New-York tribune., 1903-03-27
EXPLORING ANT4RCTLCA.

4 variety of valuable information relative to
the geology. zoology and topography of the Ant
arctic regions has been secured by the British
expedition which started eighteen or twenty
months ago in the Discovery This has been
accomplished without the loss of the snip or
serious accident. although one seaman was
drowned and much suffering WAS endured by
one of the exploring parties sent out from the
vessel Such are the tidings brought to New
Zealand by the tender Morning: and, on the
whole, they are as satisfactory as could have
been expected The outcome OF the venture
might easily have been more unfortunate.
From the popular point Of view the most strik-
ing bit of news is that the commander of the
expedition, Captain Scott. with two companions.
succeeded in pushing further south than any
one else has in that hemisphere. For over half
q century Sir James ROsS's achievement was
unsurpassed He reached latitude 7S:10. BOrch-
grevink in 1S99-190O probably beat this by few
miles Upon his return to England he asserted
that he had reached the seventy ninth parallel.
Captain Scott reports going to latitude SOFT, or
nearly eighty geographical miles further than
the latter Had not the dogs which drew the
sledges Of the party died better record might
have been made. As Pearys Nansen and many
another explorer have learned, it is risky busi-
ness travelling over the ice when one must haul
emergency impels Il man to seek his base of
supplies with the utmost dispatch.
Captain Scott did not attain anything like SO
high latitude as has been reached in the
vicinity Of the other pole. Peary went to SALT,
Nansen to S614 and the navigator Of the
Abruzzi expedition to 1898. The fact that
much less pioneer work has been done in the
Antarctic regions partially accounts for this
difference. In some measure, too, it Is prob
ably attributable to the fact that advan-
! tageous choice of winter quarters cannot be
made in the Southern Hemisphere as in the
Northern. In the latter, under favorable cir
cuInstances suitable ship can be forced up
to latitude 50. At only one place in the former
does water extend beyond about latitude 40.
Everywhere except to the south and southeast
of New-Zealand there is q coast line or at least
an ice line, which is at that or a greater dis
tance from the Pole, and which has thus far
| proved tmpenetrable, Sir James Ross discOv-
cred, though, that at a point now known as
! Cape Adare the edge of the continent turned
| abruptly to the southwark, extending in that
| direction for several hundred miles, and then
| bent sharply again to the eastward. Even here
| the coast is guarded by an ice sheet nearly
| mile in width, which extends out from land and
makes access to any natural harbor difficult.
| One of the announcements now made about
this barrier is that it to he aioat, but its
continuity is 4 serious embarrassment. Ii spite
! Of that disadvantage the Discovery and her
| men have undoubtedly been able to 60 much
! further south here than any of the other three
| Antarctic expeditions now in the field will at
| other points
Some of the dispatches from NewZealand
mention Il balloon ascension for purposes Of OBJ
servation iii very high latitude. The incident
is more significant FOR its promise and sugges-
| tiveness than for any actual results secured.
| Owing to the weight OF the gas bag, It's ap-
| pendages and the plant for initiating It, the per
formance probably did not take place very far
| from the ship. No attempt was made, appar-
entity, to initiate Andree's fOolhardy attempt and
| to hberate the airship. Merely rs a captive It
| ought to have served the purposes OF recon
| no.ssance admirably. 1t is not unlikely that
| the example thus set will be followed by others
| When. however, aerial navigation has reached
such stage of development that a self-pro-
peIled machine can be kept alOft safely for q
| couple Of days polar research Will be revolu
tlontzed. Ten fifteen years, at least, will