The Wanganui Chronicle "Nulla Dies Sine Linea." MONDAY, JUNE 14, 1909. ANTARCTIC EXPEDITIONS.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume L, Issue 12240, 14 June 1909, Page 4

The Wanganui Chronicle "Nulla Dies Sine Linea." MONDAY, JUNE 14, 1909. ANTARCTIC EXPEDITIONS.

. The ref erejice, in our cables .^lis^morn. ing, to Lieutenant Shackletori, ,bi>ing! oiice • more under notice the , assault: which have, been,1 and are to be, m.ad.i on Antarctica. New Zealand was par ■ ticularly v interested in the,-, Shackleton : expedition^ as the- PojniuiQii- /was. tli« base from which the; intrepid explorers made tlieit-attack. And New Zealand, ;'it-would seem, 'will have equally good ; :.reason to be "interested in future-:ven-:,.faires. As. a Christchurch' contemporary ;points) out, • at.least one' expeditioii''is soon to make New: Zealand itsfbitse for an> attack •yon the' South Pole,-;atid it is quite' possible that Lytteltoii may sco the departure of twp expeditions bent on beaiting.Lieutenant Shackletoti's record. The -EE-oyal Geographical Sb""ciety, roused into action by the success of Lieutenant, Shackleton's efforts, which it did so little to assist, is fitting out an expedition under Captain Valentine Webster, who is himself contributing £10,000 of the cost. He has selex^ ed a whaling schooner of 500 i;6iis,"s^itti rather greater steaming pqw-,er< than;, the Nimrod, and the expedition- which appears to be subsidised by the Londpj; /"Daily Telegraph," and bears that enterprising journal's. name, is to leave New Zealand in December next for Fics • toria Land, "following the route 'adopted by Lieutenant Shackletoff." .Nowfwe are told that Mr Alexander Macdpnald, ■■■■a- well-known Australian explorerj^who accompanied Lieutenant r , Shackieton '^iir^ing part.fof^^.journeyings^in^^ustralia, has left ■ for England to try' and organise' another Sbiith iPole^ex^'edition. Shackletoii's route is to b?^ adopted, in .this also, the nnaLdash for. the P.qle; is, tb.be rndide, with dog;teams. Mr - Macdonald has no 'doubt ..had .the*.^vantage ?of discussing^ vhfe 'piails; !w^th '■■'•- tho leader of * the'Nimrod expeditiQn, but one would have thought; from the experiences' of the Nimrod's southern party t that the country1 traversed was, singularly ill-adaped for dog teams,.Mr Macdonald's expedition, ,111 any ba!se,. has yet to. materialise,, and though Liexitenant Shackleton's? splendid work, coupled with his arrival in Engfeind, -may/;stimulate' '; public' interest in Antarctic exploration, 'he may not" find it easy to raise the requisite funds.. But even without this as yet problematical expedition, Antarctica promises to be, comparatively speaking, . quite crowded next summer. Besides"Captain Webster's party, working "along Shackletori's route, there will be Dr. Bruce's expedition, estimated to cost £50,000^ which will attack the Antarctic continent "from the South American side, ariel, it is hoped, will traverse it to the Pacific side. Dr. Charcot's expedition, in the Pourquoi Pas, which left France last August, is even now wintering in Alex.andr.i il. Land, a locality which its leader explored on his former expedition. Dr. .Charcot's plans were not quite definite, but he meant to get as near to the Poite as possible, and even had the idea,, originally, of joining Shackleton's party, ; either by travelling along; the barrier or by crossing the Continent^ "The best route to the Pole," he said .before he started,'," is no doubt by way of the Ross Barrier; but this we regai'd as belonging to the

English explorers, and I do not propose to tresspass on other people's ground." Finally, Borchgrevink, one of the earlier explorers of recent ■ times,; is talking

about organising another expedition to the Antarctica, but nothing' has been heard of the proposal for some time, and it may not improbably end as it began, in talk. Three expeditions at least are certain, and the distinction of reaching tlio Pole should be secured by one of them. Our Christchurch contemporary concludes with an observation, the sentiment of which will be unanimously endorsed, when it says that the probability adds intensity to one's regret that the honour did not fall to Lieut. Shackleton, after all his gallant effort and perilous adventures;. but he will have tho satisfaction of knowing that he pioneered the way, even though lie just failed to reach the goal. Whatever is accomplished by those who tread in his steps cannot detract from the greatness of his own achievement.