THE FAR SOUTH.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3147, 26 March 1909, Page 5

THE FAR SOUTH.

THE SHACKLETON EXPEDITION. MANY HARDSHIPS. A GREAT GLACIER. Received March 25, 8 a.m. LuNDON, March 24,

In his narrative of®the results of the Antarctic expedition, Lieutenant Shackleton says:—"Steering south-south-east, from the depot we had made, after shooting the snow-blind ponies, we approached a high range of new mountains, tending southeast, and found on December 2nd a barrier, influenced by pressure and ridge of snow and ice, 'turned into land.' We discovered a south-west-erly glacier 120 miles by 40 miles, and on the sth started, in latitude 83 degrees 33min. and longitude 172 degrees, to ascend the glacier, wtrch was so ci'evassed that we spent the whole of the day fighting our way up a distance of 600 yards. "A pony disappeared into a crevabs owing to a swingletree snapping, but we saved the load.. ' We were now hauling 2501bs each. "New mountains were discovered on the Bth to the south-south-west.. After many rescues had been effected with the help of Alpine ropes, we reached, on the 18th. an altitude of 6,800 teet, and a depot was made in latitude 85 degrees. We left everything except our food, instruments-,, and equipment, and reduced our rations to twenty ounces daily. "On the 2fith we reached a plateau 10,000 feet in height. We experienced many hardships owing ! to- shorcage ot food and the rarefied air. We made a depot on the i plateau, and took a tent, utilising ' ! the pcles of the second tent as 1 guiding marks for our return jourr.ey.. The surface was soft. We ' encountered a blizzard lasting sixty hours, and suffered freauant frostbite?. The party left camp, and on the 29th reached latitude S2 degrees 2:2min, Longitude 182 degrees—the , mos-r southerly point hitherto reached, ! and hoisted, the Queen's Union Jack, j ''No mountains were visible. A ' plain stretched south." • Fresh severe hardships had to be I : undergone, and, in ad iition, some of : ; the party suffered from dysentery, on the slow return journey. Mr Marshall, especially, suffered, but with relief from the ship all reached the hut at the Point on January 4th, after a total journey of 1,708 statute miles. Goal, measures were found in Limestone formation. Upwards of a hundred mountains, ranging in height from 5,000 to 12,000 feet, were seen. In eight of the ranges discovered the glaciers were photog-raphtd. j There are signs of a former greater !

glaciation. The South Pole is doubtless on a plateau 10',000 to 11,000 ffcet above the sea. Lieutenant Shackleton says that, judging from the violent blizzards experienced in latitude 88 degrees, if a polar calm exists it is small in area, and not coincident with the geographical pole. Good zoological and geological discoveries were made. Lieutenant Shackleton, after again getting on board the Nimrod, after encountering a pack of ice, dis-

covered from a position in latitude 69 degrees 48min, longitude 166 degrees, eleven new ranges of coast mountains, tending south-west, then west for forty-five miles beyond Cape North. FEDERAL MINISTER SURPRISED. NO REPORT FROM LIEUTENANT shaclketon. Received March 25, 10.20 a.m. MELBOURNE, March 25. Ihe Minister for External Affairs (Mr Batehelor) is surprised that Lieutenant Shackleton sent him no report regarding his explorations, seeing that the Commonwealth Government subscribed £5,000.. "Whatever his contracts with the newspapers, Mr Shackluton must," said Mr Batehelor, "recognise some obligations to the Commonwealth."

ARRIVAL OF NIMEOD. CHRISTCH URCH, Msrch 25. The Nirarod was delayed by a contrary wind, and was not signalled til! 3.45 o'clock. S U PP LE M E N T A R Y N A RR AT IV E. CHRISTCHURCH, March 25. In the course of a supplementary narrative, specially supplied to the Press Association, Lieutenant Shackleton says: —We started from Hut Point on November 3rd with a supporting party provisioned for fourteen days. Owing to the soft snow and a four days' blizzard, I sent the supporting party back on November 7th. We were then in a maze of crevasses off White Island about thirty miles south of Hut Point. We got on an apparently level plain full of crevasses. We camped there for a day. The journey did not become particularly interesting until they began to sight new land. That was

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clone about November 22nd. We saw r.ew mountains stretching away to the south beyond Mt. Longstaff. We started using the horse meat about November 23rd. We were using it for the ponies, 401bs of food per day, and when one was shot, the man who had been leading him put on his own harness and helped to pull the extra load. On November 22nd we had sighted the new mountain, and were still moving due south. On November 28th we shot another pony.