The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1873-02-03
SOUTH POLAR EXPLORATION.

There appears to be rivalry springtng up
between the North Pole and The South as 10
which can offtr the greatest attractions 10
explorers. Hitherto The North Pole has been
The most popular, partly because 1t ls the
nearest to those nations from which The ex-
plorers come, and there are at present no
lever than seven expeditions IN the Arctlc
regions endeavorlpg tO solve the mystery OF
the great Polar Sea. Ofthese, one is French,
one American, one Austrian. One Prussian,
Two NOrwegians and one Russian. IL VIII %
noticed that England has withdrawn from
this held OF exploration, wherein her naVi-
,tors have distinguished themselves from
tne days oil Cabot, Baf1n, Davis and Sceresby
down to those of Franklin, Mcclure and Nc
Cllntock. She has now turned her attention
to The Antarctic reg Ons which are accessible
In direct lines from four Of her colonies, VIZ {:
the Cape OF Good Hope, Australia, New Aea-
land and the Falkland Islands. Sne mas char.
tered the Challenger, vessel oi l4o0 tons, ana
h,ted ont for three years. voyage OF e6piora'
tlou and deep sea soundings, under the direc-
lion of competent scientific men; and aiten-
lion will first be given 10 the Southern Pacldo
Ocean. This vast portion OF the earLh's sur
face has not been investigated as 1t ought to
have been. The Spanish and portuguese e4-
plorers sailed through the Straits OF Magellan
in the fifteenth century, bat they seem 70 nave
considered that far enough south, or else 10
have thought that the best thing they could DO
would be 10 get to India as soon as possible,
and 40 they steered In that direction north
west, accidentally discovering Island
after island on the way. Tnus IL
happened that until the year 1915,
when the Dutch navigator Van Schou.
ten discovered Cape Horn, and gave 1t its
present name, no one had Ventufea lurCaer
south; but when he led the way otners loi,
lowed. and 1t was soon found that The then
prevalent idea OF geographers that the Ant-
arctic regions were occupied by vast Ice.
bound continent, was not wholly without
Foundation. Tasman, Damper, Cook, and
other navgators, visited these regions, out,
though they discovered Australia, New lea-
land, Van Dleman's Land, and other isl-
ands, they did not contribute much to the
worlds knowledge OF the South polar circle.
It waa not until the present century that any
material progress was made. In 1919 Brl-
tlsh brig discovered the Islands now known
as Palmer's Land and the South Orkneys.
Alter that they were frequently visited Dy
Whalerp. In the same year tlsls) the Russian
government sent out an expsoiIlon unues
Ih1se intrepid explorers almost clrcumnaVl-
gated the South Pole at an average distance
OF thirty degrees, and examined portion OF
the polar circle. They also discovered the
trst continental land there, and named 1t
Alexander Land. This appeared to be cape
belonging to large continent; IT was COM
pIetely locked 10 Ice. From that time up to
is4O, several American, French and Englisn
expeditions were sent out to these regions,
which ascprtained that there existed within
The south polar circle vast continent. Lieu
terant wilkes, of the United States navy,
sailed more than fifteen hundred miles along
aide of a wall oil ice from one hundred and
gity to Two hundred feet high, beyond which,
at many points, rose high, mountainous land.
In 1912. Sir James Ross discovered South Vic
lorla Land, whereon was Lofty volcano
twelve thousand feet In height, now known
as Mount Erebus; but bis further progress was
checked by an immense continuous wall
Ice. above which could be seen IN the lar q 1
lance mountain peaks of great neignt, GOV.
cred with Ice. II is one OF tne singularlties VI
this portion of The earth's eurface, CONTAINING
an area double that of Europe, that IL e1hi0tts
no signs of animal, marine or vegetable lie.
In the sea Itself lite seems extinct, unless tne
deem eoundings shall reveal some at the Dot
tom of the ocean. But II appears from the
sonndines taken by Sir James Ross, that the
Antarctic seas are generally shallow, compare
tIyely speaking. The depth rarely exceeded
four hundred faIhoms, or twenty-four hundred
feet (not half mile,) and 1t was ordinarily
ony from two hundred to three hundred faith.
oms, while in some spots In the Atlantic
Ocean the depth is fifteen thousand feet. AT
one point off the coast OF Brazil. Sir James
| Ross failed to touch ground at deptn OF
twenty-seven Thousand feet. or i've and nall
miles, and at one spot In the Antarctic ocean
/ he failed at tWenty-four thousand.