Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1890-07-17
ANTARCTIC EXPLORATIONS
Barosr Nordenskjold to starton
dition Next Year Ape

The rumors which have been crr-
during the last few years 10 tbe rent ag
that Baron Nordenskiold was Cusc'
undertake an expedition TO TN , 70
pole have at length assumed lr,c,;.'N1i
form, says the New York Iri1nso Ia VA
at the recent meeting of the Rag
Academy of Science OF Stockbolr' a
successful navigator Of the nortbeaY,
passage announced that he had msJ'
arrangements to start on his yo,s--s1,
Antarctic exploration in the sumnis.'.
1891. The Australian goyerpms,.'
have already placed sum of sg5 nHS
at his disposal for TIE purpose. And q.
car Dickson, the enlightened and n1
niticent patron OF his former avreI.
tons. has contributed similar .na'
The conditions in the Antarctic sra
however, very different from what .bor
are IN the seas around the nortbers
pole, and, if good results are to he ok
tanned, will probably involve a consiS
erably larger outlay than the $50 01o
already subscribed. Amonp MIA.
things it will be necessary to spend tSa
first winter as far south as possh.o
and that in itself will be costly atT,ir
Baron Nordenskjold has been So sno,
cessful and has had so great an exnar;.
ence in all conditions OF ice that his da.
termination to embark upon the eyns.
dition in question implies his confidence
of achieving great results. As the av.
tent of the latter, however will IN
measure depend on the amount -
money at the disposal of Il promoter.
of the undertaking we trust IN the /,
terest OF universal science that Che bar.
on's appeal to the world for additional
contributions toward the enterprise
which was contained in his address To
the Swedish academy of science, viii
meet with the generous response which
it deserves.
Although the Antarctic ocean attract.
ed scientific ana geographical attention
long before the Arctic sea did VET
much less is known OF it than of iba
latter--the totally UNEMPLOYED regions
of the two bearing the proportion of
almost three to one. The navigators
who have attempted to penetrate the
great precipitous walls of ice so grapb.
ically described by Capt. Cook as en-.
circling the southern pole are few in
number; and the highest point touSled
by Commodore Wilkes OF the United
States navy in 1910, and by Sir James
Ross of the British service a wear later
falls far short of che latitude reached
by many of the northern expeditions.
The results achieved by the two com.
manders in question we're limited to
the discovery of a barren and sinister.
looking coast, crowded by two lofty
volcanoes of an altitude Of some 5000
feet, which received the appropriate
names of Mount Terror and Mount
Erebus. The two officers noted, more.
over, that none Of the islands of the far
south showed traces OF being inhabited
by any land mammals differing in
this respect from the Arctic regions.
where large and varied animals have
been observed almost as far north as
man has penetrated. Since these dis.
coveries, half century ago, no further
expedition has been sent out in the d.
rection Of the south pole, all the efforts
OF explorers being concentrated around
lue norm POI VI the 8toDe. Inc con-
sequence is tnat the Antarctic regions
remain to this day shrouded in almost
as impenenube mystery as they were
in the last century. when they figured
on the maps of the period AS Terra
Austraiis iucoguita.'
The years which have elapsed since
the memorable voyage Of tile Vega
have been worthily employed by Baron
Nordenskjold in geographical explora-
ton OF a somewhat different nature
He has visited all the famous libraries
of Europe in turn for the purpose Of
forming a collection Of specimens Of
the most ancient maps and charts in
existence, These he has reproduced in
a magnificent work which illustrates
the progress and development of geo.
graphical science from the earliest
times One of the most interesting
features Of the collection is the com
p.ete series of the first maps Of Amer.
zee