POLAT EXPLORATION.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 10819, 9 December 1902, Page 4

POLAT EXPLORATION.

(Jndetebbep byAhe privations ,and sufferings — and, in many cases death — of those who have attempted to solve the mysfejies *

of the polar 1 regions', there insufficient faep- '' cination stilt to influence further exploration. Two distinct expeditions whic,K,,re-" • ■ turned a few weeks ago from the Northernregions have furnished reports that' will ' ,only serve to inspire other explorers '.wfth'" the decision to make a dash for 'the Pole. Neither Lieutenant Peary "nor Captaip' Sverdrup, it. is true, v got to the point that was. reached by,* the Duke of Abrufczj -and his Italians in the expedition of 1899-1900, but both achieved important results. Of Captain Sverdrup 's expedition, ,wlucih occupied over three years, Sir Clemeirts Markbam hgs expressed the opinion that it has * been the most successful Arctic expedition '• - jet undertaken for the exploration' of land. ;{ He believes .that in this particular It will ' be productive of the most valuable results ' sver. obtained by euch an expedition, since the' days of 1 Franklin. ,Tb.e explorations of Captain Sverdrup and Lieutenant Isaactisen, who Was a meihber of his party, . fo-". gether occupied 372 days of actual travel, . t' during which they covered a . distance of «■ 3000 English miles and traversed 150» miles of newljr-discovered land. Captain Sverdrup has surpassed, it is claimed, all that has been ■ accomplished' by, Kane, Hayes, Hall, Greely, and , Baldwin together.. As for Lieutenant Peary, he holds, as the' result, of his latest experience's, 'that- r the Pole may be reached on sledges by* v jny adequately 7 equipped expedition which , -makes latitude 83 to winter quarters. H« himself has made several sledge journeys which, had they begun at the point uamed, would have carried him Jo S;he Pole. Travelling .in the higher latitudes offers n<J insurmountable obstacle, He has found it no more difficult in <the latitudes between 70 and 80 than iir those between (30 and 70, and he reasons that it is not a bit harder in the latitudes between Btf and 90. And having a deep-rooted conviction that it is possible to reach the Pole, ,he s says that if he had means to continue the ' •' work he would certainly not give'' it up"; 'but he , must now * bow to circumstances which,' apparently, forbid his .again making the.attempti For i}ro present, there^ •', ForC-the field' of ArcHc ; explbrktW" re-"' '"." mains vacant. Tlie interest which is ex- , cited' by the Antarctic expeditions, now ' Dn SPBT e| l in^the hazardous work of trying to pierce the Veil that Jiangs over the ■ Soutli Pdlar regions, is unchallenged by ' any. contemporary ' attempt to solve the '•' problem of Arctic discovery. The Mornw ing, the relief vessel for the British Ant- * arctic expedition/ |s,- it is unnecessary 'tx> - remind ,the public, now in New Zealand waters, and it may be' hoped that when 'she returns it will be with gratifying news. " • . .- - - ,' ' '