Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-07-13
NEW ANTARCTIC TERRITORY
WONDERFUL DISCOVERIES MADE BY
THE BeLGlCAS PARTY.
The Expedition Penetrated Farther
south Than Any Othrr Except Two
in Fifty-eight Years.

Equipped by Belgium at an expense Of
$4,000. the Bc!giCa LETT Antwerp on july
-. 1897, to enter on her Antarctic eXpcdi-
ton in quest of the south polo. The YES
sci, originally whaler, was rcttcd t.
10 sist ice pressure Gu the plans of DI
Nans"n's Fran. In the equipment of the
B"lgica was captive balloon, to iacii-
tate observations and surveys. Carr
pigeons were taken. one of which subsc-
uucntly brought back word f.um the Be-
gica in January. 1888. The crew consisted
Of two ma"hiuists, one sailing master, enc
carpenter, two harpoonels, twelve Saiiuls.
two stokors a cook and a steward. The
scientific staff included a geologist mo-
toorologist, an expert drodgor and a phys
iciln
1T was the aim of the expedition to make
a thorough scientific survey of the re-
Gious traVcrscd. The Royal Belgian Coo
graphical society has received report
from Lieutenant de Gerlachc, commander
OF the Bolgica "Xpcditicn, ou the year and
two months spent i'm Antarctic waters.
Starting on July If. lN9S, from Staten Is
land. at the southeast end of Terra A'l
rucCo, seven soundiugs were made rs
the Eclgica crossed the 30 miles of waters
to the South Shetland Islands and tho
greatest depth attained was 1921 feet.
Tho comparative shalloWnoss of these
waters had previously been. ascortain,d.
a wide submarine plateau connects the
southern end of the American mainland
with the Islands visited by the Bclgica.
ca JAM Il a week after leaving South
America, the Bclgicl entered Brantold
Strait, which separates the South Shot
land Islands from the larger land masses
known as Trinity, Palmer and Graham
Lands to the south. and steamed wrsi
through the strait to Low Island. 1t WAS
while crossing southeast from Low Island
10 Iiughes's Gulf. Palmer Land. that Dr
Gcrluchc saw what hc reports as a pos
sble discovery of land. He says he found
narrow strait separating the 'tcrrcs de
FEST" CirinitY Land from an important
archipelago, watch he Professionally Imcd
, the Palmer Archipelago. In view Of TN"
visits to these regions of Bcllingschauson
I:iScoc d'Urvillo, Dolmau and number IF
British and american whalcrs. it )
. strange if the Bc,gicd has brought tn Eight
new land locth Of and near To the lar2c
land mass
In the three following weeks Jan. -
to Feb. f. about twenty handbags Weie
made oil The Islands Of Palmer Arch,pcla-
20 and Tho r0tSt On the nth sid" of the
. Ilrrow strait, and these weeks were very
fruitful in collections. The IUOlpgist Al
RacOvitzl. discovered specimens Of new
Kind Of podurollo and q species Of diptoF-
. Gus o. two-WnGod insect, besides many
specimens Of minute organisms. all rcptc-
sautatiVcS of a terrestrial Ant trCtiC fauN,t
hitherto unknown. He also collect Il
mo>scs. lich"nS and grasses ara m al
, notes on TN" pcuguins, cormorants and
, many othoc kinds If birds that were sr'n
in large numbers. Mr.. Loconite determ IL
I'd the geographical position OF numh''
, of points. Lieutenant Dance determined
: the magnetic clements wherever he was
able t. land his Instruments. Dr. Cook
, Of BROOKLYN took many photographs Of
tho picturesque coasts. and Lieut. nant de
. ticr.ache speaks in high terms Of the value
Of this work, which is a fne and faithful
. representation of the aspects Of part #
, this coastluo, the longest yet known i'm
the South Polar regions except in Nictoi
land Mr.. ArctOWSki collected specimens
. illustrating the geology.
ON Feb. - the Sclcca madp her way
, westward into the ocean and turned
i south. \ heavy fog prevailed until tn,
10th ana prevented observations that
might otherwise have h,"n imcng tn,
Il most interesting of ne journey. Tho Bis
= Coc Isl inds. ext tndug for some SIKH
miles southwesterly, were not visible ano
- of course nothing was seen of the west
- coast Of German Lana, not yet outlti"o
D on the map. though it - known To be h-r-
u dcrod by mountains. The 18th was bright
: and sunny, and Alexander |. Land was
g visible at 4 distance, but wide ice mel
: prevented approach to it. The fog prevent
- cd the expedition from solving TWO inter
Csting qurStiOns-the determination OF the
west coast line of Graham Land and tho
, problem wncther AloX ,ndor |. Land is Isl
: lated or is "A part of Graham Land. Th,
IA great desire. however, was to enter ih'
unEonwn area to the south, ana so ih'
lclpica turned to tho southNe vest, sllirte'
II the edge of ,ha foe ice and on Feb. ~. il
3, S. degrees west longitude attained 20 dc
"A grccS % minutes south latitude. she hl'
= passod into the ,meXpored area which
- notVcc,l the NOth and 16Oth meridianS. W, :
y Is bounded on the north. for the mos
t mart bv the 60th to the 10Th parallel. :
Y ralc from the northeast had made NV,
q wide brecchcs in the Zoe ice. and the Bel
= rica nushed in making her way withou
A, ,1iOic,iItv 40 Il degrees "a minutes south
and II degrees Il minutes west on Marcl
# The vessel could not gain another foo
A south and so she VAS nut atcut. aud 70
:, a wool, made seven to eight miles a ia,
D., IA tbe no.rb i'm very COMPACT ice
a ON March 10 she was froz, a i'm solid tn
Ace field prohablv extending sixty to sew
II onty miles north of her Preparation