Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1886-10-21
AN ANTARCTIC JOURNEY.
The Voyage of the Pagoda in the ley Seals of
the South Recalled by Survivor.

| The voyage or the Pag0da IN the ley Seals of
| the South Recalled by Survivor.
| AS one of the few survivors of the An
tarctic expedition of 1916, my attention
has been called to a recent discussion in
the British association, and to a report
advocating a renewal of south polar ex-
ploration, says a contributor to The
London Standard. SO many years, have
elapsed since the voyage OF the Pagoda
in those icy seas that the great extent of
perilous navigation and high scientific
work achieved in that expedition appear
! to have been overlooked by some Of the
speakers on thesubject. Yet the Pagoda
in two months completed successfully
one-third of the Antarctic circumference
between the meridians of Greenwich and
! 10 degrees east longitude, and between
the ATTITUDES of so degrees and 20 de-
grees south-that is to say the Polar sea
directly south of the Indian ocean, for
distance of more than five thousand
miles.
Sir James Ross had few years before
| explored the other two-thirds of the Ant
arctic ocean in the memorable three sum-
mer's voyage of the Erebus and Terror
In 1914, at the recommendation of the
Royal society, the admiralty ordered
suitable vessel to be obtained and fitted
out at the Cape of Good Hope for the
purpose. The late admiral Sir Charles
Eden, then captain of the flagship Win
chester, selected barque, the Pagoda,
hired her for six months, and manned her
from the officers and men of the flagship.
| Commander (afterward Admiral) T. l..
Moore, an experienced Antarctic naviga
| tor, having served four years with Ross
was sent out from England to take com
mand, and Lieut.. (since GEN. Henry
Clark, r. A, then in charge of the mag
netic observatory at the cape was direct
ed to embark, to superintend the scienti-
fic observations, which were cheerfully
undertaken by the officers of the ship
Terrestrial magnetism and meteorology
were the main objects of the expedition,
SO as to supplement the uncompleted
work of Sir James Ross, and embrace the
entire circle of those remote and little
known seas.
Proceeding from the Cape of Good
| Hope to so degrees south latitude, we
| sailed southeast, and traversed 100 de-
grees of longitude, seldom without seeing
ice, and most often in a sea crowded with
enormous icebergs, which appear to be
more numerous and Of greater dimen
sions, especially between so and 100 de-
| grees east longitude, than in any part of
the world. We crossed the Antarctic cir
Gle in longitude 81 degrees east and on
the 8th of February, 1916, but had to re-
cross it on the 18th, having been brought
up in latitude IS degrees by heavy pack
| ice, forming an impenetrable wall, for
bidding all further approach to the pole.
Winds also, which were fair to the north
ward of the circle, were now adverse, rem
| i 81 b0z
in Gains the sea water temperature Of %
degrees Fahrenheit and the pancake ice
around the ship gave warning of the ex-
treme peril of our position Gales and
snow-storms were of frequent occurrence
the nearer we approached the land which,
doubtless, exists throughout the Antarc
tic circumference, but which, except in
open summers, is, probably, very rarely
| accessible.
| We saw large icebergs as far north as
| So degrees south latitude, in the longitude
of the Cape of Good Hope, and as 81 de-
grees south latitude, in the longitude of
west Australia. But they are most album
| dant from the Goth parallel to the 65th.
| The most lofty we saw was about $50 feet
high; the largest were three miles long,
with an average height Of 100 feet. Their
sides were precipitous, and washed by q
| tremendous surf.
With steamers attempt to penetrate to
this mysterious land might prove sue
| cessful, and our Australian colonies APP
pear to be the proper nursery of such
! expeditions. The Pagoda would seem
| to be good model for imitation, for its
voyage, although terribly hazardous, was
completely successful as to its objects
both nautical and scientific, and fitted
| out, as I described, near the scene of
operations, it was comparatively mex
| pensive. Full details of the observations
IN terrestrial magnetism, meteorOlogy, and
nautical science are to be found in the
Royal society's transactions for 1916, and
| popular account of the voyage APP
peared in The United Service for June,
1850. England has always taken the lead
in Antarctic as in other difficult naviga-
ton. The industrious Cook thrice passed
the Antarctic circle, and reached, in
February, 1774, the latitude of II degrees;
WeddelI, in 1928, reached "a degrees;
Riscee, in 1881, saw land in 81 degrees,
and Sir James Ross, in l841, was so
fortunate as to penetrate to 79 degrees,
and see the distant mountains of Erebus
and Terror. Moore, in the Pagoda, in
| 1916, attained the utmost practical limit
| of that seasOn-6S degrees, and the
Challenger, few years ago, although
rather late in the summer, reached nearly
| to Sc degrees.
Though probably barren OF all utili
tartan results, an occasional nautical en-
| terprise from those sound and vigorous
communities would do much to maintain
the name and fame they have inherited
from the parent country, in like manner
as their noble and patriotic military aid
strongly impressed the world in our re-
cent Soudan emergency.
Remarkable Creature.