THE SOUTH POLE.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXXVI, Issue 13339, 30 March 1911, Page 5

THE SOUTH POLE.

SCOTT AND AMUNDSEN'S EXPEDITIONS. An Interesting Race. Press Association.—Telegraph.—Copyright. LONDON, March 20. , Sir E. Shackleton, interviewed, said Captain Scott’s prospects were excellent, and said he was likely to start much earlier than he intended. Whether he would reach the Pole before Captain Amundsen was a moot question, but he has the better chance, owing to superior equipment. Dr Mawson, interviewed, said he was quite sure that Captain Scott can and will reach the Pole before or after Amundson. AMUNDSEN’S PROSPECTS. LONDON, March 29. Captain J. K. Davis, who formerly comipandcd the Nimrod, interviewed, believes that Captain Amundsen will succeed in reaching the Pole. He is a Norwegian, born to work as no Englishman could. His wonderful team will take him almost anywhere, and ho has been called “the hardest nut in all Norway,” by the daring ho has shown in landing where huge tracts of ice frequently break away. He is a leader of men that no difficulties can turn back. “PLENTY OF ROOM.” /. MELBOURNE. March 29. i Professor David considers there is not any suggestion of Pole-jumping with the three expeditions in the field. There is plepty of room for all. ANOTHER EXPEDITION. ; . BERLIN, March 29. ; Pilelmcr’s Antarctic expedition starts on May 2. PROFESSOR DAVID'S VIEWS. Received March 30, 9.30 a.m. SYDNEY, March 30Professor David say.,: there is little doubt Amundsen will not Shackleton’s route to the Pole, but will strike out in an entirely new route. Regarding Dr. Maw’son’s criticism of Captain Scott sending a party to Cape Adarc, Professor David thinks there is no ground for adverse criticism. In view of the season being so late the party had no time to erect their own hut in a new area, and were compelled to go where a hut was already erected. Tho only such place was Cape Adaro, The prospects of Dr. Mawson’s expedition were enhanced rather than otherwise by the Adare party making preliminary observations. The Consul of Norway, in a letter to the Press, states that Amundsen before starting on his expedition advised Captain Sc.ott of his intentions. Lieutenant Gran, a member of Scott’s party told the Consul this when the party were in Sydney. AMUNDSEN'S EXPEDITION. Voyage of the Fratn. Why the Plans Were Enlarged. Oh October 3, 1910, a cablegram from London announced that Captain Roald Amundsen, commander of the Frara, had written from Madeira stating that the vessel was bound on a secret Antarctic expedition. This was the first mention of any intention on the part of Captain Amundsen to explore in the Antractic. He had hitherto stated that his object was the scientific examination of the North Polar basin, and with this end in view he proposed to epend five years in tho Arctic, drifting over tho basin as the Fram, with Nansen in command, did in 1893-96. Nothing further was heard regarding tho proposals of Captain Amundsen, nor of the whereabouts of his ship, the Fram, until November 23, 191(1, when Lieutenant Oran, of tho Terra Nova, received a file of Norwegian newspapers, which contained the announcement that Captain Amundsen had decided to become a competitor in the race for the South Polo. Lieutenant Gran gave a reporter a translation of an article headed, “Via tho South Pole to the North Pole,” which was a copy of a letter sent by Captain Roald Amundsen to King Haakon, and to tho Norwegian Geographical Society.

Lieutenant Gran explained that the Pram, which had left Christiania about the middle of August, had arrived at Madeira on September 6, and had left again the same night. Captain Amundsen, during his brief stay at Madeira, had written letters to Christiania announcing the change or the enlargement of his plans, which had been received with much b'stonishment. CAPTAIN AMUNDSEN’S PLANS. In the course of his letters. Captain Amundsen said: “From Madeira the Pram goes to the Antarctic to compete in the race for the •South Pole. This will, as a matter of course, seem to many people at the first view to deviate all through from my first plans, but this is not so. It is only an enlargement of the plan and scope of the expedition, and not at all an alteration. Without doubt the third Pram expedition was planned as an expedition of science, and I said myself at the Norwegian Geographical Society’s meeting in 1908 that i the aim of the expedition was not a hunting for records, but for exploration of the North Polar basin; but when I published my plan the North Pole had not been reached, and tho possibility that the third Pham expedition, in spite of its scientific arms, could reach this geographical spot, which for centuries ha.-; been the object for competition amongst tho nations, would bo an incentive to many people to give financial, as well as material, assistance; but by the news that the Nortli Pole had been reached, I at once understood that the necessary money could not he got in the ordinary way. Something .had to be done which would attract the piiblic interest. I had not very much to clnoose. When the North Pole had been reached, only one problem wae left which could awake the public interest, and that was the South Pole. Thus I resolved to enlarge f l .he plan, and take part in the siege of tlhe South Pole.” Captain .Amundsen then proceeds to elaborate lifis amended plans, and goes on to say: “Prom Madeira the Pram will go south, but to which place in the Antarctic I cannot say. Some of the members of tho expedition will be landed with dogs, sledges, stores, and equipment, and then tlie'Pram will go out from the ice again in order to survey the ocean in those latitudes. The Pram will first call at, Punta Arenas, irf the Strait of Magellan, from which place the first news about the work and further ' plans of the expedition will be announced! , After that the Pram will proceed to Ihi.bnos Ayres, where she will pronably arrive A ll June, 1911, but if the ship should not arrive at Punta Arenas there will be no 'reason for anxiety, because I then will l.'ave found it necessary to keep the ship tb* winter in tho Antartcic. In February or March, 1912, the •world may reckon to hear from us again. We will then continue*- on to San Francisco, where preparatio. V for the ' North

Polo expedition will be carried out aspr* viously arranged.” COMMENTS BY CAPTAIN SCOTT. Commenting on the above statement, Captain Scott remarked:—“lt appears to me that Captain Amundsen intends going more or less directly south from South America, that is, cither to the cast or west of Graham’s Land. There have been rumours that lie was proceeding to McMurdo Sound, hut I think that that if highly improbable. It is more likely that Amundsen considers the Weddel Sea, east of Graham’s Land, the best point of attack. It is known that a ship can get to a comparatively high latitude iu Weddei Sea, hut no landing has ever been attempted there, nor has any place been yet found where a ship may winter. However, it is not unlikely that search may rcvoale a suitable landing place or wintering station. One can only conjecture the conditions, hut in comparing the, prospects of au attack on the Pole from Weddel and Ross, Seas our present knowledge indicates that a sledge _ party from the former would have a longer and smoother journey, whilst our own party from Ross Sea will have a shorter, though rougher, route to travel.,, Thie. comparison is baaed on the assumption that there is a more or less gradual declivity from the high altitude of the Pole to the shores of Weddel Sea. Any attempt to reach the Pole from this quarter cannot but be exceedingly interesting and instructive. It hag tjeen suggested that Amundsen’s action is a bleach of etiquette, in view of our known plane, but that is not at all the proper view. There is no reason whatever why he should not attempt to reach the Pole from any quarter except that for which wo are known to be bound. Personally, I should welcoine friendly competition, which could only lead to a liettcr knowledge of the Antarctic Continent,”

CAPTAIN SCOTT'S TASK. A Good Chance of Success^ What Other Explorers Have Done. In an interesting article regarding Captain Scott’s expedition, the Morning Tost stated; . „• No concealment has been made of the fact that the primary object the expedition has in view is .the attainment of the South Pole. Captain Scott's chances of realising his ambition ,are vastly better than when he sailed in 19IJ1 on board th<> Discovery. Then the exploratipn of the South Polar regions had been practically at a standstill, so far as the. extension of knowledge southwards was concerned, for close on 60 years. There had been additions to knowledge of the lands, and seas that project northwards from the Antarctic Circle towards Cape Horn; largely* increased stores of scientific had been accumulated; and, at the close of the nine, teeenth century, the Newnes-Borchkrevink expedition had improved by a few miles on the record established by Sir James Clark Ross 'in the Ross Sea in 1842, But the Ross Sea and the Weddel Sea, on tbs opposite sides of the Antarctic area, remained the only two regions in which explorers had' penetrated any considerable distance within the Antarctic Circle, and the farthest point reached on Ross’s Great Ice Barrier was nearly 800 miles from the Pole. Elsewhere no one has advanced within 1100 miles of the Pole, that being Weddell’s record to the south of the Atlantic Ocean in 1823. Very different, as regard* the prospects of reaching the Pole, are the conditions at the present day. Captain Scott himself can chum a .large* share of the credit for the' change. As leader o s the National Antarctic expedition of 1901-4 he lessened the distance between Boss’s farthest south and the South Pole .lpy close on 300 miles. He showed that v tfye. mountainous coast of South Victoria Land stretches southwards far beyond Jloss Island, which marks the northern ' limits of the Great Ice Barrier, while by his great journey westward he showed fhati behind the mountainous coastline there lies a high plateau region of vast extent. , PROSPECTS OP SUCCESS. The assault delivered on .the .defences of the South Pole by Captain Scott was renewed in 1908, and all but carried to a completely successful issue by Sir "Ernest Shacklcton. At his farthest point ,saptain Scott still remained 540' miles from the Pole. Sir Ernest Shackleton reduced the distance by well over 400 miles,, JUis record southing, in latitude 88deg‘23miu south, is only 113 statute miles from the Pole. It is this last stage which' Captain Scott is anxious to cover, so as' 'to complete the conquest of the South Pole. The outer ramparts have been captured, and some of the inner defences, but Jho central citadel has still to be carried. •; The advance to be made on Sir Erflrtit'■‘Shackleton's record, if the new expedition' is to reach the South Pole, seems shprt compared with the great advances mAde during the last decade. But before the final stage can be commenced Cantalh’ a Scott has first to establish himself inAwinter Quarters at the north-western corner of the Great lee Barrier; then’to advance in the following spring over the Barrier, beyond his. pwii.jEcoaL.-lu ilm the great glacier up which Sir Ernest Shackleton made his way; next to make the ascent to the high plateau regions beyond, rising to a right of over 30,000 ft) s.a bove sea level ; and 1 finally to traverse tMs plateau region, exposed to some of thy severest climatic conditions to be found anywhere on the face of the globe’Tii* rar as Sir Ernest Sliackloton’s most southerly point; after which there will still be more than a hundred miles of fho same sort of travelling before the Pole itself will be reached. This bald summary of Die task before the explorers will show Diat success can by no moans be regarded as assured. Sir Ernest Shackleton pushed on in 1908-9 to the limits of human endeavour, and only the most careful organisation, in which full advantage has been taken of the lessens taught bv the experience of the last expedition, justifies the hope that Captain Scott and his companions will be able to advance to the Polo; ..