The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-11-22
. IR ERNEST sHACKLETON. at > the head of the most elaborate

- IR ERNEST sHACKLETON, at
 the head of the most elaborate ) ly equipped polar expedition ever organized, sailed from Buenos Aires on October 26 to carry out his long and carefully planned conquest of the south polar continent.
 The South Pole, where Captain Amundsen planted the flag of Nor way on December 1T, 1912, and where, one month later. Captain Robert Falcon Scott unfurled the British colors, is not the main ob- iective of the Shackleton expedition. The pole is about midway Of the rout Sir Ernest has planned to take str ight across the Antarctic conti- met. The first half of the land journey will be over totally unex- plored territory.
 After reaching the pole, however, the tourney northward will follow the death trail of Captain Scott and his ill-fated party to the mound or snow marked by wooden cross. un- der which lies the body of the Eng fish pole finder.
 Captain Scott and his two surviy- ;ng mpanions-Lieutenan Bowers and pr. Wilson-froze and starved to death in their tent to which a pro tracted blizzard confined them. Their later progress had been at a snaifs mace owing to hardships which had weakened them and cost the lives or Petty Officer Evans and Lieutenant Oates. Even in fair weather they were hardly able to drag along tneir heavy sledge. Then came the blizzard and that was the end.
 By the use of aeroplane siedges' supplementing those drawn by dogs and other contrivances which Cap tain Scott lacked, the Shackleton eX- pedition feels insured against such q nredicament as that which proved fatal to the Scott party. The ar propeller driven by powerful motor on a sledge is an outcome of Lieu tenant Shackleton's experience with motor driven wheeled vehicles during his Antarctic explorations or l9o'. On reasonably smooth ice or firmly crusted snow these vehicles were fairly satisfactory But they were useless over surfaces of soft snow, as is the case with automobiles on roads covered several inches deep w1th loose sand. They were an innova- tion entirely out of keeping with the main conditions governing travel ln polar regions.
 The sledge, with it's broad runners however. has continued to be the ideal way of conveying heavy loads or light ones-over expanses or 1ct and snow. When it is drawn by dos teams that means an additional cargt of food for the dogs, a very serious matter. considering the heavy burder of tents, instruments, extra clothing sleeping bags and food supplies fol the human members of the expedition which the sledges also must bear Toward the end of the return jour ney. as the sledge loads tighten, som of the dogs may, and usually do, be come food for the men. Other of tn dogs are lost or die, and this mean that the sledges must be drawn b the men, the very necessity that wor ont Captain Scott and his companion so that they were unable to survlv the blizzard which detained thel when food supplies were exhausted
 Lieutenant Shackleton, by equil ping several of his sledges wit motors and air propellers, expects considerably minimize the ordinal risks of polar exploration. TT weight of this equipment, includir fuel for the motors. does not hgu cut as a serious disadvantage. Ho che aeroplane sledge works out