TO THE SOUTH POLE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 577, 4 August 1909, Page 7

TO THE SOUTH POLE.

ATLANTIC KQBTE.

ATTACK BY, WAY OF WEOfIELt-SEA. ; SHACKLETQN'S PLANS, (By Ueltgrat&.-Prisi AbbdolbUoil,—OoDrrtstit.) London, August 2, ' Lieutenant Shaeklottm has announced that' he will not make another attempt to roach tllo South Pole until Captain Bcott returns. "If Captain Scott is abJo to land sit Ed-> wafd tho Seventh Land," said Lieutenant Shackleton, "ho mil bo On entirely how ground"—(being eastward of Lieutenant Shackletou's recent scene of operations). Lieutenant Sliackletoti added i ' ■ '"If Igo south again I frill start from tho / Weddell .Sett, and also form a bttSO- at M'Murdo Sound, p whence I would, dispatch #• party to meet tho' Weddoll party as it re* turns." " ......

SHACKLETfIN'S ROUTE REVERSED.

ATLANTIC and pacific. . The Weddell Sea Ilea south of the Atlantic* and is best reached from South America; wliilo M'Murdo Bay lies under the shadow ef Mount »■ Erebiis—that is, iVithin the Sphete of Shackle- ■ ton's recfent Operations—and ifi, therefore, kotith of New Zealand and tho Pacific, and practically on the opposite Bide of the Pble from the •'Well* dell Sta.: If, therefore, Lieutenant Sh&cklctoif purposes operating from the Weddell Sea, hnd . also establishing aboSe for a supporting party 1 at M'Murdo Bay, the Weddell expedition will have -to cross the great Antarctio : Continent, including the Pole, to meet the M'Murdo Bay party. This means that Shttckleton will liidktf ■ life. main effort. from the Sotlth AtlaJitie, ah<J endeavour.to eotiio out on this side, thus to' •vetsing his' previous process. l Easier Asccnt from Atlantic. ; ■. All this reads very like tlie recent proposal of Dr. Bruoe, the Scottish oceanographbf and esplbfer of the l Weddell Sea, who has elaborated a plflb of attaok ifrom the Atl&ntio; side.,' Bruce estimates tbat'the base he would set up at, Coals Land would'be. 300 miles further from .the Pole. than, the recent base of Shaokletoo j or that, of Scott. But, even though the dis >■ tance from the Antarctic coastline to the Poh is. greater by 300 miles on' the Atlantio eid« ~ than on tho Pacific side, he is not deterred by - that, because he considers that the road will bo easier, and, Moreover, "every inch We cover will bo now, abioltitcly untrodden by the foot of mail." BrUco thinks that the South Polo l is situated, riot bn thii harrow and. steop: Pitoifid ■ ice-sheet that Slmckleton travelled to .within--07 miles of hiS objeot. 'but on ;tho broad gently sloping Atlantio ice-sheot.' , Hdnob the conterti* ■ plated ascent from tho Atlantio and descent to the Pacific. .\ . . Brute's Programme, To Uso Dr. BruOo'fl own wftrdsi "This attempt to cross the' Antarctic Continent, even if only, . partially successful; cannot fail- tb add 'mdrd . ' to our knowledge 'of. Antarctica than any other, route,' for it will, with SlmckletoiiVtfotic, givfl' tho 1 Hiost coftiplobo sectional idea of Antarctica, 1 My jilting therefore, is to laud JiT tho vicinity/ of : Goats Xtind . and; to .cross'the Antarctic. Continent from''the Atlantio to tho Pacific, WO reverse previous Antarctio methods j wo. travel . from the Unknown to the known, and not from : ; , 1 the known to the unknown. . ■' 1 "The first port of call in the South will ba Bueitos Ayrcs." From Buenos Ayres a zig-zag .. rioUrse. will be made to CApo Town between 'dOdeg.. S./and (jodeg. 1 S;; from Cape Town tho ship will prboeed to Coats Land, wnero the win* terlng station, will lie, eot upi: tho ship will then retreat, to Melbourne, sounding, etc,, en.-. ' route, The lafid party ivill divide ibte two* or, if possible, three parties, one for work to tho east, one for work to the west,' and a third under my leadership southward. across the Antarctic Continent, ; ■ 1 . "From Melbourne the ship, in the second sea* son,' will push southward to M'Murdo Bay, t« meet my transcontinental party, ; Betting uj caches of provisions: at far. to the south as pes' siblc, and lcaving sforM/at MTtardo Bay. fh< ■ ship Avilbthen return; to New Zoaland, with/in j . partv. Thanco she trill sail' to" Coats' Land (luring the -third season to pick up tho r«st'of v the land party, and proceed home. '. " \