The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1903-09-12

HmmaHGnmG Me4uAtEs
Railoon aseants for military recon-
noisganCe are common enough. Some
CAV they viii Be extensively employed
for veographicaI exploration, perhaps
'TbeTa IL talk Of using captive airships
for enabling tourists TO view Alpine
scenery easily. but for polar research
they have thus far been practically
osvieeted. Poor Andree hoped that In
s free balloon he might drift steadily
northward from SpitEbergen several
hundred miles, but he paid for that
error with his life. The trial which
vas made in the Antarctic seas from
the British ship Discovery Is practt-
csllv unique ID the annals Of aero
nautics. Never before was q success
fuI ascent made under similar condt-
tons says the New York Tribune.
Leaving Lyttleton, New Zealand,
inst before the close Of 1901, the Brit
lab expedition pushed STEADILY south
ward. heading for Cape Adair. The Ice
lbarrier which skirts the Antarctic con-
tinent extends almost continuously
along the ~sixty-hfth or sixty-sixth par
alleI Of south latitude. By far the
most remarkable break In the coast
line occurs to the southeastward OF
Australia. There is an enormous re-
cess, 500 or 500 miles deep, and fully
as wide, called McMurdo bay. Along
its western shore lies Victoria Land.
It's eastern boundary is poorly defined.
and is represented only vaguely by ice.
The southern side is almost straight
and extends eastward and westward
fairly close to the ssveRty-eighth par
allel OF latitude.
Touching.frst at Cape AdaiT, Of the
northwestern corner Of the bay, Capt
Scott skirted Victoria Land and
reached the southwestern corner, near
the volcanoes Erebus and Terror.
Turning eastward on January 70, 1902,
he worked his way slowly along the
!. ice barrier, which for more than 500
. miles has a height Of from so to 40
/, feet. Apparently the ice had receded
) somewhat from the limits noted by
|, Sir James Ross, who eyIlored the
region in 1845. During the next few
> days Capt. Scott saw land OF to the
. eastward Of him which has eve be-
| fore been chartered, and also observed
that the ice barrier itself practically
, disappeared, and was replaced by slOp'
, ing ice, which doubtless covered land
a The barrier proper is a frozen pack, /.
! generally level in spite Of its rough
!, ness, and is thought To Overlie sea
, It was just after turning back aftel
n these observations toward Noun
4 Erebus that the balloon ascent wa
made. The ship was still under con
troll, the season corresponding to mid
t summer. An inlet through the Ice
which reached further southwark thai
q any other to which the Discovery cOult
4 penetrate, was now utilized to stud.
the land. Hydrogen, compressed ]
n cylinders and brought from home, wa
: used to initiate the gas bag. Owing {
the low temperature Of this region,
much greater quantity was require
! than would have been needed in ten
perate climates. The cable which hel
this floating observatory captive wa
$50 feet long. No satisfactory landin
place was discovered, but an admirab
u view Of the region was had. This o
Cured February A, 1902. Then Il
Discovery pushed on westward, four
q a satisfactory anchorage in MCMurC
strait, close to Mount Erebus, and {
March "a Dust after the autumn
equinox she was frozen in. Subs
quently Capt. Scott organized sled
y parties which explored the vicinity.
g The most important results Of Il
:. expedition up to the time the reli
le ship, Morning, left it last winter, we
b as follows:
First-Discovery Of new land ca
e Of MeMurdo bay.
Second-Discovery that Mounts 81
4 E bus and Terror are on a small islal
- and not the mainland.
Third-Finding good winter qua
Id tiers for a ship in south latitude III
n east longitude 166:42, with land clo
k by for a magnetic observatory.
Fourth-A record Of 90 degrees
hs low zero Fahrenheit.
Fifth-A sledge journey to 81;
m OUT atftudes-d-ebsarXation
land as far of as 1890, includi
peaks and mountain ranges $4,000 I
high.
Sixth-Evidence that the vast
ler covered plateau which reaches we
-ry ward from McMurdo bay is in so
places 5000 feet high.
SEVENTH large amount Of M
ny netic and biological and deep
sounding.
lch "