IN ANTARCTICA

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1500, 24 July 1912, Page 5

IN ANTARCTICA

WITH THE MAWSON EXPEDITION,

LECTURE BY CAPTAIN DAVIS,

_ -The wonders of Antarctica and the toll in physical endurance that must be paid to sco them in tho reality formed tho subject-matter of a lecture delivered by Captain J. k. Davis in the Concert, Chamber last evening. Captain Davis was tho laudator of the little ship Aurora which took Dr. Douglas Mawson and his partv ol pioneers in exploration and scientific research on itheir-voyage of discovery into the Antarctic. _ lie had already achieved iamo as a navigator in ice-bound seas in the Mmrod. Sir Ernest Slvackleton's shin, and when the Australasian Antarctic Expedition ofterod him tho command of tho Aurora, it was said of him that if any man could #et the expedition through to tho fnrthc'it south possiblo by sea. Captain Davis was that man. Uwing, no doubt, tj the wintrv weather, die attendance at tho lecture was disappointing. His Excellency the Governor, Lord Islington, was present. Captain Davis, who delivered his lecture on behalf of the expedition authorities, confessed that ho was a sailor and not a talker. Wherefore he used no rhetorical. flourishes,, but. simply chatted about things that the explorers had seen and done. It proved to be a most convincing, effective method, and tho audience would gladly have.listened much longer'to ,l)iin. The lecture was really only a very short review of the history oi Antarctic exploration, which, as Captain Davis stated, really dates from the voyages of Captain James Cook, K.N. Ho explained that the objects of tho expedition were exploration and theological and l-ioloffieal research, and they proposed to work along tho coast-line, or ioe-line, between Ballony Island and Mount Gauss, o distance of 2500 miles. That is to say, they will explore practically tho whota Antarctic continent. Tho leader of the expedition, Dr. Mawson, was, ho mentioned, a member of Shackleton's expedition, and he wj.s ono of the three who made the last successful dash for tho Magnetic Pole.

Most of what Captain Davis had to say was by way of explnnntion of tlm largo number of limelight views that wero shoiyi. There were pictures of the Atmra leaving Kobart, and of the first call i t Mucqtiarie Ipl-and, the wind-swept treeless surf-beawn rock on which the expedition established its northern wire Jess station. This station, although equipped only with an ordinary "ship set," daily speaks 'Wellington and Suva; and has spoken Frenianlle, thereby establishing -i record for a. station of its class. Otliei pictures described the voyage south into tlio ice—first through the stray out-riders of tho pack, then through the floating pancake ice, _ then the heavier ice, through wJiich it is just possible to push a vessel, and, last of oil, the impenetrable pack. Captain Davis described tho first landing at Adelio Land, Mawson's main base, w"hero the leader of the expedition is wintering now with seventeen of his company. Ho is 850 miles south of Macquarie Island. The Aurora, having landed one party, made a difficult vovagc westward, and finally lauded tho second party of eight, under Mr. Wild,' who was villi Shackleton and Scott, at a point 1133 miles west of Mawson's main base. Tlio parties hopo to meet in their summer explorations.

Most interesting of all tlic entertainment was a series of kincmatosraph films taken on the voyage, by. which n wonderful chronicle-of tho trip has been kept. Tho moving pictures show llio work on the ship, the mountainous soas through which the ship liad to thresh, and (lion ico and more ice. Most, wonderful of all were tho really remarkable pictures of tlio thousands of penguins (o bo found in oolonics in the Antarctic, and of tlio hn.ee seals—sea elephants most ly—which wore very plentiful on most of tho coasts The herculean task of establishing tho sccond base, dragjing tons of coal ami provisions up the face of a glacier' ISO feet high, was also described by the picture. It showed more clearly than more words that Antarctic travel is not a life of ease. Indeed, Captain Davis said that evory member of the party took his share of tho work, following an example set by Dr. Mnwson himself. In .m interval in tho lecture, Mr. Conrad C. Eitel, secretary for tlio expedition, expressed tho thanks of the party for kindness received in Now Zealand. - Professor Laby proposed a. vote of thanks to tho lecturer. Ho spoke of the career of Dr. Mawson. and declared that lie was eminently fitted to lead such an expedition. The vote was carried by hearty acclamation.