The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-07-11
GIANTS Of THE SOUTH
People the BeIgica Found in
Antarctic Regions.
CANNIBALS AND ROBBERS
They Wear Little Clothing,
Notwithstanding the Cold.
CANNIBALS AND ROBBERS

plorer who returned a week ago from the
south polar regions, brings back proofs
not only of the mysterious Antartic Con-
tinent and new archipelago. but also OF
an Antartic race Of giants that are the
biggest, strongest and most primitive
people IN the world.
The farthest south point of land ever
| photographed, made from one Of DR..
Cooks negatives, is the end Of Dance
Land. which the Belgica expedition dis
covered and named after the magnetidan,
Emile Dance. who died on the trip.
Dance Land is considered a part Of the
| great Antartic Continent, which has new
CT before been seen by human eyes. The
extremely southerly point is in latitude Go
| degrees 20 minutes south and longitude GA
degrees 10 minutes west.
This hitherto unknown Antartic coast
is surprisingly grand in its aspect. Its
cliff and mountains rise to two or three
thousand feet perpendicularly from the
waters edge. This majestic range of
mountains is covered with glaciers and
snow fields of dazzling whiteness.
DR.. Cook and the other members of the
Pelgiac expedition made a dozen landings
on this preciuitous coast. They found that
there were places in it where habitatiOns
could be established. There are no hu-
man inhabitants on it, so far as the Bel
gica party could discover.
But Dr. Cook thinks that 1t could be
populated by transporting Eskimos there.
There is abundant food for sustaining hu-
man life. in the penguins and seals.
These animals and birds are much more
evenly distributed and easier to kill than
the polar bears, seal, otter and walrus
that the Eskimos of the Attic have to
depend upon.
Seals are found in such numbers in the
Antartic that DR.. Cook believes it would
be profitable to hunt them. These, how
ever, are the hair seals, and are not as
valuable as the fur seals Of the North
Pacific
Finback whales were also found in
abundance in the Antartic. American
whalers don't think much Of this variety.
but the Norwegians have a method Of
their own Of hunting them and ind Il
very profitable DR.. Cook believes that by
establishing whaling stations on Dance
Land or the neighboring Palmer Archi-
pelago whaling industry could be es-
tablished.
Opposite Dance Land the Belgica party
discovered a hitherto unknown group CT
forty or fifty islands. which they called
the Palmer Archipelago. One of the
largest of these islands DR.. Cook named
Brooklyn Island.
1t was Off Dance Land that the Belgica
first entered the Antartic ice pack. which
kept the ship a prisoner from February,
1SgS, to March, 1899. 1t was while in that
ice pack that the Belgica drifted 1000
miles between 20 and 72 degrees south
latitude, and from the SOth meridian OF
west longitude to the 1O3d meridian. How
the scientist improved that long period in
making magnetic and astronomical obser-
vations has already been told in the in
terviews with DR.. Cook printed inme-
diately after his arriI al last week.
1t was while in this dangerous ice pack,
also, that the position OF the magnetic
oSuth Pole was ascertained. 1t was found
to be in the open sea south Of Cape
Adair. The next Antartic expedition, DIR.
Cook thinks, will probably have no diff
Guilty in sailing right over that fascinat-
ing spot where the magnetic needle will
point directly downward.
But even more interesting than all these
things is the discovery OF the race of Ant
artic giants.
These are the cannibal giants OF the
island OF Terra del Fuego, south of Ma
gellan Straits and near the Antartic cir
Gle. Up to this time no travellers or ex-
plorers have been able to find out any
thing about tn dlieswph RyPfnortge,
thing about these wild people. Only va
que reports have come from sailors who
narrowly escaped shipwreck on that
bleak. fr,gid coast The very existence OF
such a race of polar giants has been dis
credited by scientists.
Expert as DR.. Cook Is in physiology and
anthropology, ne confesses that after
spending several months on the island
with these people they are as much a
puzzle TO him as at first.
They go practically naked in one Of the
coolest habiiable climates in the world,
these people have less hair upon their
bodies than We who live in the temperate
zone. and cover and even smother our
selves in clothes.
DR.. Cook thought that il might be that
there was a layer Of fatty substance I'M
der the skin of these people, as in the
case Of the Esquimaux, which helped .
resist the cold. He performed slight sur
g.cal operations upon them 10 test this
theory and found it wrong. There was
To more fat than on a man OF the tenn
perate zone; less in fact. for their hard
brown skin seemed 10 wrap up a mass Of
solid muscle and tendons
Their strength and endurance are re-
markable. The men can outrun any
horse on long stretch. They can cover
fifty miles in = few hours. To see a COM
pany OF these wild men crossing a plain
IS like seeing herd Of antelope skim over
the ground. Only their upright position,
with their scanty goats skins ying in the
wind and the fiouish Of their clubs and
bows and arrows shows that they are
men instead belonging 10 the lower ami
mas.
The women OF THIS singular race are
only little less tall and strong than the
men. In their frail brush huts they are
accustomed TO go entirely without cloth
ing. But this is not for the lack Of a GER
tain degree Of mOdesty and virtue In
deed virtue IS one OF the pronounced
qualities of the young women. They were
= little bashful about being photographed.
but not more 50 than New England
milkmaid.
But DR.. Cook. on his Anta-iic trip. not
only saw and talked with these curious
people, but took photographs OF them.
He says that they are so unlike any other
race Of men THAI they are physiological
puzzles.
We have always been accustomed TO