The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-08-08
ANTARCTIC EXPLORATION.
4 BELGIAN EXPOSITION TO START
SOUTHWARK SOON.
Earlier Voyages, Their object and
ResuIts-A DesoIate FrigId Zone.

The Magnetic Pole to BE Studied.
Earlier Voyages, Their object and
ResuIts-A DesOlate Frigid Zone.
From the New York Tribune
The British Associa ton for the Advance
ment Of Science some time ago appointed
a committee, among Its members being
Sir Leopold McCliEteck and Sir George
Mares. for the purpose of drawing atten-
ton TO the desirability of an expedition to
the 'Antarc;ic, the region regarded as "the
land of mystery and wonder" a region.
covering an area of eight million square
miles, and altogether terra incognita.
Not as the outcome OF any report from
this British committee but as a result of
interest stirred up among the Belgians,
who believe that the Antarctic continent is
of sufficient Importance to pay for the
trouble, expense and danger involved,
fund of 10000 francs $4,000 has been
raised and on July % the Belgiea,
steam whaling vessel especially built for
naviga ton among ice-packs, icefoes and
icebergs, will sail from Antwerp with the
expedition. The commander Of the explor-
ing party is Capt. Adrien de Gerlache and
the other members will comprise two lieu
tenants Zone of them NJ. LecOinte, who
served in the French navy, two engineers,
a sailing-master carpenter two harpoon-
ers, twelve sailors, two strokers. a cook
and a steward
The exploring party expects to reach
Graham Land about the middle of Octo-
Der, the beginning of the fiue aus,ral sea-
SON Graham Land lies between So degrees
and s. degrees south latitude and longi-
tude 81 degrees to s. degrees west, and
was discovered by Briscoe in 1882. He is
credited with being the first explorer to
set foot on the Antarctic continent. The
party will can al the Canary Islands and
Rio Janeiro Brazil, and VII also stop
at the Falkland Islands, opposite the east
ern end of the Magellan Straishts, to re-
plcuish the stores. Thence the expedition
will sail for the Antarctic ocean, pushing
as far as possible toward the south. When
the hard weather begins to set in, as 1t
usually does in March, the vessel will
return to Melbourne, fill up with the nee
essary stores. and in due tine start south
again toward Victoria Land, in latitude
20 degrees to 70 degrees south, and lOngl-
tude 1853 degrees east. This is the land dis
covered by the Sir James Ross eXpedi-
ton, on which are the towering volcanoes,
this point the eXped ton VIII begin obserV-
ations for the austral magnetic pole.
Those who have given Antarctic eXplora-
tons much scientific study have declared
that a single vessel cannot safely venture
upon explorations in the Antarctic circle,
for, if a serious accident should occur,
there would be very little chance that a
soul would escape. Ice-imprisoned or ship
wrecked explorers there could have little
| hope of retreatiug safely TO inhabited is
lands, as Arctic travellers have done, for
the nearest places where human beings
can be found are at Terra del Fuego and
Patagonia, on the Magellan Straits shores,
No man ever wintered on the Antarctic
continent and no quadruped, like the bear
and the wolf and the musk x of the Arc
tic lives in this frigid zone.
Almost everybody has heard something
/ concerning the North Pole, however vague
may be the impression produced by the
/ term No one has ever seen the North
J Pole, and the latest data from there are
| by Nanseu, who maintains that the pole
| is situated in a region of perpetual ice.
/ But how many know even so much as this
/ concerning the South Poe. No one will dis
| pute that there is a South Pole, the ex-
/ treme end Of the axis of the earth; a
/ point having the maximum of south lat-
/ tude. the very opposite of the North Pole,
] but having the same existing conditions,
/ except that those which would be OBJ
/ served in December at the North Pole
| would be observed in June at the South
| Pole. The midnight sun of July at the
/ north would take place in the Antarctic
/ in January. The old geographers had a
| notion that in order 10 balance the conti-
nents of the northern ATTITUDES there
| should likewise be continents in the Ant
| arctic; hence, occasional voyages have
been made in the hope of discovering
/ stretches Of land, and voyages have also
/ been made for observation other than de-
| termining the terrestrial pole. e. to
study the magnetic pole, where it is, when
/ it changes, why it changes and the varia-
| ton Of changes
! 1t was about 800 years ago that Juan
\ Fernandez discovered what is now claims
! ed 20 New Zealand; but that is fully 1900
miles from the pole. Other expeditions of
corresponding character followed at in
! tervals but the first 20 penetrate within
| or southwark Of the Antarctic circle with
/ an avowed purpose of fathoming its mys-
/ teries was the renowned Capt. Cook. Then
/ followed Wedden Briscoe and others, the
! former reaching the latitude of "a degrees,
/ which was further south than any of his
/ predecessors, and less than a thousand
miles from the south pole. Then came the
American expedition under the command
/ Of Lieut.. Charles Wilkes OF the navy In
\ 1857. The ships Vincennes and Peacock
\ were placed at his disposal. with instruc-
/ tons TO push as far south as possible,
/ and look out for new lands" The por-
| poise, Sea Gull and the Flying Fish later
| Joined IN the expedition, and during four
/ years much ocean was explored for the
/ first time, but there We're very few valua.
/ BILE results. The Sea Gull met with dlsas-
/ ter somewhere and was never more heard
I Of Lieut. Wilkes claimed to have dis
covered an Antarctic continent, but II
| proved to be Adele Land. which had been
| discovered and plotted a little while be-
| fore by D'UVile's expedition. This lat
/ ter expedition was organized about the
same time as that Of Wilkes, Louis Phil
/ ippe IN 1887, dispatching Admiral Dumont
! D'Urvile with the corvettes Astrolabe and
| Zelce During a series OF three years OF
/ voyaglng many Islands were discovered,
/ Including Louis philippe's Land and Adele
/ Land (named after u Urville's wifol.
| Next came che memorable expedition OF
\ Sir John Ross an expedition NOT so much
! 20 discover new lands as TO obtain infor-
/ nation concerning the south magnetic
| pole-a matter which the British Assocla-