Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-07-27
THE SOUTH POLE.
What We Know of It-A Wall of Ice $50
Feet High.

what we Know OF It-A Wall of Ice 15o
Feet High.
The golden age of Auiartic discovery
arrived when Captain Ross, afterward Sir
James, Ross was dispatched from England
in 1910 to fix the position of the South
magnetic pole, and any other position he
could discover on the way there, says
writer in CasselPs Family Magazine Before
Ross could reach the scene of his lahors
other explorers, English, French and
American, were busy forestalling him. Of
these, the first was the Englishman, Bal
leny, who, sailing in Enderbys ship, the
Eliza Scott, discovered in 1889 the islands
which bear his name, and which lie almost
under the Antarctic circle, and almost dee
south from New Zealand. Balleny could
not land on the islands, but he made sure
of their existence, and afterward, sailing
far TO westward, he saw many more signs
of land, and suspected the existence of
much which he could not certainly vouch
for. What Balleny thought he saw was
probably much what the French expedi-
ton under Dumont d Urville actually did
see in the following year, several long
lines OF coast, which might be joined 10
one another, and might even run on to
JOIN Enderby Land in the west, and if so
might certainly be parts of the Antarctic
continent that d'Urville was anxious to
find.
Not less anxious was Wilkes, the leader
Of the United States exploring expedition,
Who only month after the FIenchman,
arrived within degree or two of the
Antarctic circle, to the south of New lea
land, after seeing land where Balleny had
certainly seen it before, began to fancy that
he saw it also where none had seen it be-
fore, and, unfortunately, where no one has
seen it since. For some days, indeed
Wilkes doubted whether what he had be-
held were mountains or clouds objects
which his crew watched eagerly, to see II
with the setting of the sun they would
change their color But after running
westward along the edge of the peak for a
few DAYS he made sure that he now saw
land, and somewhat incoEsequently as
sumed it for certain that what he had seen
before was land also. The discovery of az
Antarctic continent was announced as a
| certainty; very large land, with bar
rier of ice before it, and range of mount
| aims upon it, was laid down on the map
and a copy of the map was handed by the
rash but geneross explorer to Ross, who
| left Tasmania in the autumn of the same
year to look for the magnetic pole, with
the two ships Erebus and Terror which
afterward bore Sir John Franklin to bis
! fate at the other end of the world.
| Ross had so little doubt that the Ant
arctic continent was discovered already
that he seems to have been almost disap-
! pointed when his way to the magnetic pole
was barred by an unknown land. Yet this
land, which lay south of the seventeen
/ parallel and eastward of Balleny's Islands
was the most southerly hitherto seen in
the world, and on it rose mountains thou
/ sands of feet high, plain and mountain
/ alike robed in stainless snow. except on
the cliffs by the shore, where the black
rock came out The coast ran almost
due north and south, and along its eastern
face Ross advanced steadily till he had
| beaten Cook record and also WeddelPs
| aud gone further south than any before
him. But he could find no landing place
on the main line, so choked was every
inlet with snow and ice Only on a small
island were the adventures able to touch
Antarctic earth, few men among thou
| sands Of screaming and biting penguins
| Fresh mountains came constantly into
| view as they moved southwark; at last one
in latitude IL, over which what seemed 6
cloud of snow was blowing, but when they
came nearer they saw that the cloud wa.
smoke, and gave the name of Mount Ere
bus to giant volcano higher than Etna
which belches forth smoke and fire in
land where all things are frozen.
Before Mount Erebus lies Cape Crozier
and round Cape Crozier Ross hoped to fins
a way to the westward, so as to reach tn,
magnetic pole by the back of new land HI
had found. But as they approached they
saw stretching from Cape Crozier 'as fa
as the eye could discern to the eastward, ,
''low white line" the nature of which
they did not understand till they camt
| close enough to see the truth with theil
eyes. 1t was wall Of ice $50 feet high
without break or slope, but one glittering
perpendicular steep, through which, a
Ross said, one might as easily pass a.
through the cliffs of Dover Along thi
cleaning rampant Ross ran eastward fo
$50 miles, and in the succeeding year
1912, 200 more without coming to its end
on both of which occasions he reached thu
high latitude of $50 south, which ha
never since been approached by any man