The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1877-02-22
THE SOUTH POLE.


THE SOUTH POLE.
Exploration and Expeditions In Search
OCnn Antarctic CIEtincGt.
Not so much for the purpose OF dis
covering new lands in the south, as to
obtain information concerning the south
magnetic pole "A matterol much import
ancc to science, the British government
fitted out the Erebus and Terror, and
placed them under James Ross. with
Crozier as his sec0nd in command. They
left England in 1899, and did not see it
again for four years.
Wonderful it WAS to see raging vol
cano in such a region. A long stretch of
land was seen to be marked by two mag
nificent mountains one Of which, an ac-
tive volcano, twelve thousand Ieet 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 n
magnificent combination Of volcanic fire
and endless ice probably never before
met human eye, for Mount Electa, in Ire.
land, must be far inferior to It.
Ross did not winter in that remote
region; indeed, so far as is known, no
human being ever passed winter among
the antartic ice. Ross spent three sum
mers in his exploration, while he housed
hia 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 GerriJz, Pedro
Fernandez de Quiros, Capt. Cook, We'd
dell, Dum0nt d'UurylIe and Wilkes
We might also, if their discoveries had
borne such fruit, notice more fully the
expedition of Kerguelcn, who discovered
the island named after him little more
than a century ago rs also those OF
Smith, Powell, Palmer and Bellnghau
son, fifty six years ago, resulting in the
discovery ot South Shetland, South
Orkney, Palmers land, aud Alexander
land. Those fitted out by Mcssrs. En-
derby, the liberal and energetic promo
tens OF whale and seal fishing in the
Southern ocean, are worthy OF brief re.
cord; for two vessels, placed by them
under Captains BiscCe and Ballcny, sailed
into regions which led to the discovery
of Enderby land, Balleny land and IA
brina land.
One object Of Sir James Ross eXpcdt
ton was, if possible, to reach the south
magnetic pole-a different point from
the south terrestrial pole, The great
icy barrier prevented the rcalizatios Of
that hope. a few years ago Lieutenant
Moore, in the Pagoda, set off TO make
magnetic observations in the antarctic
circle that had not been visited; he did
80, and rendered great service to science,
but did not get ithin 400 miles Of the
tantalizing pole.
The reader will remember that two
years ago the astronomers of the whole
world were greatly interested in 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 hcre) the
rOughness of the climate was 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-
ture verging on the freezing-Point, even
i'm the summer of that hemisphere.
Astronomers are considering of appeal
ing to the Southern ocean again five
wears hence, when another transit OF
Venus will take place, and when still
more advantage is expected to he de-
rived from the use of a situation IA near
the antarctic pole as possible. In order
to give these hard-workiDg astronomers
fair play, it would be no more than right
W StIu Oub All CAEcultiull Cdl VI lNb
in advance to accumulate as many useful
and geogra. .bical facts as might he at
tainable and it is Just possible that, iu
- doing, Sir James Ross seventy eighth
degree of latitude might be overpassed,
especially as they might now have, what
Ross had not, steam power wherewith to
contend alike against Gains and adverse
winds.
What we know OF the south pole, then,
is simply this-that nobody has got with
in seven or eight hundred miles Of it ;
thaticy barriers are met with quite eclips-
ing anything known 10 the north frigld
zone; that mountains have been seen
Zone shooting forth volcanic fames) lof.
tier than any discovered by our northern
explorers; that all the land il covered
with snow at all seasons; that nn human
being has been met with beyond lilty.six
degrees OF latitude that no vegetable
growth, except lichens, has been 2een be
yond fIty-eight degrees OF latitude: and
that no land quadruped il known to exist
beyony sixty-six degrees OF latitude.
How st. Louis bankrupt got rid
of 5000 in three weeks was explained
to the satisfaction Of the creditors BY A
witness. who said that he. Wa a genial"