ANTARCTICA.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1197, 4 August 1911, Page 3

ANTARCTICA.

1 — ■• MAWSON EXPEDITION. THE LEADER'S ARRANGEMENTS, EXPLORING BY AEROPLANE. THE BENEFITS TO AUSTRALIA. Dr. Mawson, on his arrival at Adelaide from London in July, was interviewed by a representative of the Sydney "Daily Telegraph" regarding his proposed scientific expedition to the Antarctic, he said: "I was late in bringing my project forward, and did not move in it until January last, when it was necessary for me to leave for England. My. reason, for delay was to allow Captain Scott to secure from Australia all the money he could for his expedition, as I think it is.right that the man first in the field should be given a fair chance. It will be of lasting benefit to the Empire if Captain Scott reaches the South Pole. My plans are very different to his. I shall not clash with him, as I am working on a different area, and from a different object. His aim is to. secure the South Geographical Pole, and in.his wisdom he has taken, with him a specially qualified scientific stall', so as also to make observations in all branches of science. ' . AUEOEA COMMISSIONED. "Before leaving for England I had an assurance of strong financial .support from five of the leading citizens .ot Australia and ■ the sympathy of members of the. Federal Government. As I had not secured Government backing at the time of my arrival in England, 'when it was necesasry to go forward with my plans, I was in rather a difficult position, and it was only through the powerful assistance of Sir George Reid, Lord Dennian, Lord Northcliffe, Sir Ernest Shackleton, and Mr. .W. A. Horn (formerly of South Australia) thai 1 had delayed taking any definite- steps in purchasing and equipping a vessel, the time came when if longer deferred, the project would have had to be abandoned until nest year, on account of the season, and, knowing that. steps wero being taken in Europs towards securing portions of this- Antarctic continent for foreign nations, I felt I was doing right in stepping boldly forward in nurchasiug and clipping the Aurora. The little vessel Aurora is one of the finest of her class. She carries about 630 tons of cargo was built in Dundee of teak wood, and is practically a sister ship of the Terra Nova, now under commission by Captain Scott in Antarctic work. The Aurora is a roomy vets-el, quite different from the size , of the Nimrod, which ■ carried Shackloton's expedition. The success of that, party was partially paralysed through not having sufficient room, and if it had had a ship of the capacity of the Aurora ' I believe Shackleton would have reached the Pole —the cramrwd quarters on board having been responsible for the death of several ponies. DEPOT-LAYIXG.

"After landing one party there, the ship will proceed west, making plans of the coastline. About 500 miles westward of the first depot it is intended to land a second and smaller party, with another hut, and to allow them to winter separately from the rest. The Aurora will then proceed further westward, with the hope of. landing a third party another 500 miles from the second base. Thus, about 2500. miles by coastline, will be

divided, into four sections by three depots, and sledging parties will proceed east and irest, ami inrikp' surveys and Eeolofiical'.and other scientific exam-

inations. 1 expect to laiid with the first party, as wo wi!J have the larger sdeiitifiV programme to carry out there. - "After, dropping the third party, tho ship, coal permitting, will proceed further westward, .and make additional investigations in Antarctic wntcrs. When lb." coal is .used up she must of necessity, proceed north to latitudes where thn

strong westerly -viuds -wll bring her to Australian waters, aiid'Wo'exTfect ihe ivill get to Fremantle'parly-in April. There she will load with coal, and will not remain idle, but will be employed in taking systematic .soundings, dredging, and other oceaiiographical survey w'irk of a zigzag course as. far south', as the ice will permit her to go. She is particularly well fitted out for this- work. No ship has ever been in those waters, with better equipment. The Aurora has been fitted out with scientific apparatus partly by the Admiralty, .and largely, by the Prince of Monaco, who is an enthusiast in cccanographical research. I spent a day with tlie latter in Paris, and ho pointed out that.there is absolutely..'.nothing'

known of, the .scientific conditions 'of the' ffieatcr part of. tho Southern -Obeari) • and there is scarcely a sounding on record in reference' to' it.""" When Von the Nimrod, we saw 50 miles of this new land, but it has not, been landed on, and. the comli-

tions are probably different to those in the neighbourhood of M'Murdo's Sound, where, the previous expeditions have wintered. ■ ; "For sledging purposes, I intend 1 to restrict myself to dogs, as sledging over saaice with ponifs is not so safe. I have 50 dogs from Ihe Icnms of Greenland selected by tho Danish Government. ' AERIAL LOCOMOTION. "For exploratory work and lor depotlaying, in the event of. a good surface, being met with, I have obtained a combined aeroplane and motor ■ sledge. In half a,n hour this can be converted, from a flying machine to a sledge, and vice versa. It is tho heaviest-but the-best monoplano made, being constructed of nickel steel, and it is the make that seems most likely to be adopted by tho British military authorities. I have left instructions for it to be. sent on to Australia at an early date, so that demonstrations will bo of value, to. our own deCrace officials'. It' would l>e useless for me to take a,u appliance of this kind if I were not prepared at the same time, to secure the services of a thoroughly qualified aviator. This has been done, and Lieutenant H. E. Watkins, of the Essex Regiment, who has been flying for three years, and has taken up 3QO passengers, is. in charge of tho aeroplane, which will carry a passenger, in addition to tho driver, and a good deal of gear. ■■ Lieutenant Watkins was described- by Mr. Gra-hame-White as being tho 'safest flier in England. , Mrs. Scott, wife of Captain Scott, is an enthusiast in aviation, and she arranged for both Lieutenant Watkins and the machine. AN AUSTRALIAN .STAFF. "As I always intended, I have, kept practically the whole ot tlie positions on tho staff free for appointments to be made by nomination by n special committee of the Australian Association for the Advancement of Science. All these are to be Australians, but 1 had to appoint five specialists—viz., the aviator and a specialist in motor engines; Dr. Mortz (champion Swiss ice man, who has been spending six weeks with the Prince of Monaco hi the Mediterranean perfecting himself in dredging, sounding, and other deep-sea work); Mr. Frank Wild (an expert sledger, who was a member of both tho Scott and Shackleton parties); and Lieutenant li. E. S. Ninnis, of the Royal Fusiliers (specialist in field survey work and sketching, as well as a specially good sledger) . "I shall now 1)9 busy up to the time of sailing in securing the co-operation of Australians in the work. lam convinced that this exploration is going to be of permanent advantage to Australia, and it will afford the world an opportunity of seeing what Australians can do. The project is well founded and well set out, and I feel confident that the people of the Commonwealth will not allow it to languish for want of funds when the conditions have been explained to them. In London I found tho people most enthusiastic. This high-minded project has done much to bring Australia prominently before the people of Europe. They are looking on the Commonwealth in a new light, and it is a fresh idea to that Australia is strong enough to investigate and claim new territory." Should cousins kiss? Rome people say That with propriety (hey may. In house or street, where'er they meet However many times n day. "['is better if of health (lioy'rc sure, "Gainst microbes thon they are secure; For cold or I'hill or other ill, •Ul should take Woods' Peppermint Cure . —Advt.