96 COOK IN THE ANTARCTIC AND IN ALASKA 



They got to port safely, dodging the ice-bergs and landing 

 seventeen days later at Sydney, C. B., whence the wrecked party 

 made its way back to New York. The only permanent result of 

 this expedition was the Arctic Club, which was organized by the 

 explorers on their way home, and has since been enlarged until it 

 now numbers in its membership nearly all the Arctic explorers in 

 America and many in Europe. At a later date, in 1903, Dr. Cook, 

 Henry C. Walsh, the historian of the "Miranda" expedition, and 

 others organized the Explorers' Club, of which the first president 

 was General Greely, the second Dr. Cook, and the third Comman- 

 der Peary. 



In the year of this unlucky excursion, Dr. Cook proposed, as 

 we have said, a more serious undertaking, a voyage to the Ant- 

 arctic region, which, after long neglect, was once more attracting 

 attention. While Cook was seeking to interest the public in this 

 ambitious project, a Norwegian whaler, the "Antarctic," reached 

 Cape Adare, in Victoria Land, at about 72 degrees south latitude, 

 and on its return an interesting account of the voyage was pub- 

 lished by C. E. Borchgrevinck, a young Norwegian, who was on the 

 vessel and gave entertaining details of what he had seen. His 

 account excited so much attention that a proposition was made to 

 send him south again, at the head of a small party of scientists, the 

 purpose being to land and seek a route inland by aid of the ski-run- 

 ners of his country. 



But before anything could be materialized in this direction an 

 expedition was organized in Belgium, which in 1897 sailed south- 

 ward in the "Belgica," under the command of Lieutenant de Ger- 

 lache. This expedition was sent out at the expense of the Belgian 

 government and private subscribers, it being the only polar ven- 

 ture from that quarter. The "Belgica," formerly a whaler, was 

 remodelled on the lines of Dr. Nansen's "Fram," being thus admir- 

 ably fitted to bear the ice crushes which she was destined to endure. 

 To the expense of the refitting and equipment the Belgian govern- 



