Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-02-18
Hopes Goal Will Be Reached.

Competition is called the life of trade =
said Sir Ernest Shackleton today, and
believe that the spirit OF contest must
have exercised such an influence over the
rival eXpedl lions as to spur at least one
of them to achieving the goal. Sir Ernest
ShachIeton is the English antarctic ex-
plorer who, in 1863, attained the ''farthest
SOUTH getting to latitude SO degrees -
minutes south, or within 40 miles OF the
pole.
My national pride makes me hope that
Scott will beat out Amundsen, lie said,
'-and have such confidence in him that
believe he has reached the pole whether
Amundsen has or not. I know. SO little
about the German, Australian and Japa-
nese expeditions that l cannot justly
speculate on their success, but | do not
believe personally that any of them has
done as well as either Scott or Amund-
SEN
Capt Scott left England June 8, 1910,
waving goodbye to his wife and baby at
Cardiff, Wales He bade farewell to CIV
lization at Christchurch. New Zealand.
November %, and since then nothing has
been heard from him. His ship. the
whaler Terra Nova, has returned to New
Zealand and is awaiting the telephoned
command to go to Stewards Island and
get her master and pilot and his brave
companions.
The Scott expedition is the best
equipped t1aI ever enteTeu the SoutH pOldi
regions. Fitted out by a government ap-
preparation of 100000, added to pOpu-
lar subscription of the same amount,
everything that could possibly be of use
was purchased. Over hundred of the
best Siberian sledge dogs, well as
three motor sledges. form part of the
equipment. and in the party are several
of the foremost scientists, geographers
and astronomers in Britain.
According to the plans of Capt. Scott,
,,tlfv bnf ha dor ,.ts
quest, he would establish two bases on
the Antarctic ice barrier. one at Mac
Murdo bay, the other at King Edwards
Land, some 450 miles apart, to be, If pos
sible connected by wireless biography.
Each of these bases would he 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
lished by Capt. Scott, the news having
been brought back to New Zealand by
his ship. the Terra Nova.
How much more has been accomplished
by the Enslishman and his party is
largely a matter for conjecture. From
the Mac Murdo bay base, over the $50
miles to the pole, the real work of the
expedition had to be done. The explorer
declared he expected to take from 40 to
100 days to make the journey to and
from the base.
Sentiment plays part in the plans of
Capt. Scott, who said before leaving that
he would have white men with him at
the pole. He commented on the fact that
Commander Peary had single lone
negro with him when he reached the
north pole. Scott declared that he would
have sixteen men with him on the final
DASH including the scientists of the
party.
So well provisioned is the Scott expe-
dition that it would not be necessary for
him to abandon the attempt in the event
that the first dash did not meet with sue
cess. He could reurn to the base of sup
pies, rest duriil4 the ''ofr season." and
return to the task refreshed during the
next six months.
In fact, we shall jolly we'll stop there
till the thing is DONE" said Capt. Scott
just before he cut loose from civilization
Within $50 Miles of Pole.
Capt. Scott is veteran explorer hav-
ing attained great success on his men,
orable invasion of the antarctic in 10000,
when he reached the then 'farthest
SOUTH" getting to latitude 80 degrees Is
minutes 33 seconds south, or within $50
miles of the pole. Shackleton's expedi-
ton of 1909 was the only one that has
surpassed this.
The Norwegian, Capt Amundsen. is ex-
periencing his first visit to the antarctic.
His previous fame was achieved on the
other end Of the world-the north. One
of his greatest accomplishments was the
HcSOUdtiOH vi tic eat IOi tHWcSt pas
sage. Capt. Amundsen's ship, the Fran,
is also at New Zealand. standing hard
BY" ready to take her skipper aboard
when he returns from the frozen ant
arctic.
Had Amundsen and Scott departed only
few months sooner they would be in
ignorance of the fact that the other pole
has been discovered. However. they re-
ceived the news shortly before cutting
loose from civilization, and both declared
that the knowledge would act as an in
centive to greater effort. In event that
one Of them has succeeded, there does not
remain single extremity of the earth
that has not been explored by civilized
man.
In some ways the conquest of the south
pole is easier and in some ways harder
than that of the north pole. The north
polar journey was made over sea; that
| to the south pole is over land and, there
| FORE the southern eXplorers are not SUBJ
| jected to the open leads. the sudden dan
/ gers of opening ice, or the heart breaking