The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-06-11
IN TIE ANTARCTIC WATERS.
THE DUNDEE FLEET RETURNS WITH
BfG CiRGOEs or SEJLS

Ro.s Said ttr tiers Trrn-;' ~ Animals
In Ahuadn CO ana Not Afraid Of Man
Tho Antarctic whaling expedition bns lee
turned to Dundee after u niue N onths voyage.
member Of the party has given 10 the Lon-
don Times some details OF experiences in south
polar waters. II will 10 remembered that In
September last four Dundee whilcrs, the Bnl-
aena, the Diana. the Active. an tho Polar Star,
set out from Dundee to seek tho whale in the
Antarctic Ocean, MS for some years they had
found whaling unproftabl9 in Greenland
wntera The promoters OF tho expedition
thought that they might obtain the whales
which Sir James Ross described as greatly 70.
semblinR the Greenland whale. 1t was pro.
posed to restrict the researches OF tho vessels
to the region visited by Ross in his third voy-
age In 1912 ~ Tho Royal Geographical So
cicty and the loyal meteorological Society ar
ranged that the medical officers accompany
ing the vessels should make sucn scientific
observations as were possible In mn expedition
so purely commercial In character. These
societies gnve u grant OF instruments and an
excellent scientific OUTFIT was provided.
The expedition did not succeed In reaching
the high southern latitude 1t hoped to attain,
as the Ice prevented. The results. in u scen-
tinc point OF view. are therefore not so valu-
nblc as were looked for. but tho expedition
hns added something to our knowledge OF
interesting geographical Information.
After a three months stormy journey the
ships reached the rugged shores OF West Falk-
land. one OF tho remarkable islands which
Darwin made so we'll known Among the
striking features OF these islands is the allnost
entire absence Of trees. The present observers
say that Darwin's prophecy is coming true
wild horses and cattle now no longer roam tho
plains and their places have been taken by tho
ss,.a Ia fita nnI n
still found but has been eagerly hunted
that it's numbers have been greatly reduced.
Insects are rare. penguins and nlUatross are
almost the only birds. aud a solitary
lizard and few insects about complete
the list OF animals Starting south from
the Falkland Islands the party on Dec. u in
latitude 90 lS south. longitude 81 / west,
met tho first iceberg. 1t was OF enormous
dimensions and tabular The same day they
met myriads OF cape pigeons and also many
blue petrol and molly-hawks. The sea
swarmed with whales OF the finer kind. and
SO numerous were the cape pigeons and SO
eager for scraps that we're thrown overheard
from the vessels that many Of them were
caught in hand nets from the deck. On Dec
II the vessel IN ut their first sen q 1t was the
larger kind. which Ross ha! described. nearly
twelve fee. long. with a benr.like head and
formidable canine teeth. 1t was curled up
and asleep and was rifting by tho vessels in
the fog. 1t was shot and brought aboard.
On the evening OF Dec. % 1t was observed
that the sea had become an olive brown color.
and the snowy petrol was met. which, Accord
Ing to Ross. were both Indications OF the main
pack being near at hand. On the following
evening three of the ships made fast to very
large toe. They were little south OF fosss
hs ss @
upon the winter in all directions: their enor-
mops breadth quite astonshod Us. The color
Of the sea was a dirty brown"
party saw no black whales. and only nnners.
Several grampuses were seen from the mast
head. and they are noted prosecutors OF tho
OF seal had been oUtained-the large seal. tho
white Antarctic seal: and tn sea Leopard:
varieties OF se CT ass
was observed. Many sheath bills an.l snowy
petrel the cape pigeon. the gray gull, terms.
The little fleet was destined to load W. with
e cargo Of sral and tn tsc; z the writer says
This was in latitude about IS $, the highest
attaiped in Antarctie waters for years; Al
crows nest from morning till late ut night.
The engineers relieving one another had con.
was sent off to the ice foes for seal. When q
tuI boat Tas making s way
the boat you'd glide %io sas the post
crew would come anoard and hastily eat their
meal; then the boat would be unioaded and
crews. each ,endeavorine to set the largest
The seals are very foolish beasts. The pres
emit generation in Antarctic waters had never
mouthed and fearless. during which process
they were speedily laid low with Il bull let.
0s sss HsSs sas
half dozens and tens. and as many as forty:
lava on fayu ~
!ns% rss sisafs fs ss
iSSsainpeFs Ssry shicEiy biHSberS sEO and s"
s.e the stanssss
is .Se sn STRUT
Q slope. glide, swiftly downward, toboggan
fashio n. upon their s 6pe1s bI., man aPds
apack." They often received for their lnauis:
that 81 the hare .f Gpea them ths
tss !; XII ssss
ileultyy kept their hold upon him. and. after he
iasssa b he Capped his iDDers and soon re-
luz I've wulCu tHo pHTiS ChlD6 HCTOsS
was not heavier than that OF Davis Strait. but.
as Ia well known. the beres were Of a very dif-
ferent character. Very few OF them had any
thing Ike a pinnacle. They were nearly all Nat
and not so lofty rs those Of the north. hut
were Of huge length. some OF them being four
miles long; others eight or ten miles. AND one
enormous berg was not less than thirty miles
In length. 1t took the vessel six hours to
steam along the front OF this berg. These
enormous ieebergs serve a good purpose
but when they are to Toward, they form
q very dangerous lee shore for sailing vessels.
Falklands. and thence homewarL II is not
known yet whether the enterprise will be re-
were not found. though the latitude and longi-
tude where Ross reported that he had seen
tanned. The Ice conditions were extremely
tnhniaXoraDie last season. and there Is no doubt
z much more southern latitude. II cannot hs
be said that the experiment Of whaling in
Antarctic, waters has been fairly tried aud 1t
VII not BE- surprising 4 another fleet starts
THE hlghest latitude the marty atm n ed WAS