Norwich bulletin., 1915-01-18
EXPLORATIONS IN SOUTH POLAR REGION.
Sir Douglas Mawson Paid Tribute to Work of Admiral Wilkes in First American Lecture.

After a controversy of nearly two-
 thirds of a century concerning the ac-
 curacy Of the work of Admiral Charles
 Wilkes in his exploration of the South
 Polar Region, Sir Douglas Mawson. leader of the Australasian Expedition
 of 1911-1914, who delivered his first address in America last week before
 the National Geographic society at
 Washington paid a tribute to the work of Wilkes, and confirmed some of the
 data contained in the reports of this
 American explorer
 He called attention to the fact that
 Admiral Wilkes memorable assault Upon the secrets of the Antarctic was made in an age when the obstacles to exploration in the ice regions were
 much more formidable than now. Wilkes went before the days of steam, and at a time when preserved provi-
 sions were of the crudest. His great est error, perhaps, was in leaving the scientists of his staff behind in Aus traliassto be picked up upon the re- turn Of the squadron, when he should have taken them along with him.
 When the Admiral returned and re-
 ported the discovery of a great and
 mysterious continent hidden by the there arose determined effort to dis credit the existence of any such land It was contended that he had not sighted anything that might e called 1 lSo to the con ciuslon that there was a continent in
 the South Polar region. and that he had not once sighted land in his jour
 ney of over 1,5o0 miles.
 Sir Douglas says that Wilkes did sight land, and perhaps frequently so
 In that connection he says:
 By consulting Wilkes map I found that it showed North's Land, Totten's Land, Budds Land, Knox's Land and
 Termination Land. The statement as to the occurrence of Knox's Land is supported by finding erratics and mud embedded in some of the icebergs in
 that vicinity. Generally speaking, I met similar conditions to those en- countered by Wilkes, but my longer stay and the valuable help of steam
 power in place of sails, allowed me
 to cover the ground more thoroughly l and gave me an insight into what Wilkes actually did see
 Tt is quite clear to me that Willaas sklrted the borders of the heavy ice pack in that region and many times i looking to the south over the ice mis- took distant bergs or mirage effects 1 for land. At Primers Bay, however | he certainly sailed into an indentatfon | Of the coast of the continent. North s
 Land we were not able to reach on ac- count of the altered conditions of the
 pack-ice. but it is likely that it does
 exist in approximately the position as l signed. Off Totten's Land we were ale to get further 60 the south than l Wilkes, and no land was visible; the | soundings, however, showed that the
 continent might exist not more than
 thirty miles to the south of Wilkes
 position.
 Tn the vicinity of Knox's Land we
 Were unfortunate as to ice conditions
 and were not able to get as far south
 as Wilkes. However. judging by our
 soundings and the explorations of our
 land parties somewhat further to the
 east. there is every likelihood that l Wilkes came within sight of land east
 Of that neishborhood.
 To sum up the case, it appears that | Wilkes undoubtedly fell in with land in one locality. and though We cannot
 definitely affirm, likely saw it in three | other places. However this is far. 1 from sufficient data to herewith predict the existence of continent. Curious l ly however our work has shown that l though in many places farther to the south than assigned by Wilkes, the borders of an ice continent do extend | to this region. Though the vagueness of Wilkes accounts is to be regretted to him goes the credit of bringing back | the first information relating to those regions. and a great geographical 1 triumph in that for several months
 they pushed on through the packs | III the face of unusually severe l weather