Crittenden record-press., 1912-03-21
EARLIER ATTEMPTS TO
REACH SOUTH POLE.


pole was received in New York on
January S. 1911 After describing the
splendid quantities OF the Fran during
It's iG.000.mile voyage. and the care
taken of the 100 Eskimo dogs which
had become ll5 at the time of land.
ing. he said
I'VE sighted the mighty barrier al
2.30 D. IN. January IL one would be
less than human II one could behold
such a sight unmoyed A far as the
eye can see, from western 10 eastern
rozion. this wall of ice rises perpen
dicularly 10 a height of 100 feet. And
yet II Is only very small part OF II
that one sees What must the man
have thought who first came upon
this wall. and for whom all further
advance seemed an impossibility? II
was one OF the worlds boldest and
clevcrest sailors mot TO say the clev-
crest of them ALI. James Clark Ross,
who. after making his way through
the ice pack with his two sailing YES
sells. the Erebus and the Terror.
came, In February. 1912. upon this
remarkable ice wall Even at that
time he observed the great bay. but,
Of course. did not venture into IT with
sailing vessels For years aftr the
barrier was regarded as bar TO all
further advance southwark.
Barrier is a Level Plain.
"It fell 10 the lot OF a Norwegian.
Carsten Borchgrevink. In the South
! ern Cross in 1900. 20 prove that this
was not the case. lie succeeded In
entering a small bay (Which has since
| disappeared and been merged with
! the adjoining great bay). and thence
| getting on TO the barrier Here he
| made a short expedition and found
| that the barrier extended southwards
| in the form OF a wide, level plain,
reaching as far as the eye could see.
| This demolished the theory of its un-
| assailable character and opened the
way towards the south. Subsequent
| lv an Englishman. Captain Scott sue
ceeded in landing In MacMurdo strait
and thence made an expedition south
wards. Sir Ernest Shackleton's bril-
liant expedition in 1908. in which he
reached a latitude of So degrees 23
minutes, will be known 10 everybody.
THE great bay. running southwest
into the barrier. which ! have chosen
as the base OF an expedition towards
the south pole. has been observed not
only by Ross and Borchgrevink, but
also by Scott and Shac&leton, and
thus appears to be constant forma'
tion. something that can be counted
upon. Shackleton also thought he
saw a ridge OF hills at the head of this
bay. which would indicate land. AFTER
reading these various accounts ana
thinking the matter over, ! came 10
the conclusion that this bay. which
has been proved to have had the
same situation for q period OF 60
wears. could not be q chance forma'
ton in the barrier caused by the
breaking of of icebergs, but must
have been produced by underlying
land or risir- ground. If not. the
barrier would have continued It's
course unchecked and no bay would
have been formed
Cruises Along Ice Barrier.
"The day aftG." We sighted the bar
rier we reached this bay, still in the
same situat!on-lboIt longitude l6l
degrees west II was so full, how
ever. OF recently broken up bay ice
that there was no quert'o Of getting
, IN We therefore TOOK a little rur
eastwards along the edge of the bar
rier TO await events. The next morn
ing (Januarv 13) we returned, anC
then found that so much OF the Ice
had foated out that there was an op
portunity for us to get In. My belie
as TO the origin of the bay wa:
strengthened as we got farther south
j the formations stood out more clear
ly and sharply, and at the southern
end we could distinctly make ou
!, hills and valleys. II was certain tina
r underlying land or shoals here arrest
n ed the course of the mighty glacier
and forced IL out TO either side Ther'
would be no perilous winterinG on
' roating barrier The ground was SAT-
enough.
Land on Barrier.
"On the following day (January IA
We found a landing place well suite'
sor our enterprise. The long l6'oo'
miles voyage was safely accom-
plirNpI. and we were only one da.
! OH, In our calculation. We had ar