The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-03-01
In THE POLAR SEAS
The Coming Expedition of Baron
Won NOrdenskiOld.
sO-CALLED ANTARCTIC CONTINENT
Lieutenant Schwatka's Ideas of the POSSIBLE
tiles of the Coming Scarch-Yolcanoes
Under the Snow.

WASHINGTON, Feb. %, 1S91.-TSpecial
correspondence Of THE HERALD. AT a
meeting of the Royal Geographical society
of Australia that took place at Melbourne
last summer, a report on the question of
Antarctic exploration was submitted, al
though no practical action was then taken:
but such action seems to have more recentIv
resulted from it, and, as usual, the aims,
possibilities, details and generalities of the
proposed expedition are being widely dis
cussed in the press.
The public interest thus aroused has been
revived on its becoming known tina the
celebrated Arctic explorer, Won Nordenski-
old, is to take the command of this Antarctic
expedition. His old friend and patron of
previous polar enterprises, Baron Oscar
Dickson, has promised to supply all the
funds needed for the undertaking over and
above 5000, which the Australian colonies
should contribute as an equivalent to the
possible benefits likely to accrue from the
exploration and which l believe they have
agreed 10 do.
This expedition being, therefore, sufi-
GENTLY assured to have created widespread
u VA u aAo pOSSlDlll-
ties it might be well to look at these from
the light of IN Arctic experience of a few
years, and which is sufficient to discuss it
with a fair intelligence at least.
First, then, as to the commander; a most
important consideration in any expedition,
but prominently prominent in a polar
party. l believe it can be truly said that
this part, however important, can be fortu-
nately disposed of in the brief but strong
statement that no better commander could
probably be found. Baron Won Nordens-
kiold's past polar successes are such as
ought to create a complete confidence that
all that human intelligence, tempered by a
wide experience can do will certainly be
done to make the enterprise a success.
AS to the geographical results, | think it
can be said that probably nothing of any
great practical value (Which is a polite Way
OF saying there is no direct money in it,
will be accomplished beyond outlining some
unknown coasts and rectifying a few i'm
material mistakes of previous explorers
made in bad weather or under other disad-
vantageous circumstances. In the Arctic.
Parry. of the royal navy, sailed over the
Croker mountains as mapped by Ross a few
years before, but Ross nephew turned
round and sunk his Lead in eco fathoms of
Antarctic water, where the American AID
miraI Wilkes had iotted down a mountain a
few seasons before. Still later, Mares again
sailed over some mythical Antarctic coast
lines, and probably Nordenskiold may 20
near the same places only to find mountain
ranges where others had found ocean
basins, and climb high hills where others
had harpooned huge whales. The dense fog
banks, or "water sky" Of the open lanes of
water in the ice packs. look sineularly like
mountain ranges at a distance, while astro-
nomical observations to determine position
are often taken under such unfavorable
circumstances Of weather that a mountain,
bay or other geographical feature may slip
a cog or two of latitude and longitude when
mapped accordingly.
The so-called Antarctic Continent y