FIRST ANTARCTIC NIGHT 397 
Kristensen had landed from the whaler Antarctic in 1894 
at the foot of Cape Adare. 
So it happened that at the same time in nearly the same 
latitude, but on opposite sides of the vast unknown Ant- 
arctica, all hands on board the Belgica were toiling with 
all their might to break from their prison in the floe before 
Synoptic Diagram of the First Two Expeditions Wintering 
in the Antarctic. 
Note — Each vertical column represents a month. The hori- 
zontal bands show the duration of the expeditions, the period 
passed south of 6o°S. being shown in solid black. 
a second winter befell; and all on board the Southern 
Cross were straining every nerve to unload stores and the 
material for a house in which to pass the first long night 
on land within the southern circle. The task of unload- 
ing was hard enough as heavy gales sometimes prevented 
communication between ship and shore, and the time was 
short if the Southern Cross was to escape from the 
dangerous bay before the young ice formed. By March 
2nd the preparations were made and the ship departed to 
winter in New Zealand, while a party of ten all told 
settled down for a year of unknown hardship. In addi- 
tion to the commander and the scientific staff there were 
