POLAR EXPLORATION

Southland Times, Issue 19510, 9 May 1922, Page 5

POLAR EXPLORATION

VOYAGE OF THE QUEST NARRATIVE FROM CAPTAIN WILD A PERILOUS CRUISE (By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright.) (The Times). LONDON, May 5. The Quest returned to South Georgia on April 4, and sails for Capetown in June. Captain Wild cables a vivid story of the expedition, recording thrilling escapes from pack ice and hurricanes. The vessel left Leith Harbour on January 15, made a geological examination of Cooper Bay and Larsen Harbour in South Georgia, leaving that island finally bn January 18. She found the chartered position of Clerke rocks inaccurate, and sounded and surveyed Z&vosdoski Island. Proceeding eastward she entered a sea filled with innumerable icebergs, making in the thick weather which prevailed night navigation difficult. The ship reached a position where the Pagoda wreck was shown on. the charts and found the rock non-existent. She sounded a depth of 2950 fathoms. She encountered and entered heavy pack ice on February 4. The crew worked the ship with increasing difficulty through the pack until they reached the farthest south position on February 12, when progress was stopped by an impenetrable pack of rapidly forming new ice. He proceeds : We were compelled to beat a rapid retreat to avoid being crushed and frozen in for the winter, our ship not enabling us to take the latter risk. Soundings at this point showed a rapid shoaling, a strong ice bank to the south indicating the proximity of land. Our escape was effected with the utmost difficulty after hard and persistent efforts. We made a second attempt to push south in February. We reached the latitude of 60degs. 48min. south, longitude 0 degrees 1 minute west Impenetrable ice again stopped us. We then shaped a course for the appearance of land observed by Ross. We worked through several hundred miles of heavy pack ice, taking soundings. We were beset by frozen ice for 35 miles. The temperature was at zero, and our position serious from ice pressure in the frozen pack, insufficiency of coal, and the unsuitability of the ship for such an experience. We detected no sign of land. After seven days, during which we were locked in the ice, a heavy northerly swell caused the pack to open and, by using a full pressure of steam and warping the ship with hawsers attached to ice anchors placed on floes, we forced the Quest to a narrow channel opening in the ice and escaped. We reached Elephant Island and effected a landing. We killed sea elephants for fuel, made soundings, and carried out geological examinations. An attempt to revisit Cape Wild where Shackleton’s party was marooned during the last expedition was defeated by a violent hurricane driving the ship northward. She narrowly escaped being swept on Seal rocks. Owing to exhaustion' of coal supplies we were compelled to return to South Georgia, which, we experienced difficulty in reaching owing to thick weather. The total distance covered was 6000 miles, of which 2800 were through ice. Repairs and refitting the ship are now being carried out in South Georgia. A PIONEER NAVIGATOR. CAPTAIN COOK’S PROJECTED ROUTE. AN HISTORIC LETTER. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) LONDON, May 6. That the puzzle of the Antarctic was a simple thing to Captain James Cook is disclosed by a letter which Sir T. A. Coghlan has secured for New South Wales. It comprises a map of the Southern Hemisphere and includes an indication of the route to be followed by the ships Resolution and Adventure, in exploring the southern ocean in search of further continents. The reasons for the route are explained in a memorandum in Cook’s handwriting under date February 6, 1772, which “are humbly submitted to your lordship’s consideration by your lordship’s most obedient and humble servant, James Cook.” The memorandum sets out that discoveries established no great extent of southern lands northward of latitude forty except about meridian 140 ; therefore to make new discoveries the navigator must traverse or circumnavigate the globe at a. higher parallel than had hitherto been done. The whole itinerary of a round the world voyage was laid down precisely, including water recruiting ports and wintering ports. TTie route, commencing at the Cape of Good Hope, goes to New Zealand and then Tahiti for winter ; southward to high latitude ; eastward to Cape Horn ; thenoe to the Cape of Good Hope. It concludes : “ The yellow line on the map shows the track I would propose ships should make supposing no land should intervene, for if lands are discovered the track will be altered according to the direction of the land, but the general route must- be pursued otherwise some parte of the southern ocean will remain unexplored.” Thus Cook 150 years ago laid down the general principle of Antarctic exploration which many great adventures have since followed.