Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-03-16
The Bleak and Cheerless Region
Within the Antarctic Circle.
INTENSE COLD AND GREAT ICEBERGS
What is Known of This Little Ex-
pIored Section.
THE PROPOSED EXPEDITION


sailing vessels. will take the trouble to
| read some accounts of the storms and diff
culties which beset the navigators in that
great southern ocean, he may change his
plans. or at least modify them sufficiently
to substitute a steamer, or one which can
use steam when necessary.
CuriouSly, while this generation has
heard SO much about arctic exploration
that the north polar country is quite
familiar one to them, the antarctic regions
are still as much an unknown part of the
world as when referred to by the writers
of the last century Terra Australia
Incognita." The reports of terrific storms,
enormous and dangerous icebergs, and inn
peretrable. ice walls, given by the few who
have ventured into the almost unknown
regions of the far south. are appalling.
An attempt to invade the South sea and
the mysterious island at its center Is now
to be undertaken from the same point of
land from which the very first exploring
expedition moved southwark, and by man
with the same name as that of the one
who first demonstrated that the southern
ocean extended completely around the pole.
The first expedition to the south polar
regions was fitted out by the governor of
Peru in 1867, who sent his nephew on a
voyage of discovery from Cape Horn. The
first man to discover that the Southern
ocean was in fact the great body of wa
ter of the world, extending entirely around
the south pole and having the Atlantic
Pacific and Indian oceans as Its arms, was
Capt. Cook, who sailed from the Cape or
Good Hope in 1773. The most successful
explorer Of this difficult region was Capt.
Ross, who sailed from the southernmost
point of Australia in 1910.
The Nearest Point.
So it will be seen that this mysterious
and dangerous waste of waters has been
invaded from the three points of land most
nearly approaching 1t, the southern tips d
Africa, Australia and South America The
| southern point of South America extends
nearest to the mysterious island, or CONT
nent, which is supposed to occupy the cen
| ter of this southern ocean. From Cape
| Horn, South America, to Graham's Land,
which Is supposed to be on the mainland
| of the Antarctic continent, the distance is
but little over GOO miles due south. From
| the Cape of Good Hope. southern Africa,
due south to Enderby's Land. supposed TO
be on the Antarctic continent, the dis
lance is about 1,S00 miles. From Australia
COR Tasmania) due south to Adele Land.
also supposed to be a part of this ice-bound
continent, Is about 300 miles.
The limits of the Antarctic continent. as
this terra incognita Is called. are supposed
to be nearly coincident with the Antarctic
circle. At Graham's Land. Just south of
South America, it extends about two and
one-half degrees outside of the Antarctic
circle. AT EnQerOyS Lana, SOutn OF SOutn-
ern Africa. 1t is nearly on the circle. At
Adele Land, south of Australia, 1t extends
outside of the circle short distance. From
what is known Of its shores. however. they
are extremely irregular. They are sur
rounded by lines of icebergs, which are
very dangerous to vessels. though those
who have invaded them successfully have
found peaceful waters not burdened with
ice within the circle which they draw
around this land. Passing through these
waters great bays or CULTS have been found
whose shores are lined with a perpendicu-
lar wall of ice hundreds of feet high and
hundreds of miles long, absolutely prevent
ing access to the interior, which appears
from the masthead to be a field of ice with
out vegetable or animal life save what
may visit 1t by way of the sea or air.
Various Voyages Made.
AS already indicated, the first attempt to
explore this region was by Governor de
Castro of Peru. in 1861. by sending his
nephew, Alvaro Modana, to search for the
Terra Australis Incognita," which was
supposed to surround the south pole. An
other expedition was sent from Peru in
1905. The first discovery of the continent
however. was by Capt. Dirk Gerritz, who
sailed from Rotterdam in a merchant YES
sci in 1899, and passing through the
Straits of Magellan was carried by storms
to about the point now known Ora
hams Land, which is the nearest point to
any of the other continents.
This discovery, however,was by accident,
and 1t was not until 1I13 that an organ
lied expedition set out, under that in
trepid English explorer. Capt Cook, pass
ing from the Cape of Good Hope south
ward. crossing the Antarctic circle, and
meeting with a fleet of icebergs, which
sent him quickly in the direction of New
Zealand. After resting there a time, he
again turned southwark. meeting another
line of icebergs, which he described as
looking like a range of high mountains.
They SO closely guarded the shore that he
In 1920 the Russians sent an expedition
under Bellinghausen, which discovered
nothing but a lot of icebergs and a couple
of small islands. In 1880 an English firm
sent vessels into the southern ocean to
hunt for whales. and these, sighting land
south of Africa, named 1t Enderby Land
after the owners of the vessels. The
dition. under D'Urville which discovered
land south Of Australia and called 1t Adele
Land.
A Wall of Ice.
In 1899, however. the English govern
ment fitted out two old bomb ships, the
Eretnls and Terror, and sent them, under
Capt. (Sir James, Ross. for three years
cruise. After wintering at Tasmania, off
the Australian coast, they made a dash
southwark, crossing the Antarctic circle,
passing through the chain of fcebergs
winch surround tne idnu, anu paSSluS lulO
quiet waters sailed on southwark. dscov-
ering land on which was range of noun
tains 10000 feet high and two volcanoes
one in a state of eruption, which he NAM
ed after his two vessels, the Erebus and
Terror. The land, however, was faced
with perpendicular wall of ice from $50
to 200 feet high, without an opening or
break through which the ambitious ex-
plorers could set foot on land. They sailed
along this icy wall. mile after mile and
day after day, until they had followed it
no less than $50 miles. without finding a
break which would permit them to land.
This wall of ice seems to have been pro-
| duced by the freezing of the water and
spray as the waves dashed against the
coast and then against the wall ITSELF and
was estimated by Capt Ross to be 1000
feet in thickness and 200 feet high Find
ing it impossible to land. Capt. Ross turn
ed northward, leaving the unknown land
still almost as much Of a mystery as
though 1t had not been seen by him. From
the mastheads. however, ne looked over
the icy wall. and saw that it was appar-
emily a rocky, volcanic country, without
the slightest appearance of vegetation of
any kind, or signs of animal life, except
that of penguins, which were very ahund-
ant. The land was most of 1t covered with
ice, and in the deep valley were enormous
rivers of ice slowly making their way to
the ocean