THE SOUTH POLE

The successes of Scott and Shackleton still further stimulated interest in the Antarctic problem, and in 1910 and 1911 Great Britain, Norway, Germany, Australia, and Japan sent expeditions into the field; the United States unfortunately, as in the past, being unrepresented. Four of these expeditions—the Japanese, Australian, Norwegian, and British—selected the Ross Sea region south of New Zealand and Australia for their work; while the German expedition selected the Weddell Sea region southeast of Cape Horn, the most promising of all points of attack upon the Antarctic continent. All these expeditions have now returned. The Japanese expedition explored an unknown section of the coast of King Edward VII Land east of Ross Sea, the Australian expedition explored a long stretch of Wilkes Land west of Ross Sea, the German expedition made new discoveries in Weddell Sea, reaching a point farther south than ever before attained in that region; while Amundsen’s Norwegian expedition, from its base in the southeast angle of Ross Sea, attained the South Pole, December 14 to 17, 1911, and Scott’s British expedition, from its base in the southwest angle of Ross Sea, attained it a month later, January 18, 1912, Scott and his four companions dying of cold and starvation on the return.

Reproduced from “The Heart of the Antarctic,” by Sir Ernest H. Shackleton. Copyright, J. B. Lippincott Co.

SHACKLETON’S SHIP, THE NIMROD

Moored to a stranded iceberg about a mile from winter quarters, the Nimrod was sheltered from blizzards.

SHACKLETON AND HIS SON

Reproduced from “The Heart of the Antarctic,” by Sir Ernest H. Shackleton. Copyright, J. B. Lippincott Co.

DISCOVERERS OF THE SOUTH MAGNETIC POLE

Part of Shackleton’s expedition reached for the first time the South Magnetic Pole—that is, where the south part of the compass needle points. Those in the picture, reading from left to right, are Dr. Mackay, Professor David, and Douglas Mawson.

The record of Antarctic exploration from 1772 to date may be divided into two periods; the first from 1772 to 1898 and 1899, a period of summer voyages only, the work carried on entirely by ships, with no land or sledge work, and no attempt to winter in that region. During this period, though other nations, notably the United States and France, took part in the work, the work of Great Britain was so pronouncedly preponderant as to more than equal all the others combined. The second period is from 1899 to date, and is the period of overland exploration with sledges. In this period, as in the last period of Arctic exploration, three men, Scott, Shackleton, and Amundsen, each having for his object the attainment of the South Pole, pushed so far beyond all predecessors as to be in a class by themselves, two of them, Amundsen and Scott, actually reaching the Pole.

NANSEN’S EXPEDITION

Digging the Fram out of the ice.

AMUNDSEN IN POLAR COSTUME

Discoverer of the South Pole.