RACE FOR THE POLE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1126, 13 May 1911, Page 14

RACE FOR THE POLE.

EXPLORERS AND THEIR PROSPECTS. (JIU ERNEST SIJACKLLTOYS VIEWS. Yesterday's EiclWi mail bron-ht to hand thn "Daily .Mail- ~f .March a> Mn . lainini,' Iha following comment by Sir Krncit Shac-klelon on the news brou-'ht i'roiii Antarctica by the Terra Xova:TJIO news ju-t received is iiilerestin- in more sense:, than one. J.'rom the tele-ram one is somewhat at a loss to decide definitely (m u-o of the mos t i, nl , ol .t ;illt points. Before dealing with these i must cordially congratulate the British Antarctic Expedition of 1910 on succe.-.-fullv laiuimg tiw major portion of its equipment and stores at thn base best suited for the attack on the .South Pole, which, as Captain Scott has definitely stated, % 1110 prime object of his expedition. According i c ti-.o tele-ram, lie lias landed, at a Capo Evan?, ioimeen miles to the north 01 the Discovery's winter quarters ami about eight miles south ot the winter quarters oi my expedition. 1 know of n-j Capo Evans in this locality, ami can only suppose tnat tlio. winter quarters were established on one of the. islands about eight miles south of our winter quarters. Captain Scott's idea of establishing a depot to tlvj far south is an excellent ?"n" ■' ,?PP cnrs Hint the. Terra Neva lollowed (ho Great Ice Barrier until a gale irom the south-cast forced the ship to head f ol - Car.c Co'beck. This statement is not clear, as a gale, from the south-east would bo a dead head-wind for ape Cslheek. The ship was stopped bv heavy pack, which is the same condition ?i( n i ec I*founil1 * founil ° ,1 uiy expedition in 1?»<. Mn thci returned along the Bar- !','?,'' , pflSo " nlil suo reached the Kav of Whales in longitude I(i4deg. W. Hero Hie telegram states, it was discovered that the shoreline of Balloon iiight had broken away entirelv, merging That indentation into Hie Bay bf Whales In new of this statement I must remark tnat this very discovery vras made bv me 111 mns, and is duly noted in my book, i> J l ?,-, ■ na, »«l *he indentation the ay ot Whales because of the hundreds of tieso creatures which were spoutin" there. Captain Amundsen's Plans. I now come to the most interesting statement yet made, (hat the I'ram, (ho vessel-ot Hie Amundsen Antarctic expedition, was 111 the bay and that on board Her were eight men, lit! Greenland dogs and a lull equipment for a journey to tnc lole The telegram says that stores yero landed and a hut erected two miles Iran tho ship, after which the Terra Aovirloft for Jf'Murdo Sound. It is not therefore, clear from the (elegram as to whether Ihe hut and stores were landed and erected by [ho Terra Nova or by the crew of the Irani. . A word here as to the plans of Captain Amundsen. In April, 1909, Capta n Amundsen published in the "Geographical Journal'. and in other papers exhaustive details ot a proposed North Polar expedition Hβ left Norway ostensibly to proceed via Cape Horn and the Lehniig Straits (0 (lie North Polar Basin, announced that he had changed his plans and was going tn try to reach the South ole. I'lcm.that day nothing more has been heard of Captain Amundsen's expedition .mil to-day. We now -learn that he has landed in 'an accessible place, evidently with tho intention of accomp ishing the object foreshadowed in his Madeira telegram. . The "eastern party" or western party is wintering at Cape ,\dare. This is ambiguous, ll it is the eastern'party, 0110 presumes that a party did not « Un> of Whales,-,,.s was intended originWare . lnstratl ' wintered at Cape Now for the .questions-which naturally WHo ,EC -| T d . of tho scttnnl P»Wic: W.lO will reach the-Pole first? AmunddirinT, f l? i IS Al V" llulfcn following the dictates of polar etiquette, bv winKfn" within Caplain Scott's sphere -of i",". fence.'- And is Captain Scott following those same dictates by landing a party it ' Jl ' lWSOli:6 ' ill,Cn(lc A^«,|| .Captain Amundsen starts from a point S>e'f »•«"'«.further-snnth than Captain ,h -" i 3l ' 5 ,? 0 '" , l 0 Hlc, role ■will be shorter by (hat distance.. If he decides .0 go up tho Beardmoro Glacier ho will luue to encountei- the same difficulties as Captain Scott; but, in spite of these, lie iti» a known ;md surveyed route to withgeographical miles of the South tlip f ri», n,nk f S /' a r oD " line r ° r tho Po,e °" tie cluincfl of finding soma other v.av over 1 lie formidable mountain chain that Inri pppreafh to tho goal |,o is immediate y faced with an unknown quantity. "The, devil you taoii- is better than the devil to m U bv; s r' ik ? 1 *? ,lW «wVS» to go b,i (7io Beavdmovo Ulacie'v. Captain Scott will undoubtedly foTW inj loute Bo'h men are experienced Captain Scott has. the 'advantage, to n v with motor sledges and ponies. But know ledge of ski-;ng ami handling of dogi thai, the rvonvepian possesses. The- ice conditions will be mnch the same for Captain Amundsen is wintering in the &W» ,Scotfs expedition, and f^ c -f will get to tho Pole first; and I for one consider it a .,noot question I peAnl ally want to see the British flan fldn»on tho spot towards which ie sfrn& K^rand 1 !;;^ , " 0111,15 -^^ l'urther surprises may" still l )B in storef A, 7 a i Ctic , 1 S an oath to get there or die. There a l sj.mo^adrantat.hesame-timetteriu 0