Grey River Argus and Blackball News PUBLISHED DAILY THURSDAY, APRIL 6th, 1911.

Grey River Argus, 6 April 1911, Page 4

Grey River Argus and Blackball News PUBLISHED DAILY THURSDAY, APRIL 6th, 1911.

The discovery of the famous Arctic "vessel Fram at the Bay o£ Whales when the Terra iNova arrived there has naturally led to some speculation, and the interest in the expedition among-st the British people has deepened of late. There is an air alhoui Captain Amundsen's party's equipment that means real ibusiness. and would seem to imply that there is a race ■ for the South Pole. Although ths exploration of that last hundred miles ito the . Pole, as yet untraversed. is a No-man's land open to the enterprise of the courageous spirits of every part of the world, people have come to believe -that Britain had established a sort of pr^- \ emptive . right to the discovery of the South Pole. N'ow-thnt it is found that foreign contestants have entered the race it has invested the interprisc with a degree' of interest that calls for entirely new and anxious sensations. Gaotain Amundsen's appearance with the Fram made fast to the barrier icefield must have astonished ■the Terra Novri carty, who, like most others, were under the impression that 'the Arctic was the field of labour of Captain Amundsen and the Firam. , The ibold Norwegian make? quite lifirlht of his sudden diversion from one Pole to another, as he stilt counts a trip to the Arctic as part of the programme mapped out for the Fram expedition. He is merely taking the South Pole as a side line, or just a little excursion off the heaten track of Arctic exploration, a sort of hors d' oeuvre in the exploratory -banquet. There is no longer any room for doubt that ' Captain Amundsen intended to steal a march on the Scott Expedition and <g-et ahead of it in attacking- the Pole by Beardmore Glacier, most probably over iho very trad? left by ■Lieutenant Shackleton. The difference olf equipment would indicate that swift travellingwas contemplated. The party has no ponies, but has a large and extra supnly of dosrs to enable the teams to ibe worked day and day about so as to keep the dogs fresh. They have no motor • sledges, but are well' supplied with skis. They have dispensed with wind clothing- to resist 'the all-penetrating gales of those regions. The party trusts entirely to seal skin clothing, as the Eskimos' do. They freely admit that their ■main object is' -to get to. the Pole as quickly as possible. They do not. in tend to waste any time over scientific observations.. Everything must be put on one side that would in any

way interfere with that one overmastering object of getting to the Pole .first. But apart from the competition that comes from Norway, Cantain Scott has an additional incentive to put out hie ibest form, knowing that the Japanese are also' in the. field, though 'they do not .seem to have yet -put in an .appearance in the ■South* Polar .regions. Their expedition is far from ■ toeing" lavishly equipped. It doe* not compare either with that of Captain- Scott or that of the Norwegians. The Japanese would seem, 'to have rather ' underestimated the difficulties arid intend to rely upon a bold and desperate dash. \_ It is unknown • what line of attack on the South Pole has been mapped out by the Japanese ; but there is certain to ibe a great race between Scott and Amundsen. This contest in exploration will be at once new and exciting". Nothing is so .well calculated to intensify national rivalry as to have threo expeditions in the field with a common goal ibef ore ..them, and each representing a different nationality. There --is nothing surprising in England, which has long" led the sway irt Poliar texploratrpn . attacking tho South ißole. Nor. --ft it much of a 1 surprise that Norway should embark on a similar expedition. It is a far northern nation, afnd in ancient times the Norsemen were bold navigators, and probajbly were a long time ahead of Columibus in the discovery of America, that they called Vin eland froni the wild grapes they found 'groAyinsr so abundantly. >But what a sign of the times, and the spread of Western civilisation 1 and ciilture, to see the wonderful little Ibrown men of the Far East as keenly anxious to distinguish'

themselves in the Antarctic field as the nations that seemed to have made exploratory work of that a special province of their own t What a surprise it would ibe, 'too, if the 'Beggarly equipped Japanese party "made good" before either Captairi Scott or Captain 'Amundsen ! Such a result is by no mean's imprdb/aible, 'though; it vvould sficrii not very possible or lilcely. But all <lh'i'ngs are possible, &nd it is quite on the cards that -the little Japs may hoist their sunburst flag and shout "Banzai" at fhe' .South Pole as soon as any of their competitors. -The struggle will surely -be' a •Homeric one. But- it Would Kp grievous wound to the pride of Britons to see either the Norwegians nr the Japanese secure' the honours. Cap tain Scott undoubtedly seems to Have a long* way the Ibest equipment. He has a motor sledge, ponies, and -.well selected dogs, and has already established food depots for a considerable distance ., southward. Captain Scott's is probably the most complete and elaborate, equipment that has ever attaclced either Pole. Lieutenant Shackleton's outfit could not compare with Scott's. 'So that, whoever fails to reach the South Pole Captain Scott at least, should arrive on the gxmnd, . which is a solid fact, not like that of the North Pole, which is in the middle of a moving icefield, where a trig station ds useless. But there may be unknown dangers and difficulties still concealed in the' last stage to the Pole that .Shack'leton failed to compass. it may contain -an impossible range or glaciers 'bristling with broken ice hummocks or . crevasses difficult to deal with. The idea suggested iby Lieut. .Shackleton's experience was that of an immense plateau riot visibly disturbed. But there i? abundant roorii for strange 1 , and embarrassing developments <. within the last 100 mile Polar amibit. The probability, however, is that th* 1 area of the circumpolar region will somewhat resemlble the centre, of Greenland, and offer 'no insuperable diffisulties to the intrepid explorers. Ir that case Captain Scott and Captain Amundsen will have a fair run for it, the chances Ibeing. a little in favour of the Norwegians, though British sympathisers are, of course, all for the f success of Captain Scott. The Japanese party seem to t»e working out their own redemption in their own. way." Altogether -there is every prospect, of quite a .theatrical dash for the South Pole during- the coming Antarctic summer. . ■„■ . .