170 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



Planted on the fringe of this vast 

 continent of snow and ice are lofty vol- 

 canoes like Terror and Erebus, which are 

 belching continually smoke and fire. 

 Here lives the most remarkable bird 

 known to science, the penguin, which 

 lays its egg on a cake of ice in the black- 

 ness of a polar night, when the tempera- 

 ture is not less than 30° below zero, and 

 then holds the egg and chick on its feet 

 until the young bird can take care of 

 itself. 



A glance at the map shows the dense 

 pack ice which surrounds the Antarctic 

 area and makes the approach to land so 

 difficult from all directions. But the 

 great engines and heavy frame of the 

 Roosevelt, which is more powerful than 

 any vessel hitherto employed in South 

 Polar work, should enable her to pound 

 a path where previous ships have been 

 helpless, and thus to carry the American 

 party to an advantageous base. Exactly 

 where this base shall be cannot be deter- 

 mined until the party get in the ice and 

 find where they can go, but Commander 

 Peary proposes that the American ex- 

 pedition should make its headquarters 

 somewhere on the coast of Weddell Sea, 

 probably in the vicinity of Coats Land, 

 which was discovered by Captain Bruce, 

 of the Scottish expedition, in 1904. It 

 is hoped that a base can be found here 

 less than 900 miles from the pole. The 

 primary object of the expedition would 

 be to plant the Stars and Stripes at the 

 South Pole, but for those who seek a 

 •different motive, it should be explained 

 that every mile made from Coats Land 

 to the pole would be over unpenetrated 

 and unknown regions. 



This section is probably the least 



known in the Antarctic area. Bruce suc- 

 ceeded in getting within a few miles of 

 the coast, but he did not land. Ahead 

 of him were ice-clad slopes which he 

 believes ascend to a plateau which may 

 be an extension of Victoria Land. All 

 explorations in this region would be ab- 

 solutely new discoveries and would bene- 

 fit geology, zoology, and all kindred 

 sciences. 



If the plan of exploration outlined 

 above is put into successful execution we 

 hope it will arouse such interest that our. 

 government or an association of scientific 

 organizations, or both in combination, 

 will later undertake the exploration and 

 scientific investigation of the entire cir- 

 cuit of the unknown Antarctic regions, 

 including the exploration of Wilkes Land 

 and the verification of discoveries made 

 70 years ago. 



Campaigning against the pole in some 

 respects is easier in the South than in 

 the North. The weather is much harsher 

 and more boisterous in the South, but 

 the working season is longer. The North 

 Pole is surrounded by an ice-covered 

 ocean, which must be crossed in spring, 

 before the ice breaks apart under the 

 summer sun. The South Pole, on the 

 other hand, is situated on a great ice 

 plateau, which may be traversed during 

 almost the entire period of daylight. 

 Thus, while Peary was compelled to 

 complete his dash from the most north- 

 ern land to the pole and back in a period 

 of less than 60 days, the South Polar 

 explorer has more than 120 days at his 

 disposal, and even this period can be 

 extended by utilizing Peary's methods 

 and equipment. 



