Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1904-06-03
THE EXTREME SOUTH.

A Desolate Region Inhabited by Seals
and seasuIIs.
The Antarctic exploring ship Discov-
cry arrived at Lyttleton on Good Fri
day. after an absence Of two years.
During the last year some anxiety was
felt about her, and after little delay
two relief ships were fitted out at
great expense.
These vessels, the Morning and the
Terra Nova, found the Discovery OH
January firmly imbedded in the Ice.
Explosives were used to free her and
ice saving was tried, with no result.
Then the relief ships tried butting the
ice.
The way Of 1t was thus: The ship
had to make way astern 300 or 400
yards. Then she would come up at full
speed-which with the Terra Nova is
eight knots-and butt at the ice.
The Discovery, it must be remem-
bered, had been no less than seventeen
miles from the open sea, so that there
was a big mass Of solid Ice to get
through before reaching her.
The results Of the butting were va
rious with the Terra Nova. Sometimes
half ships length would break away,
at other times not three yards.
Some days intervened before the ex-
pertinent was made again, and the op-
Grafton was helped by four men at the
wheel rolling the ship as she came on.
Then the poor little Morning tried,
but as the Discovery's men say, "she
cannot butt match box"
But at last only quarter OF a mile
was left, and by sheer determination
the captain got her through. The
Discovery,s men, who were watching
from the hill, declare that her last
shot was a fine sight. She broke the
ice like paper.
OF the work done during the year,
the reports have good deal to say.
For the first few weeks the crew
caught enough fish to supply them,
but as the winter began to close In
rapidly they occupied themselves with
catching seals and gulls for winter
food.
When April showed no chance Of
breaking up the Ice, preparations were
made to insure a certain amount OF
comfort during the long months to
come. The ship was dismantled and
the serious work Of exploring began.
The longest tour was that undertake
en- by Captain Scott, who led his par
ty to the southernmost land yet touch
ed. They had the most severe weather
to contend with, almost lost several
lives by men stepping over a preci-
pice into soft snow and finally were
brought to a standstill by a. terrible
blizzard.
The driving snow which fell cut into
the flesh where It touched it. When
the men ceased walking the contrac-
ton of the skin caused 1t to split and
gave severe pain.
They had taken light folding tents
Of silk, six feet in diameter, In and
out of which they crawled by means
Of a hole which, when they were tn'
was kept closed. They Warmed them
selves and cooked food by means Of
Primus lamps, and the brews Of tea
and cocoa were limited, since fuel had
to be carried.
The sledges were hauled by the men.
This was found most arduous.
After getting to height OF 1900
feet on the glacier, Captain Scott and
his men, in the teeth Of a driving
blizzard, crossed the one hundred and
eightieth meridian at the point fur
thest south yet reached in the history
Of the world. Then the compass was
pointing exactly the wrong way.
But the weather now became so severe
that the party was obliged to stop, and
the captain picked out two of his
strongest men, and they proceeded
alone on their journey. For nine days
they kept up, making latitude TT 81
min. south, and longitude 146o 33 min.
east to the summit Of Victoria Land,
which they ascertained to be a plain
of uniform height, 5000 feet above
sea level.
The geologist Of the party made
some important discoveries in the way
Of fossil plant life and pebbles, which
serve to show that at some past time
the climatic conditions Of this great
mass of land were considerably more
temperate than at present. These are
probably the only fossils yet found In
the Antarctic continent.
They were found on a sandstone
ledge in a carbonized land. apparently
carried there by torrential streams.
Undoubted glacier marks were found
at considerable height, and moraines
were found on Cape Royds at a
height Of $500 feet.
When Captain Scott returned to the
ship. after an absence Of 80 days, he
found work going on, the crew at
tempting to free the ship from Ice by
saving. She was seventeen miles
from open water and in Ice eight feet
thick. The best cut made was forty
feet in four hours; and as soon as
the cuts were made they were frozen
again, so that at last the work had to
be abandoned as useless.
Meantime, another expedition had
set out under Lieutenant Boyds and
Mr.. Biernacchi. They wished to ascer-
tain the extent Of the ice sheet and to
see II any land were In sight. The
meteorological conditions prevailing