The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1895-08-20
FOR THE ANTARCTIC.

~ NAN NHHAlNsH' 0NFVNePN ~ $500 '" 49,
south Polar Region, PeOpi cd by u strange
Race aud I1lch In Minerals,
About the beginning Of next month
DR., Frederick A. Cook, the Arctic OK
plorsr, expects to sail for the Antarctic
region, aud remain in the south polar
country for two or three years, He will
BIO accompanied by band Of scientists,
and II HE venture be q success, some
extraordinary results can be looked Tor.
Just now the Antarctic region 10 a
mater Of more interest to scientists
than the exploration OF the much
souVhtatter North Pole, for the reason
that an exploration OF the former, It Is
believed, will uneArIh an immense body
OF land OF great commercial value 10 tho
world at large,
Az the recent sesaion oil the Inter
national Congress Of GeographsTs, at
London, tho Antarctic region consumed
much OF the attention oil the delegates.
That there Ia q south.poar continent Of
great area was clearly shown. This body
oiland, tits estimated, isS. 900, 900 square
miles in extent, which il twice tbs Rroa
OF Europe. hen Ii 10 remembered
that the total area OF tho United States,
including the 57T300 square milo, OF
AlaSkA, Is only 100000 square miles,
the extent oithis great south'poIar con-
tinent can DO imagined,
Upon reaching the Gull OF Erebus the
party will dlsembark, unless clear sea
DO found, In which case tho vessels will
DO sailed as fur south as possible. When
the party lands u wooden house will be
constructed as base OF operations,
store.hou5e, and headquarters. II no
safe shelter for the sealers eau be found
they will DO sent to the Falkland Is
lands, with orders to return the follow
ing year,
The nearest mainland 10 the gulf is
the sOuthernmost tip oil South America,
700 miles away. The explorers will
.havt an abundance OF loneliness about
them, and that is about all they will
have, with the exception Of glaciers,
ice.Aoes. and penguinG
II will DO the mission oil DR.. Cook TO
find out, II possible, something definite
about this great body OF land. II he
succeeds, his name centuries hence may
be ranked with that OF Columbus. Tho
Norwegian Borchgrevinck supplied the
information TO the congroSs in London
about the new continent. and 1t is
claimed that he is the only man who
has vet set foot upon IT, In describing
his tour Of exploration, no states that
ho sailed south OF Possession leland, and
in "A degrees latitude sighted a new pro-
muntory, which he named Cape Oscar.
The point at which he landed was a
peninsula, which formed bronkwAter
ior an inner bay. Tho temperature was
high, tho minimum being % degrees,
and the maximum 46 degrees. Vast
swarms Of penguinS almost covered tue
peninsula, and signs OF vOGltation were
discovered.
DR.. Cook has an idea that this great
southern continent is peopled by race
Of human beings Of which the rest OF
the world know nothing. As basis Of
this idea, he says that Captain Larsen,
Of Dundee IeAler, found on Cape Sey.
mour, in latitude o. degrees south,
about fifty bnlls OF sand and clay, ap.
parently made by human hands. and
perched upon pillars Of tho same ma
terlal. An abundance OF food, he says,
can be had there, aud there is no reason
why human habi,Niion could not DO
made pleasant, with the numerous
occupations to 10 found In the Ant
arctic.
1t will be one Of tho chief aims Of the
party to discover this unknown race, il
il exists. Tho real danger in the expe-
dition will begin when the journey to
the interior ia made over the snow and
ice. This has never yet been attempted,
and none Of the party will know what
TO expect
The cost Of tho expedition will be
about 5000, which has been contribu.
led by number oil scientists The use
Of rRiling.venels ChcapenI tho cost con-
siderAbly.