Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-06-08
THE |
SOUTH
POLE ;

from the naval class or merchant ma
rine already built aud refltted for their
special service,
The Discovery, however, is the sixth
of her name to engage In polar voyages
She Is exceptionally strong, built OF
seasoned oak, liz feet long, 80 broad
and with a displacement OF 1,75O tons
The total cost OF the expedition Is estI-
mated at 100000, Of which amount the
British government contributes less
than half. She was launched from the
same shipyards in Dundee, Scotland. In
which the whalers for the Baldwin
zlegler expedition are being refitted
The captain OF the Discovery Is Com
mander r. +. Scott, and the head OF the
scientific staff Is Professor ]. w. Greg
DRY, now holding the chair of geology
in the Melbourne university, Australia
from which point the final start will be
made. The ship will be provisioned for
three years, and the German vessel for
the same time, though equipped for
two years. The German ship has just
been built at Kel and resembles the
celebrated Fran. although said TO be a
better sea boat. She will sail under the
leadership OF Professor Erik Won Dry
galskl for Cape Town, Africa, thence
for the little known Kerguelln Island
where O party Will be left for scientific
observation, the main company pro-
ceedng to Victoria Land for winter
quarters. Full results are not expected
from these two expeditions until the
summer OF 1908 or 1904, though partial
reports may be sent out before the va.
rious parties are picked up and brought
home.
A third antarctic expedition Is Swe-
dish, led by Dr. Otto Eordenskjold,
nephew of the famous explorer OF that
name who, first of ali arctic voyagers,
accomplished the northeast passage"
In the Vega. 1882. His vessel will be
renovated whaler. the Antarctic, and
the total cost of his expedition is put at
less than $4,000, He purposes to reach
the antarctics via TERRA del Fuego and
the Falkland isles and utilize the ant
arctic summer months, which will be
those OF the northern winter. All three
expeditions are commanded by expe-
rienced men and take out full corps Of
scientists, so that their reports Will be
awaited with reasonable expectation
of valuable results.
Hitherto the greatest efforts OF ex-
plorers have been directed toward the
arctics as they are more accessible
from centers Of population and outfit
ting stations. They are also inhabited,
while the antarctics are uninhabited,
and while their flora and fauna are
similar in general features and the wa
ters Of the latter abound in animal life,
the southern land masses have no such
means of sustenance as the polar bear.
the musk OK, etc, which are found far
up in the higher attitudes.
In the preliminary voyages toward ell
ther pole the distance to be covered by
the arctic explorers will not be more
than three-fourths, generally speaking,
of that necessary for reaching the ant
arctlcs, The former regions have been
longer known, even as the Atlantic was
navigated long before the Pacific was
discovered. II was the famous Captain
Cook who discovered the southern re-
gion, in 1875, on his second voyage cir
cumnavigating the globe in the vicinity
of the antarctic circle Nearly 80 years
later another British navigator, Wad-