ANTARCTIC EXPLORATIONS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 1529, 30 March 1916, Page 4

ANTARCTIC EXPLORATIONS.

SHACKLETON’S VENT.URES. Sir Ernest Shackletou has already twice journeyed to the South Polar regions ; the first time in 1901-4 under the late Captain Scott. In his second venture on to the Antarctic Con tinent Sir Ernest Shackletou commanded the expedition, which set out in the Nimrod in 1907 and returned in 1909 after he had himself penetrated to with 97 miles of the Pole. Sir Ernest Shackleton’s first Antarctic command accomplished a great deal during the years 190709, and by dividing its forces was able not only to make a southern “record” of 88deg. 23min.. but also to re-locate the elusive Southern Magnetic Pole, which appears to oscillate over an immense area. The expedition was largely composed of trained observers in various departments of science, and very valuable meteo rological, biological and zoological information was collected and checked. In his endeavour to reach the Pole Sir E. Shackletou with bis southern party followed a track which was subsequently followed by Captain Scott in his successful but ill fated journey. It was the first party of explorers to be assisted in this part of the world by ponies and motortraction, but as the diary of the southern party, which was led by the commanding officer, shows, the activities of the motor-sledge were strictly limited, the ponies were eaten, and the hard pulling of the expedition had to be performed by the old-fashioned man power of the early explorers. After a most arduous time spent in the Antarctic, the crew of the Nimrod returned to New Zealand on March 22, 1909, having left Lyttelton on January 1, 1908. EXPLORERS OF MANY NATIONS.

Many previous expeditions have been directed to the inhospitable continent, the first of real importance being that of Captain Cook in 1773-4. In 1819-21 the Russian, Captain von Bellingshausen, attained to 69deg. 53miu., but his record was passed by Captain Ross’s expedition in 1840-1, which discovered the great volcanoes Erebus and Terror, and reached 78deg. south latitude. The honour of being the first to spend a winter in the Antarctic fell to the Belgian Captain de Gerlache, in the Belgica, 1898; but Captain Scott’s expedition in the Discovery passed two consecutive winters during, the expedition of 1901-4, reaching to the latitude of 82deg, 17min. south. A number of explorers were devoting their attention to the South Polar Continent during these years. The German expedition (1901-3) in the Gauss discovered Kaiser Wilhelm 11. Land ; the Swedish enterprise under Dr. Nordenskjold lost its ship, the Antarctic, in the ice, in but her crew were saved ; the Scottish expedition under Dr. Bruce in the Scotia (1902-4 J wintered in the South Orkneys ; Dr. Charcot conducted two French explorations in the Francais 1904-5, and the Pourquoi Pas 1908-10 ; a Japanese venture under Lieutenant Shirase had to be abandoned in 1911, and a German expedition under Lieutenant Filchner «in the Deutschland began work in the same year. THE POLE REACHED. The Norwegian expedition under Captain Amundsen was crowned with success, as that explorer actually reached the coveted goal and hoisted the Norwegian flag on December 16, 1911. He afterwards stated that he very nearly made up his mind to leave some tins of oil in a depot at the Pole. Had he done so it is possible that Captain Scott, who found the foreign flag flying there, would have been able to return to his ship, as in his diary he complains of the shortage of fuel which so hampered him. The last Antarctic expedition was that of Sir Douglas Mawson, which returned to Australia in February, 1914. The accomplishments of the most successful Antarctic explorers may be thus stated; — Deg. Min, Cook, 1773-5 71 10 Botehegrevinck, 1900 78 50 Scott, 1902 82 17 Shackletou. 1909 88 23 Amundsen, Dec. 10, 1911 The Pole Scott, Jan. 18, 1912 The Pole