THE ANTARCTIC QUESTION MACHAT. 453 



dangers and delays to foot or sledge journeys, and finally the physio- 

 logical effects of polar anasmia, which have been kept secret by cer- 

 tain travelers, may cause severe mental disturbances and result in 

 fatal consequences. These conditions show how much we should be 

 indebted to these intrej^id explorers. 



West antarctic explorations. 



It was under the conditions enumerated that M. de Gerlache in 

 1898 undertook to explore, in the Belgica^ the entire group of islands 

 and lands south of Cape Horn, on the side of the South Shetlands, 

 previously visited b}'^ Bellingshausen, Dumont d'Urville, and Dall- 

 mann. The explorer discovered the strait that bears his name, 

 between Danco Land and the archipelago then called Dirck-Gherritz. 

 He surveyed both shores and added many photographs to his survey, 

 which was the first detailed one made in the south polar regions. 

 After this the Belgica reached the southwest of Alexander I Land, 

 pushed through the ice pack, and drifted from February 28, 1898, to 

 March 13, 1899. On May 31, 1898, the vessel reached the limit of 

 this drift in latitude 70° 40' S. Such full scientific observations were 

 obtained that they have aroused great interest in that region.* 



In 1902 and 1903 ^I. Otto Nordenskjold, in the Antarctic, extended 

 these discoveries by exploring to the east and northeast of Graham 

 Land, and located a perfect and separate group of polar lands, for 

 which he proposed the name West Antarctide. He surveyed in detail 

 the south shore of Bransfield Strait, into which the waters from 

 Gerlache Strait flow through the Orleans Canal, and also surveyed 

 the east coast of Louis Philippe Land, of King Oscar Land, and the 

 adjacent islands (Joinville, Ross, etc.). The head of the expedition 

 remained at Snow Hill (Seymour Isle), latitude G4° 22' S., from Feb- 

 ruary, 1902, to November 8, 1903, and was rejoined during the second 

 winter by a party left at Bay of Hope(Gunnar Andersson) , and a little 

 later by the remainder of the Antarctic crew, who had left their ship, 

 wrecked by the ice, to take refuge on Paulet Island. After twenty- 



'^ Bulletin de la Societe royale beige de Geographie for 1900 containing the 

 accounts given by several members of the expedition since their return. See, 

 especially, Arctowski : Geographie physique de la region visitee par I'expedition 

 (pp. 93-175). See also E. Racovitsa : Resultats generaux de TExpedition ant- 

 arctique beige. La Geogr., 1900, pp. 81-92. The most important detailed de- 

 scriptions of the voyage are the following : Dr. Fr. A. Cook : Through the first 

 antarctic night. London, 1900. 8°. De Gerlache : Quinze mois dans I'Ant- 

 arctique. Brussels, 1902. 8°. 



The publication of the scientific results was begun at Antweri) in 1901, in 

 quarto volumes, under the title " Expedition antarctique beige, resultats du 

 voyage du S. y. Belgica en 1897-1899. Scientific reports : See Arctowski : Die 

 Antarktishe Eisverhseltnisse. Pet. Mitth., Ergh. 144. 1903. 



