Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1909-04-16
OUR POLAR LIMITS.
AFTER DRIVE OF 1876 DAYS. WITHIN
III MILES OF SOUTH POLE.

lalnS IN tne Antdrtit NeBion oie IIoO-
ably on a Plain 1900 Feet Above the
Sea Some Account of the Trip by Lieu
tenant Shackleford The Object of the Ex
peditlon Being More to Obtain Geological
Data than Reach the Pole. it May be Pro-
nounced Success.
A London dispatch of March 18th
says the polar regions are gradually
yielding up their secrets to human
perseverance and determination.
Lieutenant Ernest II. Shackleton, of
the British Navy. who left his per
manent quarters last antumn for a
southwark dash. having succeeded,
after an arduous sledge journey Of
LOS miles. which occupied l26 days,
in reaching within Ill miles of the
South Pole, or 354 miles nearer than
attained by the Discovery expedition,
of which he was an officer.
AS the expedition to the south was
undertaken rather for the purposes
of geographical survey than with the
idea of reaching the pole itself, it
may be said to have succeeded beyond
the most sanguine expectations.
Protiting by former experiences in
the Antarctic regions. when all the
dogs succumbcd to the strain and
rigors of the climate. Lieutenant
Shacklcton made some departures
from the usual preparations for 4
Journey across the snow and ice.
He took with him Il motor car, which
could be converted into a sledge, and
substituted ponies for dogs and light
wooden clothing for heavy furs.
The motor car, which was useful in
the preliminary expeditions. failed
on the uneven surface of the barrier
ice.
The main expedition, of which
Lieutenant Shackleton was in COM
mand. reached latitude S3.23, longi-
tude 162 east, while a second party
pushed forward to the southern mag
netic pole, reaching latitude 1928,
longitude 154 east. The British flag
was left flying at both points.
Lieutenant Shackleton thus de-
scribes the dash to the pole:
THE southern party, composed OF
Adams, Marshal. Wild and myself,
with four ponies and supporting
party, consisting of Brooklehurst,
Joyce, Marson, Armytage and Priest
ley, left Cape Royd on October 20,
1908. On November 3 we left Hut
Point with ninety-one days provi-
sions. but were held up on White
Island, which we reached on Novem-
Der 5, for four days by a blizzard.
The supporting party returned to the
permanent quarters on November Z.
Owing to the bad light among
the ice crevasses Adams and his pony
were nearly lost.
\ few days later we reached the
depot at latitude 1926. longitude 16s
east, where we appropriated the
maize and other provisions previous
ly left there. We commenced to re
duce our daily rations. and Travelled
south along meridian 16S over ;
varying surface of ridges and noun
tains of snow, alternating with soft
snow in which the ponies often sanl
to their bellies.
. In latitude S1.0 we shot a pony
and made depot of oil, biscuit an(
pony meat, taking the remainder o.
! the pony meat to exc out our driet
rations. We reached the Discovery
southernmost latitude on Novembe1
26.
THE surface now became soft
with large undulations. The ponie
were attacked by snow blindness
and the second of them was shot,
depot being made in latitude 80 45
longitude 40.
"On November 30 we killed ou
third pony.
Steering south and southeast, W
were now approaching a high rang
of new mountains. trending to tn
southeast On December we dis
covered a glacier 120 miles long an
approximately forty miles wide, run
ming in a south and Southwestern
direction, and on December 5 W
started to ascend it, at latitude SO. }:
longitude 172. The glacier was fu
of bad crevaSSes, as the result of trt
mendous pressure.
1T took the whole of the next da
, for us to fight our way 600 yard.
There were many dangers to /
faced, for at any moment one migf
be thrown into some unknown deptl
AS it was. on December the la.
remaining pony broke through
snow lid and disappeared in a cr
, vase.
D Fortunately the swingle-tr tr,
snapped and we saved Wild and Il
sledge, which was damaged. tt
party was now hauling a weight
| 250 pounds per man.
The clouds disappearing on D
: cember 8, we discovered new mou
tain ranges trending south al
h southwest. Moving up the glaci
lover the treachcrous snow GOVERN