The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-05-01
rEE 0UEsr0F az sOUrR eoLE.
Although the Scotia Egiled, Science Gained
Greatly by Tier V0yage,

Greatly by Her VQyage.
TO rHE EDrroR or The suN-ar. Benz
a "canny Scot" myself | was Induced BY IN ,
observations Of Pcrriton Maxwell published
in q recent letter 10 THE Sun to DID into
the book he referred 10, Of. Hugh r. Mill's
THE Siege OF tho South Pole" and | 1nd
what your correspondent did not mentor
that the entertaining historian OF antarctic
exploration names NO less than fotty-tvo
scotchmen, nayigators and men Of science
to whom the world Is to-day Indebted TO-
what Is known Of the vast regiop down on
the maps as the antarctic zone.
or all the hardy seamen that have souqh
the secret Of the south polar seas nona In,
brought back to civilization 40 much, thSt
IL genuinely useful in the way Of Information
IS my fellow countryman. Captain William
Scott Bruce. who commanded the Scotia,
which sailed out Of the Clyde on November >
1902, bound for the utternOst limits Of the
anita rctlo. Bruce secured a. sallihE master
OF his ship Thomas Robertson o. Dundee.
one OF the best ice naviRators alive and
keenly Interested in exploration. His scen.
tino stan included r, {. Mossman. meteor.
ologist Of high reputation, X. n. 'Rudmosn
Brown and d. W, Wilton as n~aturaists. and
III u T. I 4 " W ~ "a AANiNh Ah NNluElNs
On January 20, 1909. the Scotia eft POI
Stanley In the Falklands. and on February .
the edge Of the pack was met IN 60'A 8. and
az so w. Next day the South Orkneys vers
sighted and a landing was made on Saddl'
Island. There was a struggle with tie heavy
pack, but on February IS The Scotia slipped
across the antarctic circle In a sea %lntirely
free from pack Ice, and she went a until
she met the pack and was beset on Fbrusr-
% IN TO- 25 g., midway between the track,
Of Weddell and Ross,
SOundlnRs had been made At fr@uent
intervals with 0 modern deep sea sounding
machine, which can be trusted 10 give CSrect
results, and at the furthest south the Qpth
was $500 fathOms. The sea was freezing
and IL was necessary to retreat or be Ield
head was turned toward the South Orknys.
and after a long hunt along the roughly
charted coasts a good harbor was foundin
laurie Island. There, the Scotia dropPd
anchor on March 20 and four days later Scott
Bay Mas filled with pack ice and the WHITE
lng had begun. 4 solid stone house wa
built on shore with walls four feet thick. any
a magnetic observatory was Also erected
while MOssman got the meteorological instTu4
ments Installed at once. Scientific work In ali
departments was soon IN full swing and was
kept up all the winter. and Journeys Of con-
siderable extent we're carried out on the ice
among the islands. During the winter the
chief engineer died. but all the others retained
the most robust health.
On November %. 1908. the ship was able 10
put TO sea on her return 10 the Falklands, but
Mossman with five companions remained a.
The observatory on Laurie Island. The
Scotia went on to Buenos Ayres, where the
Argentine Government showed the greatest
kindness In various respects. and when she
left again on January 2l. 1904. a party Of
Argentine meteorologists went with her IN
continue the observations at Scotia hay for
another year. They were landed on Febru-
airy II, and Mossman remained with them In
-. ~ The citation wThlA Nka 49, -
men. went back on board and made speed
No trouble was caused by the pack, and
repeated %soundings showed that the ocean
f haf = salT Until Yn IN e! s g. Il! 'I%Se ~ tSs' ds sisGS
was found to be reduced to 1851 fathoms.
On March Q land was seen. undulatlng and
Ice clad, rising TO a great height and fading
In the distant sky, and although q close pack
made 1t impossible TO approach within two
miles OF the shore, the sea shoaled 10 l57
fathons, q sure indication that IL was land
indeed. The .farthest south attained was
east than Weddell's furthest point. The land
was named Goats Land, after james Costs.
Jr., and Major Andrew Coats. the two chief
%supporters Of the expedition.
The summer over. one piece OF work re-
manned, and that was accomplished when on
March % a sounding OF 2,680 fathons was
obtained within a mile OF the spot where
James Clark Ross OF Balsa rroch the hand.
plllthl pAbN NHhN wei ldNNu an -aillhTNll
berg. and one. Of the bra vest had marked
1000 fathoms and no bottom" The power
full undercurrent detected In this locality
was reason enough for Ross error, with his
imperfect appliances, The Scotia carried
a line Of deep %soundinEs across q vast I'M
chaTted breadth Of ocean from this point To
Cough Island. and thence to Cape Town.
where she arrived on May 8. 1904. reachinr
the Clyde finally on July a.
! remember the splendid reception A..
corded Captain Bruce and the Scotia when
the stanch little vessel reached home with r
record for successful work bravely accom-
plished in the face Of death amid the Ice
wrapped desolation Of furthest south. Truly.
ss the author Of The Siege Of the South
Pole" says: The antarctic problem has
now crystallized into an object OF scientific
research, the results OF which may indeed
practically useful. aud when the
story Of the south polar region can he fully
told Terra lnCognita will cumber the man
no more" Thanks to the daring and hardi-
hood Of Scotsuen, that desiderat1m is nearer
realization to-day than since the first shallop
put forth into unknown waters.
ALAN MAcDoNALD.