The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1912-02-29
POLE HUNTERS ARE
NEARING The GOAL
LONDON. Special.-"South Pole
discovered" iss~f

AOANOO-N. Special" South Pole
discovered" .s5zAl
Any DAY now that message may be
1l9sheu over the cables and telegraph
wires that encircie the globe. The
sender may be an Englishman. n Nor
Wegian, an Australian, a German or a
japanese. Five expeditions CARRYING
the standards OF as many different
~ SoA.IiSs, nave Oeen battling against
the cold and ice of the Antarctic for
more than two years, and the first of
them is expected to return in touch
time.
Stewards Island, south of New Zea-
land, is the first habitation that will
De reached by the explorers on their
return trips. A telephone connects
the island with New Zealand, from
Where cablegrams will be sent out
In this great five-cornered competi-
tlon' Tor the sake of science, and, in
cluentally, fame, the most celebrated
contestants are Captain Robert Fall
con Scott, of England, and Captain
Road Amundsen. of Norway. The
Australian, Mawson, is leading a third
oand, and the Japanese and German
expeditions complete the entry list in
the unprecedented race. Never be-
fore have so many expeditions been
In either polar region at one time.
Competition is called the life of
trade, said Sir Ernest Shackleton to-
day, and 1 believe that the spirit of
influence over the rival expeditions
as to spur at least one of them to
achieving the goal. Sir Shackleton
is the English Antarctic explorer who
In 1909, attained the 'farthest
SOUTH getting to latitude SO degrees
% minutes south, or within 10 miles
of the pole.
My national pride makes me hope
that Scott will beat out Amundsen,"
he said, land i have such confidence
in him that I believe ne has reached
the pole, whether Amundsen has or
not. ! know so little about the Ger
man, Australian and Japanese expe-
ditions that 7 cannot justly speculate
on their success, but L do not be-
lieve, personally, that any of them
has done as well as either Scott or
Amundsen.
Scott Well Equipped.
Captain Scott left England on June
3, 1910, waving goodbye to his wife
and baby at Cardiff, Wales. He babe
farewell TO civilization at Christ
church, New Zealand, on November
Z9th, and since then nothing has been
heard from him. His ship, the whaler
Terra Nova" has returned TO New
zealand and is awaiting the tele-
phoned command to go to Stewards
Island and set her master and pilot.
as well as his brave companions.
The Scott expedition is the best
equipped that ever entered the South
polar regions. Fitted out by a govern
ment appropriation of $4,000 added
TO popular subscription of the same
amount, everything that could possibly
dred o. the best Siberian sledge dogs
as wei ass taree motor-sledges, form
part OF the equipment, and in the party
are seN gtal OF the foremost scientists
Britain.
According to the plans of Captain
Scott, outlined before he departed on
his polar quest, he would establish two
bases on the Antarctic ice barrier. one
at Mac Murdo Bay, the other at King
Edwards Land, or some $50 miles
apart TO be, if possible, connected by
wireless telcBraphy. Each of these
bases would be about $50 statute miles
from the South Pole, and by means of
them both ends of the barrier would be
explored. 1t is known that the Mac
Murdo Bay post was securely estab-
llshed by captain scott, the news
having been brought back to New Zea-
land by his ship, the Terra Nova
How much more has been acomplfSh-
ed by the EnElishman and his party is
largely matter for conjecture From
the Mac Murdo Bay base. over the 500
expedition had to be done. The eX-
plorer declared he expected to take
from l20 TO $50 days TO make the jour
ney to and from the base.
The Norwegian. CAPTAIN Amundsen
Is experiencing his FIRST visit to the
Antarctic. Ills previous fame was
woridNthe North. One of his his greatest est
acompilshncnt was the negotiation of
the great northwest Passage. Captain
at New Zealand, standing hard by"
ready TO take her skipper aboard when
he returns from the frozen Antarctic
Had Amundsen and Scott departed
only a few months sooner they would
be in ignorance of the fact that the
other pole has been discovered. How
ever, they received the news just short
~ before cutting loose from ciViliza-
ton, and both declared that the knowl-
edge would act as an incentive TO
greater effort.