BOUND FOR THE POLE.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIIC, Issue 14328, 19 October 1910, Page 5

BOUND FOR THE POLE.

CAPTAIN SCOTT IN SYDNEY. PLANS AND ANTICIPATIONS. Press Association-By Telegrajjii-Cupyright Received 9.5 p.ui., Oct. loiiiSYDNEY, Uct. 18. Captain Scott, interviewed hero, &aid his expedition had easily enough lood for three years. The main portion of it would be pennnican, and specially made biscuits, with a large amount of proteiu in them. He was taking a little alcohol in case of sickness. Hewas not a rabid teetotaller, but he would not take any on the dash for the Pole. His main object was to reach the Pole, but no opportunity of doing good scientific woork would be neglected. He had got together a staff of scientists of great experience and more numerous than any previous expedition had.' The motor sledges he was taking were the result of years of experiments, and had been brought as near to perfection as possible. The stores include 1600 gallons of petrol for the sledges. With its aid and everybody's shoulder to the wheel he hoped to cover the last 111 miles, which Shackleton failed to traverse. Describing the Polar party, he said he hoped, after laying depots, to make a start in October next year. The party will consist of sixteen specially chosen and hardiest men. They would have to travel at given intervals, and four would go back on each occasion, and tbe fittest picked to go on until only four remain, who would make tho final dash. By this process of elimination he hoped to accomplish his object. There was no such thing in Polar work as certainty, hut he was sure everyone was going into a work in tho right spirit, and with a firm idea of getting to the Pole. Regarding finance Captain Scott said he thought the Commonwealth would double its subscription. Tbe Lord Mayor, at a representative gathering, welcomed Captain Scott at the Town Ha'll. Professor David declared at the gathering that he was fully confident that Scott would fulfil his mission. Captain Scott, in replying, asked: "Why not keep the whole land lying south of Australia, for the British race, and say, we do not want other nationalities to. write their names on lands south of this country." The meeting decided to approach Mr Hughes with a view of getting the Federal Government to double its' grant in aid of the expedition. THE PHOTOGRAPHER INTERVIEWED. PICTURES PLAY LARGE PART. Among the passengers by the R.M.S. Macedonia, for New Zealand, is Mr Herbert S. Ponting, F.R.G.S., the camera artist to the Antarctic Expedition states a Fremantle telegram to a Sydney paper). When interviewed he said it was Scott's hope to bring back the most complete collection of photographs ever seen from the Polar regions. He is the first explorer to concede to the art of photography the leading part of the work of a Polar expedition. "With this object in view I have brought with me the most perfect .photographic equipment ever devised. It; took twelve months to complete. There are the latest patterns of cinematograph, for it is hoped to obtain complete cinematographic records of the most interesting features of the work of the expedition. There are a'lso wonderful cameras for securing long distance telephotographs. " To proceed to the opposite extreme, there is a. complete equipment for making photomicrographs. Moreover, there are special cameras for stereoscopic work, and it is hoped to bring hack a valuable record .of Antarctic colouring by means of photography in the natural colours with autochrome plates. So that, given fine weather opportunities, and provided that my health holds good, I think that in a year or two we will be able to project on canvas an animal and phvsical presentment of the great Polar regions I reduced all tho necessarv chemicals into tabloids, so that thev need not be transformed into fluids until the last minute.*" "We are all confident. You never met such a lot of fellows in your life. Scott has the best material* at his command. Why, with the exception oi the scientific gentleman and C. H. Mears (who is in charge of the ponies and dogs for the western party), all in the expedition are British naval men. They are all of the bull-dog breed, and their motto undoubtedly is to do or die." Mr Ponting is a much travelled camera artist. A journalist for vears be has been a regular contributor to the magazines He will not do -mr journalistic, work in Antarctica He was asked was he keeping a private diarv. "The arrangements Scott made with us was that none of the party should contribute to the newspapers until he had issued his own book.