions working simultaneously at differenc points were requisite for the accomplishment of such a gigantic task. Three ships have already set sail for the Antarctic, viz., the "Gauss," the "Discovery," and the "Antarctic," Next summer, as we learn from the " Dundee Advertiser " will see the departure of the Scottish ship, which leaves for the Far South in August, having on board a competent scientific stall', well equipped for lhe prosecution of every branch of science.

The it);) us for the forthcoming Scottish expedition were drawn up by the leader, Mr. W. S. Bruce, F.H.G.S,, who has already made (he acquaintance of the Antartic, and has been engaged in scientific work within the Arctic circle no fewer than four times.

To carry on scientific research under the trying conditions of a Polar climate is by no means easy, and with the aid of Mr. Brace's ripe experiance the Scottish enterprise lias its success assured.

One of the main features of the expedition will be the many-sidedness of the work to be undertaken. The various natural phenomena connected with the sea, the land, and the atmosphere in these inhospitable regions of ice will be systematically studied. Up to the present little or nothing is known of these, and it is for the elucidation of many of the problems connected wi'.h them that lhe necessity arose for Antarctic exploration.

As one would expect, geographical work is an essential item in the programme of the expedition. New lands will probably be met with and mapped out and surveyed. The rock structure of the land will be carefully studied by the geologist. Up to the present nothing is known of the earth's crust in the Antarctic regions, and it would be of great scientific interest to find out when and how the rocks of the South Polar regions were formed. Probably 1 hey will afford evidence, of previous genial, even tropical, climatic conditions. According to some theories certain forms of

animal and plant life took their origin in the Antarctic at a remote" ago in the earth's previous history, '"['roblems like these can only be solved by a diligent search of the strata, and special care will be taken to make this part of the work of the expedition as complete as possible.

The ice of the Anta/fic differs in many respects from that of the Arctic, and its formation takes place under conditions similar to those under which the ice-cap pf North-West-ern Europe was formed during the great Tee Age. One characteristic feature of the iceberg!* of the An tartic are their gigantic size and their flat-topped appearance, indicating their origin from glaciers extruded over a flat, shelving land surface. Around the South Pole a continent is supposed to exist, lying buried under the great cap of ice. It will be one of the main duties of tiiose taking part in the Scottish Antarctic expedition to seek for evidence for this supposed continent. I.) iring the whole sojourn in the Far South observations in the ice will be taken regularly. The .structure, movements composition, and temperatures of 1 ho land ice will be observed, and the thickness of the ice sheet estimated if possible.

The goal which Mr. Bruce and ids companions will make for is the Weddell Sea—a region of the Anta-f----tic about which nothing is known, and which has only once been visited Dy the exploring party, some 30 years ago, This region promises :o yield results of a very great .scientific value, and a thorough knowledge of it will go a long way to solve many of the problems connected with the Antarctic.

The Weddell Sea is ."Hunted directly in between the sphere of operations of the German E'oeditiou on the one hand and the Swedish Expedition on the other : so ilia-, the results of all three expeditions will be of advantage to each other on their return home Details of cooperation or "division of labor" were carefully planned and arranged between the respective leaders of the Scottish, German, and Swedish Expeditions before the departure of the two latter.

The ship which has been secured for the Scottish Antarctic Expedition is a Norwegian whaler called the " Hecla," a wooden ship of similar dimensions and build to some of the Dundee whalers. She will shortly be brought over to England to be repaired for the special work she has on hand.

The ship will be ready about the beginning of August and will go for a trial spin in the Atlantic for the purpose of testing her gear and instruments before her final departure for the Antarctic, when she will make for Falkland Islands for the purpose of taking on coal and provisions and then strike for the field of operations in Weddell Sea. It is expected that the expedition

will be'absent over a year-'at least, arid possibly much longer if the necessary funds are forthcoming. It may be well to mention that the whole of the money subscribed toward the expedition has been given by Scotsmen only, and the scientific staff and the ship's officers and crew will also belong to the Northern side of the Border, and the whole project is a trulv Scottish one.

A« this is the first occasion that Scotland has equipped and sent out a ship to undertake Polar research, a national interest is being taken in the project, and many eminent men of science are furthering its interests Numerous firms well-known in Scottish circles, are giving a practical form to their expressions of good wishes to the expedition by presenting handsome gifts of their manufactures, and a growing popular inteiest in the project is beginning to manifest itself,