﻿SOUTH 
  GEORGIA, 
  AN 
  OUTPOST 
  OF 
  THE 
  ANTARCTIC 
  

  

  411 
  

  

  GRYTVIKEN, 
  CUMBERLAND 
  BAY, 
  WHERE 
  SIR 
  ERNEST 
  SHACKLETON 
  DIED 
  

  

  This 
  whaling 
  station 
  on 
  South 
  Georgia 
  is 
  also 
  known 
  as 
  King 
  Edward 
  Cove. 
  Shackleton's 
  

   ship, 
  the 
  Quest, 
  which 
  had 
  anchored 
  here 
  for 
  repairs, 
  was 
  ready 
  to 
  resume 
  its 
  voyage 
  to 
  the 
  

   Antarctic 
  when 
  the 
  famous 
  leader 
  was 
  stricken 
  (see 
  text, 
  page 
  409). 
  

  

  Georgia 
  and 
  a 
  man 
  whom 
  all 
  the 
  world 
  

   mourns, 
  it 
  is 
  of 
  timely 
  interest 
  to 
  recount 
  

   the 
  history 
  and 
  to 
  describe 
  the 
  geography 
  

   and 
  life 
  conditions 
  of 
  the 
  island. 
  

  

  This 
  is 
  all 
  the 
  more 
  true 
  because 
  South 
  

   Georgia 
  is, 
  in 
  every 
  sense, 
  a 
  very 
  type 
  and 
  

   epitome 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  subantarctic 
  regions. 
  

   It 
  was, 
  moreover, 
  the 
  first 
  South 
  Polar 
  

   land 
  known 
  to 
  man 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  discovered 
  

   during 
  the 
  golden 
  age 
  of 
  exploration. 
  

  

  DISCOVERED 
  BY 
  JAMES 
  COOK 
  IN 
  1 
  775 
  

  

  Until 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  eighteenth 
  

   century, 
  maps 
  of 
  the 
  world 
  commonly 
  in- 
  

   cluded 
  a 
  conjectured 
  landmass 
  lying 
  south 
  

   of 
  the 
  known 
  continents 
  and 
  labeled 
  Terra 
  

   Austral 
  is 
  Incognita. 
  From 
  time 
  to 
  time 
  

   since 
  the 
  discovery 
  of 
  America, 
  vague 
  re- 
  

   ports 
  of 
  southern 
  land 
  had 
  been 
  brought 
  to 
  

   Europe 
  by 
  mariners 
  who 
  had 
  been 
  blown 
  

   southward 
  out 
  of 
  their 
  course, 
  and 
  contem- 
  

   porary 
  geographers 
  had 
  held 
  persistent 
  

   hopes 
  for 
  the 
  discovery 
  and 
  exploitation 
  

   of 
  an 
  austral 
  continent 
  which 
  might 
  add 
  

   a 
  second 
  New 
  World 
  to 
  the 
  globe. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  week 
  beginning 
  Sunday, 
  

   January 
  15, 
  1775, 
  James 
  Cook, 
  com- 
  

   mander 
  of 
  PL 
  M. 
  S. 
  Resolution 
  on 
  a 
  voy- 
  

   age 
  in 
  search 
  of 
  this 
  Terra 
  Incognita, 
  was 
  

   cruising 
  along 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  an 
  ice-covered 
  

   island 
  in 
  latitude 
  54 
  30' 
  south. 
  The 
  isle 
  

   had 
  appeared 
  unexpectedly 
  in 
  the 
  path 
  of 
  

   the 
  Resolution, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  the 
  first 
  assur- 
  

   ance 
  of 
  the 
  disappointment 
  in 
  store 
  for 
  

   mankind. 
  

  

  The 
  discoverer 
  was 
  somewhat 
  depressed 
  

   on 
  seeing 
  the 
  barrenness 
  of 
  the 
  new 
  land, 
  

   whose 
  rocky 
  shore 
  and 
  cliffs 
  of 
  ice 
  were 
  

   but 
  gloomy 
  auguries 
  for 
  a 
  habitable 
  

   territory 
  lving 
  still 
  nearer 
  the 
  Southern 
  

   Pole. 
  

  

  ''The 
  wild 
  rocks," 
  Cook 
  entered 
  in 
  his 
  

   journal, 
  "raised 
  their 
  lofty 
  summits 
  till 
  

   they 
  were 
  lost 
  in 
  the 
  clouds, 
  and 
  the 
  val- 
  

   leys 
  lay 
  covered 
  with 
  everlasting 
  snow. 
  

   . 
  . 
  . 
  The 
  very 
  sides 
  and 
  craggy 
  sum- 
  

   mits 
  of 
  the 
  mountains 
  were 
  cased 
  with 
  

   snow 
  and 
  ice, 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  bottom 
  

   of 
  the 
  bays 
  the 
  coast 
  was 
  terminated 
  by 
  

   a 
  wall 
  of 
  ice 
  of 
  considerable 
  beight. 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  

  

  