The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1901-08-19

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tiers may be established and scientific ex-
periments carried on. Meantime. inu4. Adual
members of the expedition Wa. journey
further couth, toward the pole. more par
ticularly toward .ne magnetic pole. After
wintering the main expedition will con-
tinue its journey westward and attempt to
get south of Kemp and Enderby islands.
then sail across the Weddel sea to South
Georgia. and eventually to Tristan de Cum
ha, where the voyage will practically ter
inmate.
The Swedish Expedition.
The third Antartic expedition goes from
Sweden, and Is under the leadership of DR..
Otto Nordenskjold, of Upsala university.
He is a nephew Of the famous discoverer Of
! the Northwest Passage. and has u4stin-
guished himself by his expeditions to Terra
del Feug0, Alaska and Greenland.
The vessel of this Swedish expe1. ion,
which has been equipped at Gothenberg. at
a cost of 5000, LAS had a strange history.
SAe was built some years ago at Sandef-
jord. the Norwegian Dundee. in an attempt
to revive the old sperm whaling industry
| in Antarlic seas. The scheme was fall
| ure, and the vessel succeeded in securing
but one whale. She was afterward used
as whaler OF the Greenland coast, and
was then purchased by Professor Nat
horst. and famous Swedish Attic explorer,
who accompanied Baron NOrdenSkjold on
| the Verga's famous journey round Europe
and asia.
/ Professor Nathorst also used the vessel
in vain search for Anrde. 4Aiterward she
was employed in Greenland at the expense
of the Danish government. by Lieutenant
Amdrup. DIR. Nodrenskjold ,Aen bought
her from Denmark. 1t is the latter's tnten
ton to institute another search for Andre,
and tnen sail southwark for the more diff
cult Antartic regions.
| DIR. Nordenskjo!d proposes to sail to
the Antartic region via Terra del Fuego
he will go southwark in January. At the
| beginning of March, when the days be-
gin to shorten in the Antartic region, he
will gradually retreat northward and at
tempt to reach a station. where he and the
scientific party. with their hands. will win
ter. while the Antarctic proceeds on a voy-
age of research in the ice free waters
around Terra del Fuego and the Falkland
| Islands.
In the following spring the members left
on the Antarctic continent wfii be taken
away and the vessel will sail for home.
Besides the leader the expedition Is COM
| posed of six savans, geologist, two biolO-
gists and two experts in hydrograpAcal,
magnetic, meteorological and geographical
sciences; q surgeon, fifteen hands, the cap
tain Of the ship and four officers complete
the expedition.
The exped4.lon will act in harmony with
and be a support to the British and Ger
man ones. DIR. Nordenskjold has for some
years been engaged in planning this Ant
arctic expedition. and has naturally derived
great benefit from the experiences Of his
famous uncle in this task.
The feeling of friendly rivalry and the
willingness to cooperate among these three
welequipped expeditions argues we'll for
the interests of science and of mankind at
large. In order to wrest from the Antarc-
| tic the secrets which have been held so
! long a Gordon of vessels Is required, all CO.
operating and co-ordinating their observa-
tions. and there is ample work for all.
Interesting Antarctic Questions.
| A number of interesting questions. inter-
esting not only to the scentis., but to peo-
pie in general, can be set at rest by sue
! cessful antarctic research. The answers
| to such questions would be a great advance
in the philosophy of terrestrial science. Is
there land at the South Pole or water, and.
if land, is it populated? Has the geology
of the land anywhere to say on .ne point
! whether a mi. c44mate has existed at the
South Pole in ages long ago. TACT which
has been abundantly proved so far as the
North Pole is concerned?
| In the northern hemisphere there Is q
polarsea almost completely surrounded by
continental land, and continental condi-
tons for the most part prevail. In the
| southern hemisphere on the other hand,
according to the best authorities, there Is
Pole, which Is completely surrounded by
the ocean. These briefly are the funda-
mental typographical differences between
the Arctic and Antarctic. In the Antarctic
circle land has been sighted at numerous
points, but whether what has been seen
indicates small islands or a continuous
coast line remains to be tested. The great
Antarctic continent hidden by ice barriers
and seas perpetually tortured by hurricane
blasts may not yet have been trod by the
foot of man, save only If natives inhablt
that land of mystery.
| Every department of natural knowledge
would, indeed, be enriched by the syste-
matte observations Of few vessels clos
ing upon the southern extremity. A more
accurate knowledge of meteorological con.
d.. .ons in the Antarctic, for instance, would
aid greatly In forming correct weather
representations, and the weather to come
is naturally an absorbing question for all
civilized men. Scientists also wish to know
how the compass acts at or-near the South
Pole. For the present important work con-
nected with the subject of terrestrial mag
netism remains at standsl... because our
poiar observations are not complete. When
they are lne causes of TIE SlighL but dam
gerous deviations in the mariners compass
will be known, and dealt with accordingly
Our knowledge of oceanic currents and
tides can be greatly increased by syste-
mauc series of observations on tine shores
of the Antarctic continent, and geo. ogy
zoology anu kindred sciences would rear
large benefits rom Antarctic research
New lork " Or.~.