The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. SATURDAY, MARCH 27, 1909. BACK FROM THE SOUTH.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2461, 27 March 1909, Page 4

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. SATURDAY, MARCH 27, 1909. BACK FROM THE SOUTH.

The thrilling accounts which are published concerning the adventures of Lieutenant Shacklcton and his party in tOie Antarctic regions cannot fail to arouse the keenest interest from all sections of the community. Throughout the British Empire, and even beyond it, the story of liow these intrepid Englishmen made their determined but unsuccessful effort to reach the South Pole will be perused with unstinted admiration. Unsuccessful the attempt must be accounted, inasmuch as the long desired goal was not attained, but successful, in so far that the party got further South than foot of man had ever been known to tread before, and actually readied within 97 miles of its destination. Failure is indeed sometimes more glorious than success, and the splendid effort which has been made to cross the great snow barrier will surely take its place with these. It was on November 23rd, 1907, that Lieutenant Sliaekleton with his fellow explorers left their last headquarters, Lyttelton, and since that time they have undergone perils and submitted to privations the mere thought of which would alariii the average individual ; and it is really quite remarkable that the whole of the party has returned without a single fatality. Different sections of the party found their operations not only arduous but exceedingly dangerous. One section used ponies to draw the sledges until food became scarce, and then, still persevering on, they killed the ponies one by one, thus economising the horse food, and, having eaten the animals’ nosh, harnessed themselves to the sledges. Mountains of snow and glaciers were ascended’ which abounded with hidden crevasses, from which one or other of the party had narrow escapes from death. Another section pulled the sledges, without either ponies or dogs to assist, by a system of relays which meant that every mile had to be traversed three times. The other section had been glad to make their rations spin out by such methods as digging up the frozen blood of a pony that had been shot 'This one eked out an existence upon seal blubber. a food that was said by the Discovery party to he so nauseating as to be uneatable. The results showed that the quantity of provisions taken Avas apparently not adequate, and it seems evident that had Lieutenant Shacklcton and his followers been furnished with more food supplies they would have actually reached the booth role. As the narrative tells us, the party, as it was, could undoubtedly have reached the Pole, but they could not harm got hack. Exhaustion following upon starvation would have been the result of such an attempt; and the party seems to haA'e taken great risks is this respect to got so- far as it did. Rations had to he reduced to such an extent that the men not only lost weight and became thin, but they gradually grew too weak to continue the terribly strenuous labor which Avas entailed in their journey. The results of the expedition will be to add a great .deal to the world’s scientific knoAvledge, for the experts who accompanied it appear to have had excellent opportunities for learning ucav facts concerning this portion of the globe. A notable feature about the expedition is the apparent soundness of methods which- characterised all the arrangements ; and one of the results will be that cinematograph pictures of the journey and its incidents- Avi.ll he aai 1 - ble later on for those aaJio at present haem little conception of the appearance of the Antarctic regions. It is to be hoped that satisfactory films Avill result, for by this means an entertaining and extremely educational series of pictures will be available for the public. A natural question, when one considers the hardships and dangers attendant upon such an undertaking, is what induce® people to leave the comforts and safety of civilisation on an errand Avhicb, whilst it may add to the sum of the world’s knowledge, can scarcely bo individually profitable. The question is not easily ansAverod. AVo can only say that in all ages there have been men Avho have been willing, to isk their lives in such explorations; and avo suppose there always AVill be. There seems to be a quality of emulation iir humankind which prompts some men to extraordinary effort. To tread Avhere no foot has trod before, to discover some mechanical -principle hitherto unkuoAvn, to open the door to some entirely new phase of knowledge, to achieve something which has hitherto baffled all men; those arc tbq things that determined men crave for. For these more than, for gold, more than for personal convenience, or even for loa’o some men-, will forsake everything

else, and it is AA'cll that this should be. The quality is one that is universally admired, and it will be most gratifying to Englishmen all over the globe that men of their own race, Avho have alAvays been to the fore in daring exploits of this nature, should have put up such a game and heroic struggle in their efforts to reach the South Pole.