The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-03-09
SOUTH POLE DISCOVERY

| Inc announcer discovery OIL Ipe
South Pole is fit complement to The
discovery OF the North Pole by Com
mander Pearv. This South Pole dis
coverv was made by a heroic Nor
wegian, who is famed for his work
| in the Arctics, and who, beyond any
question, was we'll equipped, not only
TO make that discovery, but to keep
such records as would absolutely prove
the truth Of what he claims to have
done.
| Tt is doubtful, however, whether any
of the great questions Of meteoro'ogy,
ocean currents. magnetic problems, sea
soundings, and the like. which were
supposed TO have such value, have, IN
fact, received any important advance
| in the South Pole discovery any more
than they did in the North Pole dis
covery Commander Peary took obser~
vatious, made souudings, and did every
thing that one could possibly do in a
hurried, desperate rush of Journey.
But observations made hurriedly and
without the opportunity for repetition,
compa rison, and study of results, are
at best unsatisfactory. The same can
Undoubtedly be said as to whatever in
vestigations may have been made IN
the trip Of discovery to the South Pole,
In his journey to the North Pole, Mr.,
Peary passed over ocean ice all the
way. He thought that he saw land off
TO the west, and very likely he did, but
ne did not travel any Of the time on
land in his final dash for the Pole.
The ice he passed over is shifty, and
it would have been impossible for him
TO make any permanent record either
Pole itself
1T is quite different, it appears, in
the South Pole. There Lieut.. ShackIe
ton found and travelled on very high
ridges of land, rising from 5000 to
1000 feet above the sea level. 1t Is
probable that Amundsen's party trav-
eled substantially over the same route
as that pursued by Shackleton. And
still, it must have been a hurried jour
pey, even though the explorers would
possible to verify their observations
Yet they have better opportunity
for this than Peary had, because they
were on firm ground and could not
only mark their route, but could es-
tabish stations, if necessary, and put
up permanent landmarks. none of which
is possible IN the route taken by Peary
to the North Pole
The British expedition to the South
Pole under command of Captain Scott
is not yet heard from. There is pos,
sibility, as Lieut., Shackletou says, that
the British expedition also reached
the South Pole, travelling substantially
the same route as that Travelled first
by Shackletou and probably also by
Amundsen. The account of the trip i
given in The Tribune this morning, and
is thrilling one, AZ to Captain Scott.
whether he reached the Pole or not, the
story of his trip and the value Of his
observa lions will doubtless be about
as great as Amuudsen e, and in any
event, one series Of observations can
be checked off against the other, and
an opportunity for comparison and YER
ificstion is here afforded that has
not been afforded at any time before
in any expedition, either TO the Arctics
or DAntarctics But the real and sub
stantial value Of such observations,
even when compared and verified, can
hardly, as vet, he expected to he very
great, But Amuudsep tells great
story Of courage, fortltUde, and success.
in the face Of mighty hindrances.