The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-07-28
BRITISH ANTARCTIC VOYAGE.
lieut.. shackIctOn 20 Make Min Edward
VII. Land isis Base.

A@~e
The Britsh Antarctic expedition will be
the first of the enterprises now preparing
to reoccupy that field Of exploration.
Lieut.. u. II. Shackleton OF the British navy,
with twenty EIGHT men in his party. will
start on the long voyage about the end
of July. The Newfoundland sealing steamer
Nimrod. Of 2JO net tonnage and capable
Of carrying 300 tons Of coal in addition to
all supplies. was purchased for the ex-
pedition. The little vessel will reach
Lyttelton, New Zealand. about the middle
Of October.
All voyages made TO the part OF the
Antarctic south Of New Zealand, while
the Discovery expedition was spending
two years ut Victoria Land. showed that
the ice conditions are more favorable
late in the Antarctic summer. The Nimrod.
therefore, will not leave New Zealand
until the first week in January. and it ex-
poets to fnd the pack ice far south dis
persed by the end Of hat month. About
the first Of February. next year. 1t is
hoped to reach King Edward VII. Land.
which will be the winter headquarters OF
the expedition.
The selection Of King Edward VII. Land
as a base Is an important change from
Shackleton's programme as first announced.
He then proposed to return to his old
stamping ground at Victoria Land and
endeavor to reach the South Pole by a
sledge journey across its mighty icecap.
He has finally decided to make his base
Camp ut King Edward VII. Land. about
400 miles Il the east. His decision will be
heartily approved by polar students be-
cause the land itself is almost nknow
md there in a chance for a large amount
OF geographical discovery in hat region.
King Edward VII. Land was brought
into view by the Discovery expedition in
1902. No one has landed on it. and no idea
has been formed Of its extent. It's exist
ence was betrayed, Ions before il was seen,
by the ~soundings that becokened the
neighborhood of land. Then the explorers
saw a coast line stretching unknown miles
away, a plain running far inland to the
base of ranges of hills and snow covered
ridges interpreted with sharp peaks 1000
or 5000 feet high. Here Scott saw the
largest iceberg he met-about seven miles
long and 200 feet high. h fragments
of volcanic and gneissic rock found on a
neighboring iceberg indicate that the land
is partly Of volcanic and partly Of CONT
mental origin.
Only twelve men will be put ashore on
this unknown land, and then the Nimrod
VIII sIsAUl away 70 cukdBo ctbhb
nine months in a magnetic survey between
Australia and Africa. The camp OF the
explorers will be about $50 nautical miles
from the south pole, and Shackleton will
try to reach il. Besides his picked dogs
from the far northwest OF Canada he will
land twelve Siberian ponies and a specially
constructed automobile.
OF course IL would be ridiculous to think
of using a motor car in such terrible ice as
Peary encountered in the Arctic. but that
is not the inc Of ice that ~Shackleton ex-
poets to meet. The northern coast OF
King Edward VII. Land Is right in line
with the Great Ice Barrier, which Is the
front of a vast expanse OF level glacier ice
afioat or grounded in the shallow sea. IL
seems to be almost as level as a floor, ex-
oept in the ~neighborhood of land. Scott
crossed IL to the southwark for hundreds
of miles. and no one has any idea OF its
limits. Perhaps IL leads to the pole itself;
at any rate il extends far south, and on its
level surface Shackleton may be able to
make his automobile useful.
Fiala found that Siberian ponies may be
utilized to some extent in the Arctic, where
thefr hardness and strength were turned
to good account.
The larger features of the work will be the
| Journey to or toward the south pole and the
effort to discover the nature Of King Ed
ward VII. Land. IL may be an island or n
part of the continental mass. Perhaps a
long coast line bending far to the south
connects it with Victoria Land.