The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-03-24

Theory that there is an area of
atmospheric calm surrounding the
south pole disproved.
Half Moon Bay, New Zealand. Mar.
2S.-The most southerly point reach
ed in our antarctic expedition was
latitude SS degrees % minutes. longi-
tude east 1862 degrees, distance of
III miles from the pole itself.
The Journey was very difficult. Al
ter crossing several mountains we
reached plateau 10000 feet high
Several new mountain ranges were
discovered.
The distance travelled was 1.7OS
statute miles, and the time occupied
l2G days. In all more than 100 new
mountain peaks were discovered.
Both equipment and food supplies
proved very satisfactory. The Man.
churian ponies did as well as was ex
pected. We all felt the hardships Of
the journey very severely. Good 700
logical discoveries were made. and
important sledge journeys were under
taken west and north.
The south magnetic pole was
reached in latitude u degrees 25 min.
utes longitude 1874 degrees. J. X
Davis, first mate; Forbes Mackay
Assistant Surgeon, and Marson made
northwesterly sledge journeys last.
ing twenty-five days and covering a
distance OF 1874 statute miles.
The Winter was mild and the low.
est temperature they encountered was
40 degrees below zero, Fahrenheit
me geological results of the expedi-
ton are as important as the geological
Mount Erebus, the southernmost vol
cano In the world, 1920 feet high.
was assembled for the first time.
Ascent Of Mount Erebus.
A party including Liept Adams. Sir
Philip Brocklehurst, Forbes Mackav
and Eric Marshall left Cape Rovd on
March ., 1908, to ascend the great ant.
arctic volcano. On the morning of
March they climbed with the sledge
to an altitude of $500 feet.
Carrying the equipment on their
backs they reached on the night of
March an altitude of $500 feet The
temperature was so degrees below the
freezing point. Then a violent biz.
zard ragged for thirty hours.
Resuming the ascent on March Q
they reached an old crater al an alti-
tude of over 1000 feet. They ex.
plored the crater. and unique FUN.
arole Csmoke holes) were found.
Brocklehurst had both feet frostbii
teh' ana one toe was subsequently am
putated
Inc summit was reached on March
10. The active crater is half a mile
IN diameter and 5000 feet deem II
was eJecting vast volumes of steam
and sulphurous gas to height of
2,vJ0 feet
Hypsometer readings were taken at
the summit simultaneously with those
IRON the base station at Cape Royd.
Geological collections were made and
we're taken.
Commencing the descent on March
10, the party glissaded by stages down
o'OOO ieet reaching the sled depot
The geographical south pole is
doubtless situated on plateau 10000
10 ll'VOO feet above sea level. Violent
blizzards in latitude SO degrees show
that II the polar calm exists It must
be small in area or not coincident
with the geographic pole.
The Southern party, Adams Mar !
shall, Wild, and |, with four ponies
ana a supporting party consisting of !
Sir Philip Brocklehurse and Messrs.
Joyce, Marson, Armystage, and Priset |
~, LETT Cape Royd on Oct. 49, 1908.
We left Hut Point on Nov 8 with |
ninety-one days provisions We were |
held up on Hite Island on Nov. 5. and |
FOR four days by blizzard.
On Nov 26 we reached the Discoy
cry expeditions southernmost lati-
.ude. The ponies were attacked by
snow blindness. On Nov. 2S the
pony Grisi was shot. We made
iepot in latitude So degrees 40 min.
ites, longitude 40 degrees.
We discovered a glacier 1870 miles
ong and approximately forty miles
vide running in a south and south
westerly direction. On Dec. 3 we
started to ascend the glacier at lati
ude SO degrees 80 minutes, longi
ude l72 degrees. The glacier was
,adly crevassed, as the result of huge
On Dec. the surface was
% crevassed that it took the whole
lay to fight our way 600 yards. On
Dec. z the pony Socks, breaking
through the snow lid disappeared in a
reyasse of unknown depth.
In latitude SO degrees 10 minutes 3
econds we made a depot and left
there but our food. instru.
nents and camp equlpage, and re-
uced our rations to 20 ounces per
nan daily.
On Dec. 26 we reached plateau
tier crossing ice falls at an altitude
I 5000 feet, thence gradually rising
long ridges to l0,50O feet.
Finishing the relay work we dis.
arded our second sledge. There was /