THE ' SOUTHERN CROSS ' 25 



of the vessel. That month was a hell upon earth. 

 Strangely enough, the Belgica escaped undamaged, and 

 steamed into Punta Arenas in the Straits of Magellan 

 on March 28, 1899. 



Modern scientific Antarctic exploration had now 

 been initiated, and de Gerlache had won his place for 

 all time in the first rank of Antarctic explorers. 



While the Belgica was trying her hardest to get out 

 of the ice, another vessel was making equally strenuous 

 efforts to get in. This was the Southern Cross, the 

 ship of the English expedition, under the leadership of 

 Carstens Borchgrevink. This expedition's field of work 

 lay on the opposite side of the Pole, in Ross's footsteps. 



On February 11, 1899, the Southern Cross entered 

 Ross Sea in lat. 70 S. and long. 174 E., nearly sixty 

 years after Ross had left it. 



A party was landed at Cape Adare, where it wintered. 

 The ship wintered in New Zealand. 



In January, 1900, the land party was taken off, and 

 an examination of the Barrier was carried out with the 

 vessel. This expedition succeeded for the first time in 

 ascending the Barrier, which from Ross's day had been 

 looked upon as inaccessible. The Barrier formed a little 

 bight at the spot where the landing was made, and the 

 ice sloped gradually down to the sea. 



We must acknowledge that by ascending the Barrier, 

 Borchgrevink opened a way to the south, and threw 



