The sun., 1910-02-15

have made substantial additions to the
maps for the weddell and Ross quad
rants into which the south polar regions
have been divided. he has failed to find
a gap through which the pole may be
reached. He has sailed from the South
Shetlands TO l23 degrees west between
the Goth and list parallels, which means
probably that in many places he has
come closer to the southern barrier than
the Belgica did; he has reached Alex
ander |. Land and perhaps explored the
country back Of il to some extent; he
has determined the situation Of BEL
LINoHAUsEN's Peter |. island and has
made some new observations in the
South Shetlands.
The results are respectable from the
scientific point Of view, but in no way
sensational. The return Of the expedi-
ton is timely, however, with regard to
o proposed American expedition TO the
south pole, Ss 1t emphasizes the fact,
familiar to all students OF geography
and exploration, that the only route to
that goal which any sane man can con-
slider is the one taken by Captain SCorT
and Lieutenant SHACKLEToN in their
expeditions, Ii seems strange that
Commander PEARY, himself the latest
and most marked sufferer from the
breach Of comfy among explorers,
should be the one to suggest an under
taking, which could only hope to be sue
naass,,l ht- folloxv;rw iV, tha tro cly ~ th a
two gallant Englishmen. in the region
assigned by international agreement TO
British enterprise.
At only two points has it been found
possible to penetrate appreciably be-
yond 20 degrees the ice and land en-
circiing the south pole, namely, in
the great indentation discovered by
Sir JAMES Ross, and called Ross Sea,
which comes close to the s0th parallel,
and in the Weddell Sea almost opposite,
which has been penetrated beyond "a
degrees. Il is practically from the
foot of the volcanoes which Ross named
after his ships, Erebus and Terror,
that SCoIT, and after him SHACKLEToN,
made their dashes. Both examined
the ice barrier and thought that the
trip might also be made from the other
end, the newly discovered King Ed
ward VII. Land, which is no nearer to
the pole. Nowhere else has any place
been found in which an expedition
could make its winter quarters that is
not 500 miles more distant from the
point aimed at.
The hopeful confidence which in
spired SHACKLEToH when he started
for the pole led him to dream that after
crossing it he might Keep on and reach
the other edge OF the land or ice, at the
Weddell Sea or the South Shetlands. II
he had attained the pole he would have
turned back all the same, for he could
have arranged for no meeting place
which his expedition could have had
much chaAce OF reaching There is a
great deal Of exploration to be done on
the edge OF Antarctica before any ex-
plorer can start into the interior OF what
ever lies hidden there, with any chance
of coming bSck, except from the base
of Roes's ice barrier. The land lying
nearest TO South America, the Shetlands
and other groups from which DR.. CHAR
COT is now returning, has presented
more difficulties than any other section.
The Germans made brave attempt
with the Gauss, but only just touched
the edge; Swedes, Scotchmen, Belgians,
French have all tried manfully and
brought back something new, but the
sum of it all is trifing compared with
what has been accomplished at the one
vulnerable point.
IL Americans hope TO reach-the south
pole they must do IL either in conjunc-
ton with Captain SCQTT's new expedi-
ton or In emulation of it, by making use
of what he and Sir ERNEST SHACK RToS
have accomplished. Any1 here else. and
particularly in the unexplored WeddeIl
sea region, where geographical laurele
are to be won, they would face almost
certain failure and even less prospect
OF being first at the pole