Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-02-17
FROM FROZEN SOUTH
Norwegian Explorer in the Ant
arctic Circle Returns From
the Far South.
He Got 500 Miles Nearer the
South Pole Than any
Previous Explorer.
Tells Of the Hardships, DANGERS
and Success OF the
Journey.

i n, Il
frozen south, after getting nearer Il
the pole by fully 500 miles than any
other man, C. L. Borchgrevinck. the
Norwegian explorer, arrived in Ne"
York yesterday on the Etruria, of the
Cunard line, and expressed his salts
faction by declaring that it felt like
getting home.
Altho he and his associates have just
returned from year shut off from the
rest of the world on a bleak continent
wind-swept and devoid of vegetation
and animal life. he is even now plan
ming for return to the far south-not
to break record, but to obtain infor-
nation which he believes will be OF
great value to the scientific world.
When seen yesterday Mr.. Borchgre-
vinck was comfortably at home at the
Everett House. Altho only a few hours
ashore he had unpacked his pictures
and was surrounded by the trophies OF
his long trip. Gazing at a photograph
of limitless reach of snow and ice he
said:
Not even those adventurous souls
who have forced their way close to the
north pole can conceive the dreariness
of that great and uneXplorable CONT
Eent that stretches away thru 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 attempt to
explain why, altho l have theory OF
my own.
1T was almost four years ago that
completed preparations for the voyage
south. We arrived at the ice banks in
February, 1899. Ten of us landed our
ship, Southern Cross. back to remain a
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 ter
rible 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 Victoria Land.
Our party was made up of my scien-
t!tic staff of six, two Laplanders and a
Norwegian sailor. Our ninety sledge
had food enough to last an indefinite
period, so that never thought of fall
ure. There could be no failure for the
reason that did not seek record. No
thought was given to previous efforts.
We We're after results, and it made no
difference to us whether we went far
Their south than any other man had
done or not. AS it happened we did beat
all records, but that was the least of
our achievements. We obtained infor-
nation that more than paid for the
hardships that attended the trip.
No Animal Life.
"Of course it has been known for six
ty years that great continent is at
the south pole, but of it's physical char
acteristics not thing was known. We
found that no animals live there, and
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 on the coast
Of South Victoria Land, but there is no
animal life inland. Penguins and few
other migratory birds appear in the
spring and remain about three months.
Some of the harder varieties nest here.
but all depart at the first suggestion or
the coming of the intense cold. Spring
comes in October; summer it at it's
best in December. At the end of Feb
ruary there is a 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 81 degrees below for
days at time. For seventy-one days
we We're in absolute darkness. A gale
continued without intermission for al
most that entire period. the wind at
tanning velocity of more than 100
miles an hour. 1t was not only impos-
sible to move about in the cold air. but
difficult to exist under the most favor
able circums tances.
Within 800 Miles Of the Pole.
1--WE struck the continent at Cape
Adare, travelled south, and set up the
hut, which we had brought from En-
gland, 500 miles farther south than was
reached by the party under Comman-
der 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 500
miles farther on.
I'VE spent our time during the dark
Gays quarreling, and / believe in quar-
reling under such circumstances. /
really fostered the quarrels. Our only
other recreation was reading. We had
a very fair library.
admiral James Ross in 1871 discov-
cred the great southern barrier, which
he said blocked all progress to the
Our party surmounted that
barrier, which rises 1000 feet above the
level. There we buried our
zoologist, Nicholas Hansen, who died of
beriberi on Oct. IA, 1899. His is the only
human body ever given sepulcher on
that continent. His is the grandest
ever raised to man, and the
wind sings a requiem over his grave as
1t does over no other In all this world"
Mr. Borchgrevinck is not deeply i'm
pressed with the achievements of Pro-
lessor Cook, of Brooklyn, who was with
the Belgica expedition. Referring to
that expedition he said Commander
Gerlach was a man of high attain
ments, but he likened Professor Cook
to sparrow soaring on an eagles
back.
Mr.. Wheeler Got Rid of His
Rheumatism.
During the winter of 1898 I was so
lame in my joints. in fact all over my
~. +bot could hardly hobhle