The Daily News TUESDAY' MARCH 30. BRITISH PLUCK.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 55, 30 March 1909, Page 2

The Daily News TUESDAY' MARCH 30. BRITISH PLUCK.

The public are now more or less conversant with the outstanding accomplishments of the Shucklcton Antarctic Expedition, and though the full history ol this latest dash for the pole has still to be written, enough is known to win from the least inteii-sted in scieiitilic research admiration for the pluck, determination anil resource of the members of the gallant little party. The main

exploring achievements of the expedition, us we know them at presem, unit irrespective of the scientific- data collected, are notable enough to place Lieutenant Sbackleton in the forefront of polar exploration. The leader himself, with three others of his party, in the face uf severe hardships managed to reach a " furthest south," unly ill) odd miles from the geographical pole, and by dint of still harder work .mil resistance to starvation managed to gel

back again. The addition made to geographical knowledge by this desperately /eoutragoous excursion was the establishment of the fact that the region about the South Polo consists of a plateau of considerable altitude (about 10,000 feet above sea level), in contrast with the watery covering of the North Pole region; that between the pole aid the ice-cap margin south of New Zealand there are high mountain ranges, in sonic of which coal and lin.istone exist, proving the correctness of the theory that the polar regions ouec enjoyed a much

milder climate. In the Arctic regions similarly, lignites and limestone have been discovered far north on the western coast of Greenland, and fossils of warniclimalc plants and animals away in the frozen regions of north Europe and Asia. A second adventurous journey

was that by .Mr. Mawson and two others to the magnetic pole, which re-1 quired a journey of 250 miles on the Barrier ice and'then 20U miles inland, and a trying climb upon a plateau seven or eight thousand feet high. The party reached a spot where the dipping needle attained its maximum declination; in other words, where liie magnetic needle lay in an exactly vertical position, the "south pole" end pointing downwards; their object was then attained. A third important achievement was the ascent of fonelv Erebus, whose

activity appears to be on a par with tnal of Ngaui'uhoe before tlie recent eruption, but on a somewhat larger scale proportionate to the more imposing majesty of the mountain. The zoologists made important discoveries ill tneir branch of research, in both fresh and salt water; and the study of icebergs and of the movements of the land ice has

brought out some interesting points. Much importance is attached by scien-

lists to tile meteorological and magnetic observations regularly made, lint to the ordinary individual this work counts for nought compared with the glamour of romance surrounding the "dash for the pole." from the popular point of view no doubt the most valuable relics of the expedition will be tile photographs, plate and lilm that were taken. Hut, after all. the practical useful results, scientific and utlicrwisc, cannot he of exceptional importance to the everyday world. One result, however, to our mind of paramount importance, is the stimulating salislaclion that, by a record performance ill the cheerful and .successful endintnu-e on, hazardous expeditions, Britishers have maintained the claim to be first and foremost amongst explorers of the waste places of the earth, a claim which seemed of late to be in some danger of being wrested from them by daring spirits of other nationalities. 'There is little

doubt that the compicst of Antarctica has been brought within measurable distance of attainment, ami little as it might add to the cause of knowledge, men will still be found willing to risk their lives to reach the pole, simple because i|, is an almost impossible t«-'k fo get there, and no one has hitherto succeeded in doing so. In this age of commercialism it is a healthv sign thai such men arc still t„ I K , found, and that the world is not slow to applaud feats of herculean daring ami adventure h the pursuit of knowledge and science.