The star of Pascagoula. [volume] (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1873-1878, 1877-02-16
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Not sp much f0f the pufpo-c ~ iia
covering new lands In Che south, ~ h
obtain information concerning the sontl
magnetic pole "a mattefOt much import
ance 80 science, the British government
fitted cot the Efebus and Terror, and
placed them under James Hoss, with
Cmzier a. biz second IN command. They
left England In 1890 and did hot see II
again for four years.
Wonderful II was 10 see n raging vol.
cano in such q region. A long stretch ol
land was seen TO be marked by two mag.
nifcent mountains one Of which, an ac-
tive volcano, twelve thousand lcet high,
received the name Of Mount Erebus
while the other, an extinct volcano Of
somewhat less height, was named after
| the companion ship Terror. An unmis-
taxable volcano was Erebus. Such q
magnificent combination Of volcanic fire
and endless ice probably never before
met human eye, for Mount Hecta, in Ire
land, must be far inferior to II.
Ross did not winter in that remote
region indeed, 50 far rs is known, no
human being ever passed a winter among
the antartic ice. Ross spent three sum.
mers in bis exploration, while he housed
his ship for the intervening winters,
either at Tasmania or the Falkland
islands. Among the early explorers of
the mysterious Southern ocean were
Juan Fernandez, Dirk Gerritz, Pedro
Fernandez de Quiros, Capt. Cook, We'd
dell, Dumont d'Uurville and Wilkes.
We might also, if their discoveries had
borne such fruit, notice more fully the
expedition of Kerguelen, who discovered
the island named after him a little more
than a century ago; as also those OF
Smith, Powell, Palmer and Bellinghau-
sen, fifty SIX years ago, resulting in the
discovery of South Shetland, South
Orkney, Palmer's land, and Alexander
land. Those fitted out by Messrs. En-
the liberal and energetic promo
ters of whale and seal fishing in the
Southern ocean, are worthy of brief re-
cord for two vessels, placed by them
under Captains Biscoe and Balleny, sailed
into regions which led to the discovery
of Enderby land, Balleny land and Sa
brina land.
One object of Sir James Ross expedi
ton was, if possible, to reach the south
magnetic pole-a different point from
the south terrestrial pole. The great
icy barrier prevented the realization of
that hope. A few years ago Lieutenant
Moore, in the Pagoda, set eff to make
magnetic observations in the antarctic
circle that had not been visited he did
so, and rendered great service to science,
but did not get vithin 400 miles of the
tantaliziDg pole.
The reader will remember that two
years ago the astronomers of the whole
world were greatly interested in a tran
sit of Venus; correct observations OF
which would, it was believed, afford data
for calculating the true distance of the
sun from the earth, and from all the
other planets. 1t was desirable to make
the observations at many different spots,
widely separated both in latitude and in
longitude and one of the spots selected
was Kerguelen's island, already men
toned, situated between the Cape of
Good Hope and Australia, but farther
south than either. Astronomers from
England, Germany and the United
States landed on the island and did good
work there, but (and this is the reason
why we mention the matter here) the
.roughness of the climate was a great trial
to them. Although farther from the
south pole than any part Of England is
from the north pole, the weather was
nearly always stormy, and the tempera-
verging on the freezing-point, even
the summer of that hemisphere.
Astronomers are considering of appeal
.ng to the Southern ocean again five
years hence, when another transit of
Venus will take place, and when still
more advantage is expected to be de-
lived from the use of a situation as near
he antarctic pole as possible. In order
o give these hard-working astronomers
air play, it would be no more than right
o send out an expedition a year or two
n advance to accumulate as many useful
nd geographical facts as might be at
ainable and it is just possible that, in
doing, Sir James Ross seventy.eighth
egree of latitude might he overpassed, {
specially as they might now have, what !
loss had not, steam power wherewith to
alike against Gains and adverse '
,inds. |
What we know of the south pole, then, d
simply this-that nobody has got with '
l seven or eight hundred miles of it 1
barriers are met with quite eclips-
lg anything known in the north frigid '
,ne; that mountains have been seen Q
me shooting forth volcanic lames) lof. I
err than any discovered by our northern c
xplorers; that all the land is covered a
it'll snow at all seasons; that no human c
ling has been met with beyond fifty-six 0
sgrees of latitude /; that no vegetable $
except lichens, has been seen be I
md flty-eight degrees of latitude; and n
no land quadruped is known to exist ?
aixty-six deorees of latitude II