Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1889-10-25
THE SOUTH POLE.
What is Known About That Mysterious
and Fascinating Region.
Burning Mountains Shut In by
Barriers OF lce-Dlscoveries
by the Different Expe-
ditionS.

are under discussion, and have been
more or less determined upon. Eng
land has one under consideration, the
French scientists are urging their gov
eminent 10 take up the matter. and
the Germans of Hamburg. with Willard
as their American agent, have been
seriously contemplating sending
down body of explorers to the mys-
FERROUS regions OF the Antarctic circle
A general revival of interest in this
comparatively neglected portion OF the
globe seems 10 be promised, and the
time seems to be at hand when the
existence OF a great antarctic CONT
nent, the magnetic conditions of the
south and the relative flatness of the
earth at that point will be definitely
settled.
1t was supposed by the old geogra-
pliers that in order TO balance the con-
tinents of the north, the Southern or
Antarctic Ocean ought TO nave some
great continents likewise; and, for two
hundred years or so, occasional voy-
ages were made in the hope of discov-
ering some such stretches OF dry land.
Juan Fernandez. more than 800 years
ago, reached "a pleasant land which is
now supposed TO have been New Zea-
land, but then he was 5000 miles dis
tant from the south pole. Twenty
years later a Dutch whaier was driven
by storm so far as the high snowy
islands, now known as the South Shet-
lands, nearly due south OF Cape Horn.
About the beginning of the following
century De Quiros, searching about for
the southern continent, lighted upon
Pitcairn's Island and the new Hebrides,
and many other islands continued TO
be found in the vast southern sea by
the storm-driven mariners and hardy
explorers steering straight for some
thing new. 1t remained, however. for
Capt Cook TO first penetrate the Ant
arctic circle, although all he did was
TO sight the shores OF Sandwich Land.
Great things had been expected from
this voyager, and the report was so
disappointing that the geographers
thereupOn removed from their maps
the term OF Terra Australia.
Navigators, however, contn ued still
to believe in the existence Of this south
ern land, and in the beginning of the
ed the South Orkncys. Then the gov
crnmentS Of Europe and our own took
b nd in the matter and sent out eXpe-
ditions OF discovery he United States
expedition was placed in charge OF
Lieut. Wilkes, his instructions being
to push as far south as possible.
Altogether the fleet of exploration was
absent four years, during which much
ocean was explored for the first time
and a number OF small islands set down
on the charts. Wilkes claimed at first
TO have discovered an antarctic conti-
nent, but it was afterward found TO be
Adele Land
Then came the expeditions under
Sir james Ross, which left England in
1889 and did not see it again until lS43.
After passing the Cape OF Good Hope
Ross and his men remained for two
months on Kerguelen's Island-discov-
cred in l772-then proceed to Tasmania
and then pushed on for the south. He
first sighted large, compact icebergs in
latitude $50, four degrees farther south
bringing him TO the edge of the pack,
"a vast field Of hummock ice extending
over an unknown number of miles.
The men were supplied with extra
warm clothing, and preparations were
made for dashing through the foe ice
and hammocks at points where the
more solid pack could be avoided
Steering boldly but cautiously through
huge masses of ice. and experiencing
alternate fog and sunshine, they at
length espied real land in the shape OF
two magnificent ice-capped mountains,
each extending 1000 feet in hight, with
glaciers filling in the intervening val
leys.
On dry land near these mountains,
after many struggles, Sir James Ross
hosted the British flag, and named the
place Victoria Land, being then about
! 300 miles from the South Pole and
! 800 due south OF New Zealand. Further
inland other magnificent ice-covered
mountains could be seen, soaring 10
hight of $4,000 or 1900 feet, thus far
exceeding anything known in the
Arctic regions. Still coasting the
shore. Ross pushed farther south until
he had reached the 10Th degree OF
south latitude, the South Pole being
then about 1000 miles distant. The
two Hottest mountains continued well
in sight all during this journey, and
were named after the ships Erebus and
Terror. Erebus was esteemed TO he
10000 feet high and was an active
volcano, while Terror was either ex-
tinct or temperorarily quiet
On one particular afternoon Mount
Erebus was observed to emit smoke
and flames in unusual quantities, pro-
ducing most grand spectacle.
volume of dense smoke was projected
at each successive jet with great force
in IA verticle column 10 u hight Of be-
tween 800 and 1000 feet above the
mouth of the crater, when condensing
first at its upper part, il descended in
mist and snow and gradually disap-
peared. to be succeeded by another
splendid exhibition of the same kind
in about half an hour afterward.
The results of all these expeditions
have now 10 be considered. What do
we know of the South Pole? In the
first place we know that nobody has
got within 700 or 800 miles of it, Ross
touched the seventy-eighth parallel Of
latitude. and in all probability no
human being has ever made nearer