Polar Exploration.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13490, 11 January 1908, Page 3 (Supplement)

Polar Exploration.

WHAT IT HAS COST. \d one iiuite understands the spell of those white, vast, desolate regions round the North and South Poles which calls expeditions into existence; sub W w the cost <>£ Polar exploration realised The following summary from the " Ocean" will be read with kesn interest: "Of the followers of l'olar explore", one in every three lias perished m ill uhit.c, frozen, silent wilderness at the ends of the earth. Nine hundred scienti*N and sailors have -"led, steamed sledged. trudged or ballooned to North in the la-vt hundred y.ai:,. White hundred have never come back. "Moreover, ill-.' bones of t.w» hundred and fifty others who went north l ,r " ,0 " s t„ the last century rest, to-day in the leici"„ of perpetual ice. 'lhen, t''«'« at- least fifty' more graves far dovwi the Atlantic. Altogether, MX g 1,.,vc sacrificed their lives to o«i determination to read l>>* V" IIS V . ••]L ;•.» ciitinii'.i"';'. thi.t £1.500.000 lalieen spoilt in III" 'l'K'st " f the *'' rt ! l 1 alone, and £600.000 more in trying to reach' the South )Ve. And still another £400.000 for relief and search. parties ol lowing the mailt expeditions llus niake> a grand estimated total ot £2.500,C00 .-catt-red to the four winds of the Gieat White North and South. "Of the total of £1,500.000 spent in ihe ijUftsV of tie.- North Pole, incalled away in the l:,st T j^ John Franklin spent over £40,C00. Theu his wife invested £60,000 in fitting out expeditions and 'moving lieaven and e«uitli in search of bis bones. Iwenty-one seaich parties were Kent out—.-iglitecn from England and three from- tin United!States—at an average expens:* of £IO,OOO each, or a total of about £200,000. "Then the British Oovermnent offered a reward of £20,0C0 to whosoever would brim? back tangible evidence that Jnanklin was reallv dead. Half the amount was paid to Dr. Kac. who discovered the ■-{•lies now in the Greenwich Museum—£lo,ooo for some of St. .lolin s rspoons and forks and the remains of hi? watch. he WHslliwl sooosn. forks, and watch m the world. ■ "The Norwgein Government gave Nan--<Oll £IO.OOO to build the ' Fram. And then an extra. £20.000 was raised by private subscription. 'I he Italian Duke of tie- Abi-u/./.i isavs»:' On my Polar trip I silent over £40.000. the late King Hum-li-rt and other notable Italians contnbutiii" large <sunis. . " Andree, the Swedish aeronaut, wl"> thought to reach the North Pole 'V-" " in.r there in » balloon, spent £7,000 exelusive of £1,5C0 given by King Oscar and of other sun:* from rich Swedish snbieuts l.ord Northclift'e (then plain Alfred Harmsworili) spent £40,000 in equipping the Jackson exiK-dition, the members of which endured Arciic hardship for a. tiiou'sand day.*. " As for the Jiumey -pi-lit by the Amerji an explorers : Congress gave Lieutenant(now General)' W. A. finely £SOOO. (In-rlv ivvd up about £20,000 in audition. ConinYimler Hoiwt IVsry's Jivy trips have tost- more than £IOO.CCO. "Vet. he says, U'ntil tlie laid, trip I never had inonev enough.' 'lhuf. la«t da«li was made in i9C6. For week* Peary s hiiiji. the 'Rorsevell. lay idle in New York Harbour while the explorer wailed for public-spirited citizens to contribute the needed film'-;, amounting to £20,000 in addition to what he already had.

'•Walter Wellrnan the newspaper correspondent who i.s about to follow An-clrct'-.s scheme of leaching the North l'olc by Hying, hays*: 'My flight in my airship will co.L at

'■ CoMliust of all for an American <x jii'diliou was- that r-enl out five years ago lv." the late Henry Ziegler I lie ZieglerIjahlu in vxpedition. 'lll i.-. party cost Mr. 7.iegk-r oviv £70.000. This is a. Tar great cr sum than was ever spent on any oilier cxiK'dition. except that headed liy laptain Sir Ceoigc Xawith 1 h.*. 'Alert' and 'Discovery' at an expense to the liritl--h (ioveniment of £150.000. " Altogether, tin: £2.500,000 have paid the expen.se? of thirly-live Xorth .Polar expeditions, twcnly-six' of which went iiorl-h in the last hundred year:-, and of thirte<n join lii-r.s in search of the- South J'ole. 'I he>->'"forty-eight diltVient alk'nipt* to locate the l'r.lii, eoM all average of £50.000 each. "for what, th ii. do men light no and cold and vcitrvy and *nnw Itliiidiic-.:. and stavvat-ion. mil" after mite. year after vmi', in thai region of darkness: and .dlrnce'' ttieelv answered this i|ue ,: tioii when he lay on the ire with the iiK'iv handful of Mivivoi* of his expedition, liiin-M-lf emaciated, half-fvo/,eii. suffering from Miow-lilindn-and >ci:rvy, unalilc to Hand and scarcely aide to Hjrak. lo his > I'tur.id-s he whispered : " H-'i" \\r ai- ilying like ni 'ii. ltut «o di,! Hal- w;: calm' lo do we l>:at (lit rc cold." "When (Jrc.'ly 'heat the record." (jrcut. Britain held it for over two hundred and seventy-live years. At what a ccst in human life wa:- that honour from lb' 1 I'i il.isli J"