THE PROBLEM OF THE ANTARCTIC ZONE 439 



ing mostly on penguin, until November, when the Argentine cruiser 

 ..r lived. Only one man had died. 



The expedition reached Buenos Aires on November 30, 1903, 

 having, during the time they had been in the Antarctic, collected a 

 mass of interesting and valuable scientific information. 



We have next to tell the story of the British expedition. This 

 set out in August, 1901, in the "Discovery," a vessel specially built 

 for the purpose, under Captain Robert F. Scott, of the British Navy. 

 Victoria Land, their destination, was reached on December 24th, 

 in the summer of the south. Sailing along this land, a good harbor 

 was found as far south as 76 degrees 31 minutes. Thence the coast 

 line was followed to 174 degrees east longitude, and here a sledge 

 party crossed the ice to 78 degrees 50 minutes south, the latitude 

 previously reached by Borchgrevinck. 



Winter quarters were selected at a point within sight of Mounts 

 Erebus and Terror, the ship being worked in as close to the shore 

 as possible. She was built to withstand the ice pressure, and 

 remained in this position unharmed for two winters. As soon as 

 all was made snug sledge trips were taken along the coast and over 

 the ice, the longest of these, in the following September, being by 

 Captain Scott, Lieutenant Shackleton and Dr. Wilson. They had 

 dogs with them at the start, but the animals grew sick and weak, 

 and were, at last, quite useless in dragging the sledges. The three 

 men harnessed themselves to the sledges in place of the dogs, and, 

 handicapped with this weight of 240 pounds each, they pushed on 

 until they reached 82 degrees 17 minutes south, the farthest south 

 then made, being about two hundred and fifty miles nearer the Pole 

 than any other explorers had reached. From the position they then 

 occupied they were able to see as far as 83 degrees 20 minutes south, 

 and w r ould have gone as far, if not farther, but for an insuperable 

 obstacle that confronted them. The route they followed was over 

 rough ice, often yawning with deep crevasses, down which the 

 sledges had to be lowered and then hauled up on the other side. 



