New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-01-22
NEAR THE SOUTH POLE.
A SUMMER ALONG THE ANTARCTIC COAST
LINE.

Naturalist OF the Bark Balaena. Up. IL, 5of
Longmans, Green & Co.
This Is an entertaining narrative Of a voyage
which, In spite Of Its novelty. was defective In
results Neither the men who fitted out the
ships and sent them southwark. nor the men OF
science who hoped for important discoveries III
regions practically unknown. had reason 10 De
pleased. The voyagers were not able even
to gather the negative evidence that would nave
made further attempts to carry out the COM
mercal aims Of the expedition unnecessary. They
were simply left in position to say that they
did not find what they sought. ana TO express
the hope that future adventures might be more
fortunate AS is well known. the Greenland
whale is becoming a rare creature in the North
ern Hemisphere. In the light OF THIS TACT
whaers have meditated not little on an oo-
servation made by Sir James Ross respecting
his voyage of discovery in 1912. He had grea,
experience in polar travel and research ana
undoubtedly knew right whale when ne saw
one His declaration was that he saw many
creatures OF the Antarctic seas. about the neish-
borhood Of the Gulf Of Erebus and Terror WHICH,
II not true Bowheads. were nightly IKE them
The bone in the mouth of one OF these creatures
IS worth from $4,000 to $4,000. The prospect OF
opening up new hunting grounds. where every
capture meant a small fortune has long attracted
the imagination OF men weary OF long ana I'M
profitable voyages in the Arctic seas. Ai'er
much deliberation and several unavalhng EFFORTS
10 fit out an expedition for verifying the state
ments of Ross. four small ships were at last sent
from Dundee They were the Balaena. the Ac-
tive. the Diana and the Polar. All were slow
sajlers but were fitted also with engines Of mod
crate mower so that they not wholly de-
ncudent on the wind They were built for polar
work and were consequently in their proper
element among the cebergs Of the Antarcnc
zone The Balaena like one at least OF its con-
sorts was Of Norwegian build, and was orlgihais
named the Mjolnar after the hammer OF Ihor'
II she sailed Balaena. she came home MJohar
for the waves and cefoes which she encountered
completely effaced the new name.
Tho shins saw little Of each other from the time
they started out of Dundee Harbor until they re-
assembled on their Southern station. Thelr ORDERS
were strict They were not TO go wandering ABOUT
the ocean looking for right whales They were
lust to stay within the area which Sir James MOSS
indicated If they saw the objects OF thelr search
~ was well: if not they TO turn about at the
end of the Antarctic summer and sail NOME
Meanwhile In lieu Of whales, they might turn
tho venture TO profit by sealing. The project
awakened much interest among scientifc men ana
societies and considerable efforts were MADE 10
ii, the ships with apparatus for investigation.
Stories got abroad that the British Government
had interested itself in the expedition ana the
people VINO would have been Wiling 10 snare ''ie
hardships of the voyage were numerous ofe en-
thus!astc clergyman, when he found mat 'he
shjps were gone. took steamer 10 Falkland ISL
ords and there renewed his efforts to get berth.
1udring nv the reports OF those who prepared the
volume in hand. he was more fortunate IMAM
otherwise in not having his wish granted. fossi-
blv science was better looked after on the other
ships: but the master OF the Balaena seems u
have interpreted the orders Of his owners win
sirictness more than religious. Before the enc Oh
tho VOYAGE he became the object Of much COM
plaint apparently not only to the scientist anu
the artist OF the ship. but also TO the crew.
rhere were those among the latter who declared
that the Ralaena was the hungriest ship they ever
were aboard Of and that the currants In the
plumduff were further apart than the TWO ehds
Of Scotland They even took advantage OF his 40
sence to burn somebody in effigy Mr.. Burn Mur-
doch does not say whom. but the reader VIII ca
silly guess. He was never weary OF rei'eraVhe 'ne
fact that the Baaena was not sent on scieh-
teefc" expedition. He considered sketching on
Sunday an impious proceeding and he seems 10
have tumbled into the sea number OF specimens
which Dr. Bruce valued. Under such conditions
the pursuit Of anything except the mercantile ob-
iact NJ the VOYAGE was attended with difficulties.
Possibly all THIS WOulu nave Al ''' "'''
aim If the VOYAGE had been successful. But not
q single right whale was seen. Other wnales
there were by the hundreds. but they were prac-
tlcally worthless. Only two were taken by the
Baiaena. and these were of the botte-nose vari-
ety. Others known to the sailors as "fnners.
and 10 a Norwegian crew which was in the same
region as blue whales" and still others resem-
Hing the Pacific hunchback whale were seen
daily The "fnners' were nearly like the right
whale that mistakes were made several times by
men on the lookout. In some cases the animals
had apparently lost the little dorsal fin whicn
marks them, probably in contact with the Ice; ana
they had acquired the habit hitherto supposed 10
be peculiar to the right whale OF lying moionless
nm the surface Of the sea- The question is whether
or not Sir James Ross was deceived by these
traits in creatures which were undoubtedly farniI-
lar 10 him from his long experience in Arcuc
waters. The authors Of this volume do not pre-
tend to answer this query; but they urge the ne
cessity Of thoroughly scientific exploration OF
the Antarctic seas and coasts.
What seems to have struck them as most OBJ
viously distinctive of the South Polar region. as
compared with the Arctic scenery, was the vast
Tess OF the floating mountains OF Ice. In the
Arctic regions says DR.. Bruce, the bergs are
tall irregular and pinnaced; In the South they
are fat-topped They may be OF any length
We saw many three or four miles long. one
twelve miles long. and one floating island OF
ice thirty miles long. The usual height above
tie water Is about $50 feet. and their depth be-
meath the surface must be seven or eight times as
great as this" Most OF the crew were familiar
with the icy regions Of the North. but they were
unable to control their amazement at the sight
OF these enormous masses They had been used to
estimating a berg mile long as something huge
The horizontal dimensions dwarfed the height OF
the bergs and ice cliff eight miles long by
100 fe<o In height was not particularly i'm
pressive. THE most imposing effect have yet
seen" adds Mr.. Burn Murdoch, was n mere
chip of one Of these bergs: II loomed out OF a
Ia az mis- nd rhad IT,