The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1930-01-10


South pole by air, and the
first to fly over both the North and
South poles. During his history-mak-
ing flight he discovered 10000 square
miles of ice-blanketed lands never be-
fore seen by man and claimed them
in the name of the United States.
And thereby hangs the tale of dis
pute between nations as to who owns
Antarctica, dispute which would seem
to the casual observer to be a silly
one. For. as he would naturally think,
what difference does 1t make who
Gowns" that 10000 square miles of
ice and snow, so far as practical value
to the possessor is concerned? But
what If it should be discovered that
that vast territory contains vast stores
of oil, gold and other mineral wealth?
that would be something else again!
While the dispute so far has not
reached anything approaching criti-
cal stage, it is, nevertheless, one which
offers some interesting possibilities.
For Uncle Sam and John Bull are the
two would-be Owners of Antarctica.
When 1t became known that Command
er Byrd was planning an Antarctic
expedition, the British government
filed with the State department of this
country a communication offering to
lend any assistance possible while
Byrd was sin British territory" and
defining that territory by quoting
resolution of the imperial conference
in 1926, promulgated at the request Of
Australia, which said:
The question of Antarctic explora-
tion was discussed between represen-
tatives of the governments interested.
There are certain areas in these
regions to which a British title all
ready exists by virtue of discovery.
These areas include:
l. The outlying portions of Coats
Land, viz, the portion not comprised
within the Falkland Islands Dependent
cies.
2. Enderby Land
3. Kemp Land.
4. Queen Mary Land.
5. The area which lies to the west
of Adele Land and which on its dis
covery by the Australian Antarctic
Wilkes Land.
6. King George Land.
z. Gates Land
The representatives Of the govern
ments concerned studied the informa-
ton available concerning these areas
with special reference to their pos
sible utilization for further develop
ing exploration and scientific research
in the Antarctic regions.
This note was received by the State
department on November II, 1923, but
the department did not give its official
answer until November, 1929, just
short time before Byrd made his epic
flight. That reply, it is said unofficial
ly, was a courteous thank you" for
England's expression of interest in
Byrd's activities ''in the Ross depend
ency and the Falkland island depend
ency," but was strictly noncommittal
in either conceding or denying British
claims to sovereignty over the areas
enumerated in the British note.
British claims to sovereignty in Ant
arctica go back for their beginnings
to an event which took place just 157
years ago. That was on January II.
1873, when Capt. James Cook, later
famous for his discovery of the Ha-
waiian islands. in his ship, Resolu-
ton, accompanied by the Adven-
ture, crossed the Antarctic circle for
the first time in history. A year later
he reached what was then "farthest
south" teven though ii was 1873 miles
from the South poleD and discovered
a land which he named the Isle Of
Georgia, in honor of George III, and
Sandwich Land in honor of the fourth
Earl of Sandwich. first lord of the adj
miralty during the American Revolu-
ton.
In 1923 james Weddell of the Brit
ish Royal navy discovered the sea
which now bears his naine and set Il
new .farthest south record or 1,l02
miles from the pole. Soon after that
the famous whaling firm of Enderby
In London became interested in Ant
arctic exploration aud sent out sew
eral expeditions. In one of them In
1880 James Rriscoe of the British navy
discovered and named Kemp Land. and
in 1899 John Balleny discovered and
named the Balleny islands
By this tim~ lie United States had