TELEPHONES AT THE SOUTH POLE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1012, 30 December 1910, Page 4

TELEPHONES AT THE SOUTH POLE.

CAPTAIN SCOTT'S SYSTEM. FOE THE. ANTARCTIC. ■•:.' The experience of past Polar expeditions has 'enabled Captain Scott to equip him; self wonderfully well for his journey m search of the South Pole; but one 01 tho details that has been carefully worked out lias, so far, escaped attention. ,This is a system by means of which he hopes to he" able to keep in communication with the ship or with_ his land-base.when. sledge journeys may have taken him long distances away. - In the extreme cold of: the Antarctic regions ordinary electric batteries would be rendered useless by tho frost; and so tho use of accumulators, which will -be' charged from a dynamo on'tho ship, has been decided upon, and it. is estimated that even a temperature of about (Odeg. below zero will not interfere with the working of the system. Wires ,of aluminium will bo . used, as iron or cornier would be too heavy.. Of this wire Captail Scott has taken south with him six reels, which weigh, only ]ust. over 100. pounds, and ■ which are sufficiently compact to bo .carried without difficulty among the equipment ! of a sledge. It is expected that the dryness of the atmosphere ■ and tho stability of the atmos-. pheric conditions will make'it quite possible to lay the line merely on ; tho surface of the frozen snow, whiclrcspenmm has shown to be a non-conductor, so that it will bo unnecessary to. increase the amount of baggage by carrying poles. .On the other hand, though, it will be impossible to utilise the earth for the retarn current, so that two wires will have to-be used instead of. one. It is expected, however, that: tho high conductivity of aluminium and the exceptional acoustic properties of the dry Antarctic atmos* phere will.make the Polar, telephone one of quite exceptional clearness and power, •