JAPANESE & THE SOUTH POLE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1198, 5 August 1911, Page 9

JAPANESE & THE SOUTH POLE.

Tho Nikko Mam brought to Nagasaki on Saturday night Captain Nomura, of ■ tho Antarctic exploration ship Kainaii Maru, .now lying at anchor, at Sydney and Mr. Tada. chief secretary oil tho staff of the expedition. Interviewed by a newspaper representative (says tho Japan. Times" of Juno 17),' Mr. Nomura said ; that ho felt it was a shame and regret , to tread tho soil of tho homeland without \ attaining the goal the party liavo in view. lie was finite perplexed as to what to tell first, being utterly confused "ami embarrassed to meet thus his lcllovrcountrymen. , An enormous amount of hardships nun distress was experienced, ho said," during the dash for the Pole. The ship set sail from New Zealand on February 11, and from that time till her return to Sydney, baffled and dismayed ill their attempt, nearly threo and a half months had passed away. Indeed all the difficulties and struggles which man is heir to may lx> «aid to bo compressed- into that space of time. Captain Nomura confessed that thoiigh lie had boasted a perfect knowledge of all mcods and humours of tho elements, nothing in his memory or expericnco had bren comparable to the fury of the tempests that visit tho Polar < regions. , , _ , As tho ship approached tho Polar regions the weather grew worse, and tho sea was gradually strewu with lingo icebergs and vast ice-floes, thereby increasing the dangers to tho ship. Tho party changed its original plan on March B,.and decided to make a lauding at about 75 dcrees S.L. Therefore, tho ship headed towards this point, but the floating ico became thicker and thicker,- so that _ at last both progress and retreat were impossible on account of tile massing of iniiiionso ice-bioeks around the Moreover, tho icebergs seemed to gain in mas; siveness with degrees of latitude. Somo of th-sin were several hundred feet in height, and several miles in circumference. When the party first saw one of tlieso icy mountains they took it for a veritable island. Indeed, the spectaclo presented by them was beyond the power of description, so beautiful and maguiiicent were they in (he sunshine. They shone in all grandeur in iridescent hues. The Polar seas, ho said,'teem with whales, wliilo the snowy land is alivo with penguins, albatrosses, and walrus. The voyago about the point of 71 degrees S.L. was particularly arduous, and the party even came to think of wintering in the ship as it was beyond human power to push on, while to retreat without achieving (lie original object was intolerable. Gradually the weather became worso and (lie cold more intense. At one time the mcrcurv fell to degrebs below zero. The deck was entirely coated with hard ico and the rigging was frozen stilt like iron bars. Being surrounded on all hands with insurmountable difficulties, the party at last decided, though with iniincus* regret and hesitation, to turn Iho Kainnn Maru's ' head. It was March !!. On the way, tho party attempted to make a landing at a point about 71 degrees S.L., but, (his was also abandoned owing to ice-packs and bad weather, and was drifted near ISO degrees E.L. From (his point (lie ship made directly for Sydney, which it gained in SO days! Though some slight injuries havn been sustained by (he ship, she is still efficient for Antarctic expedition."

Messrs. Cowans, Sheldon and Co, Carlisle, have received an order from tiie British Admiralty for two 150-ton floating cranes, which are intended to be worked in conjunction with the two Dreadnought floating docks at present under construction. These cranes will be Iho largest of their tvpo in the world, ami each will lift a working load of 150 tons at n radius' ot '90 feet. Each crane will be mounted 011 a boat 177.feet long, with SO feet beam, and having a draft of M foot. The lwats will bo built bv Messrs. Win. Denny and Brothers, Dumbarton. ; A recent telegram from Shim announces. that a bodv of Persi.in soldiers attempted to take "bast", or sanctuary in the British Consulate there as a protest against their pay being iii arrears. The consular guard, endeavoured..to prevent thoir enhance, and shots were exchanged, One- soldier ■ was killed, and two were mortally wounded. One sepoy had a linger- shattered. Eventually the soldiers retired. Tho commander of the troops at Shim afterwards formally apologised for the incident,'