Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1902-02-25

Explorer Borchgrevink Tells Of
His Experience There.
EXCEEDED RECORD OF ALL OTHERS


In Spite Of Many Hardships, He IL
Anxious to Make Further Explors-
lions Of Unknown Land-Is Plan
ning Return Trip to the "Fsrthest
SOUTH"
Back from the frozen south, after
getting nearer to the pole by full 500
miles than any other man, G. e. Borch-
grevink, Norwegian explorer, arrived
in New York the other day on the
Etruria of the Cunard line and ex-
pressed his satisfaction by declaring
that it felt like getting home.
Although he and his associates have
just returned from year shut Off
from the rest of the world on bleak
continent, wind swept and devoid Of
vegetation and animal life, he is even
now planning for return to the far
south, not to break record, but to OBJ
tain information which he believes will
be Of great value to the scientific world.
When seen by reporter of the New
York Herald, Mr.. Borchgrevink was
comfortably at home at the Everett
House. Although only a few hours
ashore, he had unpacked his pictures
and was surrounded by the trophies Of
his long trip. Gazing at photograph
of limitless reach Of snow and ice, he
said:
mot even those adventurous souls
who have forced their way close to the
noy.h pole can conceive the dreariness
OF that great and uneXplOrable CONT
nent that stretches away through the
solid seas of the far south. 1t is fact
that the cold is much greater in the
south than in the north. ! will not at
tempt to explain why, although have
a theory OF my own.
1T was almost four years ago that l
completed preparations for the voyage
south. We arrived at the ice banks i'll
February, 1900. Ten of us landed our
stores and supplies and then sent the
ship Southern Cross back to remain
year in the waters about Australia.
When we took to our sledges we were
1000 miles southeast Of the Australian
archipelago. The Roaring Forties,"
the most terrible seas known to the
mariner had been safely navigated.
and we had then the frozen sea to
cross before reaching that mysterious
continent that has been named South
VictOrialand.
"Our party was made up of my sci
entitic staff of six, two Laplanders and
a Norwegian sailor. Our ninety sledge
dogs were all in good condition, and
we had food enough to last an indef.
mite period, so that l never thought of
failure There could be no failure, for
the reason that did not seek record.
No thought was given to previous eff
forts. We We're after results, and it
made no difference to us whether we
went farther south than any other men
had done or not. AS it happened, we
did beat all records, but that was the
least of our achievements. We OBJ
tanned information that more than
paid for the hardships that attended
the trip.
"Of course it has been known for
sixty years that great continent is at
the south pole, but of its physical char
acteristics not thing Is known. We
found that no mammals live there and
that the only form of vegetable life is
a lichen Of the same variety and
species that is found in the far north.
Seals are often found OH the coast
Of South Victorialand, but there is no
animal life inland. Penguins and a
few other migratory birds appear in
the spring and remain for about three
months. Some of the harder varieties
nest there, but all depart at the first
suggestion Of the coming of the in
tense cold. Spring comes in October
the end Of February there is return
of winter. and the change is terribly
sudden.
"The warmest weather saw brought
the thermometer up to just freezing.
In the winter it was "a degrees below
for days at time. For seventy-one
days we were in absolute darkness. A
gale continued without intermission
for almost that entire period, the wind
attaining velocity of more than 100
miles an hour 1t was not only i'm
possible to move about in the open air.
but difficult to exist under the most
circumstances.
1--WE struck the continent at Cape
Adare. Travelled south and set up the
hut which we had brought from Eng
land 500 miles farther south than was
reached by the party under Command
err Gerlach Of the Belgica. More than
that, we continued to the south until
we reached IS degrees so minutes,
south latitude, and the pole was only
800 miles farther on. We spent our
time during the dark days quarreling,
n nd I believe in MA rrnIinp under such