The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-09-17
SOUTH POLAR EXPLORATION.
Proposed Belgian Expedition Under Cap
tain Adrien de Gerlache.

For centuries the south polar regions
have defled all efforts of man to penetrate
their mysteries-partly owing to their
natural features partly because no prop
erly organized scientific expedition, with
the exception of that Of Sir James Ross,
has ever been dispatched to those parts in
a suitable vessel for ice navigation, and
partly because they lie SO remote from the
inhabited world that public interest in
them has not been aroused to the extent
of enthusiasm which has enabled many
an explorer to penetrate the depths of the
frozen North, and add each rung to the
ladder of Arctic investigation. In 1772
Nj. de Kerguelen was sent from France
to discover land which had been reported
as seen away to the southeast of the Cape
of Good Hope. This he found, and pre-
sumed it to be a continent, but subse-
quently it proved to be but an island,
which now bears his name. During IVA,
Captain Cook crossed the list parallel of
south latitude, in longitude LOG degrees
"a minutes west, and traversed the South
ern seas to such an extent as to prove
that if continent existed it must lie
considerably within the Antartio Circle.
In 1923 Weddell penetrated nearly three
degrees further to the southwark, and
gave his name to the sea lying between
Graham's Land and Enderby Land, but
did not perceive any signs of a continent.
- 1S41 Sir James Riss in his we'll found
ships, discovered Victoria Land and its
adjacent islands, tracing the coast line
for 500 miles to the southwark, until
faced by mighty wall of ice which
barred all further progress, but which
was followed for 300 miles to the eastward
and westward. 8 In 1889 Wilkes saw an
appearance of land in latitude 10 degrees,
longitude 100 west, and in 1871, almost
simultaneously with d. Urville, discovered
what is now known rs Wilkes Land.
The celebrated voyage of the Challenger
added materially to the knowledge of
ocean depths, currents, temperature and
marine biology of the Southern seas; but
since that no reliable expedition has been
despatched to the Antarctic, and Ross S
expedition remains to the present day
tl.O OaO OA Wu1C1l OlC tutUIlC5 vi AuudFC-
tic research are mainly based.
During the past two years. while pub
lie attention has been devoted to North
Polar exploration. and renewal of An
tarctic exploration has been but spoken
Of, a Belgian South Polar expedition,
IL Expedition Antarctic Beige has
been quietly fitted out at Sandefjord,
Norway, under the able superintendent
of Captain Adrien de Gerlache, a clever
looking man of some 80 years of age, who
sing through the University at Brussels,
took to the sea and since 1885, has sailed
to various parts of the world, besides
snending two seasons in Arctic waters.
He has been captain since 1894, and in
tnls capacity will navigate the expedi-
tion's ship, Belgica, as well as take
charge of the expedition itself. The Sec
Lieutenant Dance of the Belgian artil-
lery, as one Of the scientific officers, will
superintend the magnetic and physical OBJ
'servauions. III. Rakovitza will accom-
pany the expedition as biologist, and M.
Arckowsky as chemist geologist and
oceanographer A surgeon will also join
the vessel. The ships complement con-
slsts OF twenty-five or twenty three men
all told, of whom six will be Norwegian
seamen-one as second mate.
me ship Belgica was built for the
whaling trade in 1884, which is in itself
sufficient guarantee of her stoutness and
fitness for ice navigation; but she has
been, nevertheless, further strengthened
and entirely refitted for her present in
tended purpose. She is a vessel Of 1853
tons, and has engines of thirty horse pow
er nominal, which drive her at a speed of
seven knots She is, besides, bark-rigged,
with large spread Of canvas, and gives
one the idea of being fast sailing, sea-
worthy vessel. The officers quarters,
messroom, kitchen and pantry are in a
spacious deokhouse aft, admirably venti-
lated. while the laboratory is situated in
a roomy deckhouse forward. The space
allotted to the crew is below deck for
ward. The cabin is large and airy, of