New-York tribune., 1912-03-09
AlfIrNnSEN AND SCOTT.

The misunderstanding over the News
Of tho discovery of the South Pole is an
moving and may be embarrassing to
somebody. but there is probably no DAN
ger of its leading TO anything ike the
discreditable impOSture and revillng
which marred the corresponding Arctlc
exploit. 1t will be interesting 10 nave
those who were responsible for the origi-
nal report explain upon what authority
they announced that Captain Amundsen
had given the credit to Captain Scout
There is no perceptlble warrant for any
sucb announcement in the published dis
matches of the Norwegian explorer. Hap
nilv. there is also no trace of anything
like a DISPUTE or of grounds for one.
Captain Amundsen has returned TO civil
ization and reported the date of his as
covery of the pole. That is all. lie
makes no mention of any other eSpedl-
tion. and there is Of course no reason
why he should If he did not meet one.
OF course. he will at the earliest oppor-
tunity give to the world his scientihc
proofs. Meantime. it is comforting TO
observe that nobody shows any incllna-
ton to doubt his word or TO question the
good faith and accuracy of his brief
bulletin of victory.
The friends Of Captain Scott will OF
course he disappointed, unless. as Sir
Ernest Shackleton suggests, 1t may turn
out that he. too. reached the pole In
such circumstances as To share the hon
ors with Captain Amundscn-though
this seems decidedly improbable. But
there will be no bitterness or heart
burnings. From the beginning it was
recognized that of all the expeditions
which were simultaneously operating in
the Antarctic regions those Of Scott and
Amundsen were in a class of their own,
far surprising all the rest in the likeli-
hood of their reaching the pole. 1t was
the intention of each Of them to seek the
pole directly rather than to do general
exploratory work, and the starting points
selected and the routes chosen by them
were recognized as the best for just that
end. Yet between the two the rivalry
was of the friendliest description. AT
one time. It is true, some jealous parti-
sans Of the British expedition suggested
that the Norwegians had intruded upon
a field pre- empted by Captain Scott but
that intimation had little support and
was long ago abandoned, and it was rec
ogniZed that the two rivals had fair
field before them.
We must await fuller reports before
any estimate of the scientific results Of
the achievement can be made. 1t is 10
light thing Just TO have reached the pole
and thus to have demonstrated that
there is no spot upon the surface of the
globe effectively barred against the dar-
ing and perseverance of man. But We
shall expect TO find, even In the annals Of
a direct dash TO the pole and back again,
with no attempt at general exploration
or study of conditions, much that will be
Of profit to students Of geography and
meteorology. The mere comparison OF
extreme Antarctic with extreme Arctic
conditions will be Of much interest.
There may also he some light thrown
upon the theory. which was recently
noted and discussed In these columns
that the earth instead Of being SYM
metrical oblate spheroid IS really pear
shaped.
In any case there will he cause for
sincere rejoicings over the fact that the
great exploits Of Captain Cook and Ross
and Wilkes have now been followed with
complete success and that the centre Of
each polar map of the world must hence
forth bear some other inscription than
that Of "Unexplored.'