THE SOUTH POLAR EXPEDITION 



169 



ifom that quarter. Simultaneous obser- 

 vations taken by an American party 

 exactly opposite the English base would 

 be of great benefit to science. 



Your Board of Managers referred the 

 matter for consideration to the Finance 

 and Research Committees of the Society. 

 On February 8 favorable reports from 

 these two committees were received by 

 the Society. The following resolution 

 was thereupon unanimously adopted by 

 the Board : 



''Resolved: The National Geographic 

 Society believes that it is of great im- 

 portance to science that tidal, magnetic, 

 and meteorological observations shall be 

 obtained at or in the vicinity of Coats 

 Land during the same period that the 

 British expedition under Captain Robert 

 F. Scott. R. N., is making similar obser- 

 vations on the other side of the Antarctic 

 area, i,8oo miles distant, and at the same 

 time that this recently discovered land 

 shall be explored. 



"The Society is ready to accept Com- 

 mander Peary's proposition that it shall 

 undertake jointly with the Peary Arctic 

 Club an expedition to the Antarctic re- 

 gions, provided that the Board of Alan- 

 agers, after consultation with the mem- 

 bers of the Society, finds that the project 

 will receive sufficient financial assistance 

 to warrant the undertaking." 



The Board of Managers heartily endorse 

 Commander Peary's project, and, if the 

 resources of the Society were larger, 

 would make an appropriation for the 

 work. All our funds, however, are re- 

 quired at home. 



The membership and popularity of the 

 National Geographic Society have been 

 increasing so rapidly that the Association 

 requires additional space for its working 

 force. During the past year the Society 

 has expended about $40,000 in purchasing 

 a frontage of 85 feet on Sixteenth street, 

 with a depth of 90 feet, adjoining its 

 present home. Your Board of Managers 

 propose on this site to erect an additional 

 building which will afford room for the 

 clerical force of the Society and for the 

 future growth of its business. This ex- 



penditure will require all of the available 

 funds of the Society. 



We realize, however, the unusual op- 

 portunity afforded the National Geo- 

 graphic Society by Commander Robert 

 E. Peary for the increase of geographic 

 knowledge of the South Polar regions. 

 We believe not only that the members of 

 the Society should be given an oppor- 

 tunity, but that they should be urged to 

 assist the project. 



An American expedition could be 

 equipped at the present time with great 

 economy of money, could benefit by 

 Commander Peary's unequaled experi- 

 ence of polar conditions, and could use 

 the officers and crew picked and trained 

 by him during many years of campaigns 

 on the ice. 



As Peary says, "At some sacrifice and 

 cost of time and money on my part, and 

 large cost of money on the part of my 

 friends, a certain capital of experience 

 and equipment has been assembled which 

 has no duplicate, and I feel that it is per- 

 haps a duty not to let that capital be 

 thrown away when a little further ex- 

 penditure of time and effort will enable 

 it to bring in still greater returns." 



As evidence of his desire to see an 

 American expedition despatched in search 

 of the South Pole, Commander Peary has 

 deposited $10,000 in a New York bank 

 as his subscription to such an expedition. 

 This sum had been presented him by 

 Governor Hughes on behalf of the Amer- 

 ican people February 8 at a large meeting 

 in the Metropolitan Opera House. 



No region in the world presents such 

 problems for exploration and the ad- 

 vancement of science as are to be found 

 around the South Pole. Here is a con- 

 tinent greater than the United States 

 and Alaska combined, much larger than 

 Europe, which has been penetrated in 

 only one direction, namely, by Scott and 

 Shackleton from \^ictoria Land. Even 

 its coast lines are little known. It is 

 believed that the greater part of this con- 

 tinent ranges in altitude from 8.000 to 

 14,000 feet above the sea. making it prob- 

 ably the largest continental mass alDove 

 sea-level in the world. 



