The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1899-10-13
LOOKING FOR SOUTH POLE.
CRUISE OF THE HELG1CA LAST
WINTER.
Complete Report Of Captain De Ger
lache, Which Has Just Been Made
Public by the Geographical Society.

The preliminary report of the Bel
gian Antarctic expedition of 1879 has
just been published by the Belgian Roy
al Geographical Society From an alb
straCt i'm the National Geographical
Magazine the following paragraphs are
extracted:
after leaving Punta Arenas, Decem-
Der IA, 1891 the BelgiCa kept on south
ward, and reached Hughes bay Janu-
airy "a.
- and soon made out In the distance
Alexander l. land, but as an impene-
trable ice foe prevented an approach,
changed their course to the west. Two
weeks later, when at 20 degrees, 20
minutes south by IS degrees west, vio-
lent northeast wind opened up deep
channels in the pack, so that, although
the season was very far advanced, the
occasion seemed favorable to continue
on toward the south: The dangers or
winter in the Antarctic zone were EVIL
dent, but, on the other hand, II caught
in the ice and unable to regain the open
sea, they might drift to a high latitude
and perhaps winter near new lands. ON
March Sd, seeing the absolute impOssi-
bility of continuing farther, they put
the helm about and during the few fol-
lowing days drifted seven or eight miles
in the midst of a compact mass of ice.
BY March 10 the Belgica was complete
ly blocked, as the cakes of ice which
surrounded her had welded together and
formed an impenetrable field.
Beginning with the latter half of the
month of March the cold became very
sharp because of the winds from the
south. The aspect of the pack
changed. continually: though for the
most part very compact, at times great
gaps and channels would open and eN-
tend for miles, but the ship, imprisoned
in a wall of ice, could not gain them.
BY May 80 they had drifted to latitude
Il degrees, SO minutes by 81 degrees, IS
minutes, apparently the farthest point
south gained by the expedition. During
the winter snow storms frequently
made all work out of doors impossible;
also the treacherOuS character of the
ice foe and the violence of the gusts of
wind prevented any long excursion up
on the ice. The sun set on May Il and
did not rise again until July "a The
seals and penguins, without ever being
very numerous in the immediate neigh
borhoOd of the vessel, constituted the
main part of the crews fare during the
last months of winter and this fresh
food not a little contributed to MAIN
tain their excellent health, which, eX-
cept during the polar night, was eX
cellent.
I'm October 1898, an outlet opened
about 600 meters distant, but immedi-
ately around the ship the foe continued
unbroken. AS summer was passing
very quickly and second winter SEEM
uary, 1899, Captain De Gerlache deter
! mined to dig a canal to this outlet. The
| measurements made by the sounding
| line indicated an average thickness Of
! ice of l meter, but around the vessel it
| exceeded meters. Something like $500
TO nh 10 Of inn nN-nn
waited, and this work, In which every
one took part, lasted for three weeks.
BY February there only remained the
blocks Immediately adjacent to the Bel
! gica, but the pressure increased; the
/ canal Just completed contracted. and at
the same time the outlet in which it
ended closed up. Eleven days later,
however, the pack opened sufficiently
for them to advance fifteen or sixteen
! miles toward the north, when they were
again blocked. But the dark sky in the
north and the perceptible swelling Of
the sea were sure signs that in this di-
rectiOn there was a grand eXpanse or
water, and perhaps the open sea- Dur
ing the winter the Belgica had only once
suffered dangerous pressure; only for
a few moments had she ever been IN
danger but now, continually battered
by the great blocks of ice wedged
against her by the swelling sea, the lit
tie vessel was in a very dangerous sit
uation Fortunately, the pack opened
again March IA, and this time they We're
able to gain the open sea and return to
Punta Arenas.
Captain De Gerlache concludes his
report as follows: Upon our escape
from the pack, we We're about 1903 de-
grees west longitude, so that the gen.
eral drift was found to be IS degrees
toward the west by about 20 degrees, 81
minutes average latitude. We had seer
no signs of the land given in the chart;
at 20 degrees south and 100 degrees
west. 1t is Furthermore worthy of re.
mark that our drifting, which was al.
most as rapid toward the south before
the north wind as it had been TOWARD
the north before the south wind, as wei
as the soundings which We made when.
ever the weather permitted, carries sew.
eral degrees toward the south the hypo
thetical contours of the austral cont
nent in that part of the Antarctic zone
During this winter, the first that ha!
been passed in the midst of austral ice
We We're able to conduct satisfactory
magnetic operations, to form an i'm
pOrtant series of meteorological polal
obsarvat ions, and to make good colec
ton of specimens of pelagic and abyssa
fauna, as well as of specimens of sub
marine 6apOSit -