Chapter XXXIX: Appendix: No. VI

THE POSSIBILITIES OF ANTARCTIC EXPLORATION

BY

FREDERICK A. COOK, M. D.

The heterogeneous branches of human knowledge are so intimately interwoven that it is hard to conceive an improvement in one which does not conduce to the advantage of others. The modes of association which exist between the numerous objects of mental and physical research are like the membranes which embrace the humours of the eye, so minute and transparent that, while they give union and solidity to the whole, they themselves remain unperceived or wholly invisible. The general advancement in the knowledge of our globe, which follows the work of polar exploration, is not at first perceived. The collective results are rearranged and interwoven with the other threads which go to make up the fabric of the various branches of natural science. Around the two poles of the earth, and particularly around the south pole, there are extensive unknown regions. In these regions are hidden the finishing filaments of much exact knowledge. To seek these is the true object of polar exploration.

Efforts at clearing up the mysteries of the arctic will now for a time give place to projects for antarctic research. The disputed questions, bearing upon the value of such enterprises, have been answered in the affirmative by the Belgian, the British, and the German governments. Each of these governments has contributed large funds, not to find the south pole, but to gather the ends of the threads of science which are there lost in white obscurity.

The possibilities of exploration in the far south are many, and properly to understand them we must first review the regions actually known. Perhaps it is not correct to say that anything antarctic is actually known. Almost the entire space beyond the polar circle, with the exception of a few dotted lines, is a blank upon our charts. Even the sub-antarctic lands, like Tierra del Fuego, Kerguelen, and the Auckland Islands, are for scientific purposes unknown. Of the truly antarctic lands the first in time of discovery and in value is the always accessible land-mass south of the South Shetland Islands, which is erroneously charted Grahamland.

This is a large mass of land which is labelled on the various charts with different names, and is parcelled out to suit the nationality of the chart-makers. No navigator will be able to recognise the landmarks of Grahamland from any modern chart. This was the experience of the _Belgica_. The American sealer, Palmer, first saw the northern outline of this land. The British sealer, Biscoe, saw a part of the western border of the same land. But neither Palmer nor Biscoe has given sufficient information to make a chart. The British explorer, James Ross, and the French explorer, d’Urville, touched along the north-eastern limits, and recently the Norwegian sealer, Larsen, has traced a part of the eastern limits. From the work of later explorers, and the guesses of the early sealers, the present map is constructed. But since the _Belgica_ sailed over two hundred miles of this region where high land was placed, and since she sailed over the regions where the Biscoe Islands are placed, it is evident that even this, which is the best known of the antarctic lands, needs a general re-discovery.

The actual existence of a land, corresponding to what is charted as Grahamland, is a matter of considerable doubt. On the map it extends from the sixty-ninth parallel of latitude northward four hundred miles. Alexander I. Land, which makes the southern termination of this, is a group of islands, and we saw no land eastward. The character of the land which may or may not exist between this and the newly discovered Belgica Strait is questionable. It may be a continuous land, but, from the large indentations which we saw, it is quite as likely to be an archipelago. The possibilities of future exploration in this region are very great. The country is easy of access, and has an abundance of bays and channels, which will afford shelter to exploring vessels. It offers scientific and commercial prospects promised by no other new polar region.

Following the polar circle from Grahamland eastward, the next land is Enderbyland. Ten degrees farther another line is put down and named Kempland. Enderbyland was reported by Captain Biscoe in 1831. The pack-ice was so closely set around the land that Biscoe was not able to debark or approach within twenty-five miles. So far as we know, he saw but one headland to distinguish the land from an iceberg.

Kempland was also inaccessible, and Captain Kemp, the British sealer who discovered it, gave on his return only a verbal report. Captain Morrell, an American sealer, but a few years previous sailed over an ice-strewn sea about fifty miles south of both Enderbyland and Kempland without seeing anything resembling land. This makes it extremely probable that neither Enderbyland nor Kempland is a large mass connected with any other land. The geographical problems which seem to be indicated here are: Is this an archipelago, like the Palmer Archipelago, fronting a higher and more continuous country or continent? Or is it an isolated group of islands? An expedition devoted to this object and this only would add certain and unique records to geographic and all other sciences.

Following the polar circle still farther to 100° of east longitude, and close to the circle, there is another interruption in the unknown. This is the much-disputed Wilkesland. It is by far the largest land-mass in the entire antarctic area. The land, including Victorialand, its better-known eastern border, occupies more than one sixth of the circumference of the globe. It covers more degrees of longitude than the entire spread of the United States. In a territory of this extent, even under the most hopeless spread of snow, would it not be strange if something of value and much of interest were not found? It is not at all probable that the disconnected lines seen by Wilkes are a continuous line of the continent. These are, very likely, off-lying islands which front a great continent. We are led into the conviction that there is a continent here by the very great number and the enormous size of the icebergs which were here encountered. But this conviction without better evidence will not, and ought not to, satisfy explorers. Wilkes made his voyage of exploration in small vessels which were not specially strengthened for ice work. If he was able to approach the coast in ordinary ships, a vessel fitted for ice navigation will certainly be able to get nearer and bring back more definite results.

From Victorialand to Grahamland there is but one spot to interrupt the movement of the great sea of restless ice. This is Peter Island. It was discovered by the Russian explorer, Bellingshausen, in 1821, and it has not been seen since. The _Belgica_, in her year’s drift, came close to the assigned position, but we saw no indications of land. It would be interesting to know if this island really exists, and if it is not a part of another small archipelago.

Before passing from the known to the possibilities of the unknown, I will answer the business man’s question: “To whom do these lands belong?” It seems to me that the nations seeking to divide China and Africa might turn their ambitions briefly towards the antarctic. Here are millions of square miles which belong to nobody; at least, there are no valid claims filed, except those which accrue from the right of discovery. Victorialand would seem to belong to England, but it is possible for the United States to lay a strong claim by right of extension of territory. Wilkes, the American explorer, was the first to see and to chart the great masses of land of which Victorialand is a part. The work of Ross, though better in quality, is supplementary to that of Wilkes, which gives the United States a priority claim. There is also a small French claim. There is indeed room for a future boundary dispute of the limits and claims of the Americans, English, and French in Wilkesland. The British Government seems to have no doubt on this question, for twelve years ago the Queen issued a grant for Possession Island, making Mr. Albert McCormick Davis, of Montreal, colonial governor of its numerous cities of penguins, and giving him for a stipulated period a monopoly of its guano-beds. Mr. Davis never rose to the dignity of being the first south polar king. He was content with the honours of appointment, and returned his credentials three months after their issue.

Peter and Alexander islands, and one or two islands of the Sandwich group, belong to Russia. The Bellany and Biscoe and Sandwich groups, as well as Enderbyland and Kempland, belong to Great Britain. Grahamland, like Wilkesland, offers many bones of contention. The entire northern coast should belong to the United States. A part of the eastern coast, and a part of the still uncharted western coast, belong to England. Norway has a claim for about two hundred miles on the eastern coast. The recent discoveries of the _Belgica_ give to Belgium the most beautiful and the most useful body of water in the entire antarctic area. In the adjustment of these various claims there is no end of trouble in store.

It is generally held that all these countries belong to nobody--indeed, that they are not worthy of ownership; but this is not true. The issue of a grant for Possession Island is an indication of the sentiment in England; another indication is to be perceived in an incident which happened a few years ago. The Argentine Government, being anxious to secure possession of the South Shetland Islands, aiming probably to control the harbours and the possible fisheries, made some preparation to place there a lighthouse and thus take possession by right of prior occupation. In response to this, according to a rumour said to have been based on official instruction, a British cruiser was ordered to speed, as soon as the Argentine steamer left port, to the South Shetlands and there to receive the Argentinos. The long period which has elapsed since the discovery of everything antarctic weakens the natural claims, and any one who now takes the trouble to occupy any portion of it would undoubtedly become the owner. The man who sits on the southern ice, under the hellish antarctic storms, long enough to make good his deed, deserves all there is under him, even if it proves a Klondike.

I must beg leave to differ with the prevailing opinion, regarding polar exploration, that there is no commercial or material reward commensurate with the expenditure of time and money. In the antarctic there are several prospective industries, and much of the future work has a direct bearing upon commerce. There are seals, penguins, and whales in abundance around the circumpolar area. Every rock which offers an accessible beach is covered with either seals or penguins, and every channel of open water between the pack-ice or around the ice-sheltered lands is alive with whales. Fur-seals were at one time so numerous that a whole fleet of American sealers were engaged in the hunt; but the fur-seals are now nearly extinct. The several varieties of antarctic seals have a coarse coat of single hair which is useless as a fur; but the skin and oil are of considerable value. There is no reason why a profitable fishery could not be prosecuted, like that off the coast of Labrador and Greenland. The penguins are not widely known to commerce, but their countless millions will surely attract enterprise and yield some useful product. Already they are being taken at the Falkland Islands for the oil they possess. We must abandon the hope that right whales, possessing the prized whalebone, exist here in numbers sufficient to warrant a promise of future whaling. Ross reports having seen right whales, but a diligent search since has failed to confirm this report. From the _Belgica_ we saw no whales of this variety, but finback and bottlenose whales were seen in great numbers. These are small whales having no bone of commercial value, and a somewhat inferior quality of oil. But the hunt for a similar variety of whales in Norway has given profitable employment to thousands of men in the past ten years. Whaling and sealing in the antarctic cannot, however, be made to pay the enormous expense of fitting out from Europe and North America for so distant a hunting-ground. To make these industries successful, permanent bases must be established either in the antarctic, on the sub-antarctic islands, or in the southern parts of South America or Australia.

The guano-beds of Possession Island offer an enterprise which seems to promise certain results. The guano is rich in nitrates, and exists in quantities sufficient to keep a fleet of cargo-vessels occupied for years. There are strong possibilities of the existence of hundreds of other islands within the area of the unknown, loaded with a similar or even a greater weight of the fertiliser. Such islands may be found in more accessible places, outside of the pack-ice, off the coast of Grahamland, or among the partly known groups such as the South Shetland, Bouvet, Prince Edward, or Macquarie islands.

The future for fisheries and guano industries has an appearance of reasonable certainty, but this is not true of the possible mineral wealth or of other revenue-bearing material which may be hidden behind the icy gates. Our geological knowledge of this area is still too imperfect to offer even a guess of the probable finds of precious metals or gems. Arguing by analogy, the South Shetlands in general appearance, and what little is known of the geological formation, resemble Tierra del Fuego, and we now know that gold is here found in paying quantities. Since these islands are an extension of the Fuegian lands, is it unreasonable to expect to find gold here? An antarctic Alaska is by no means beyond the future possibilities.

Are there not people or unknown animals in the regions around the south pole? Novelists have pictured this mysterious region since the time of Dalrymple, in 1760, with curious races of people and strange forms of animal life. It is the last unexplored expanse on the globe of sufficient area to offer room for fictitious creations of new worlds, and it will continue to be a special domain for imaginative writers for many years. From the explorations thus far, we have no reason to hope for any startling discoveries of human or other animal life. Borchgrevink, owing to his inexperience and hasty conclusions, mistook ordinary penguin tracks for the footprints of some large and unknown animal. No reliable traces of either large new animals or human beings have been found. The regions are, as homes for adapted people, far superior to the arctic lands, where the Eskimos periodically starve or live in blubbery abundance. If sailors or wild people were cast adrift on the antarctic shores they would not necessarily starve. There is food and fuel, and even clothing, to be had from the seals and penguins everywhere. The life would not be full of comforts, if measured by our standards, but compared to Eskimo existence there is a decided advantage in life-sustaining prospects of the southern pole--not in climate or in the degrees of cold, but in the certainty of food. People then, if they once find a foothold, might easily thrive, but to the present we have found but one doubtful sign. This was reported by Captain Larsen, the Norwegian sealer, in 1893. Larsen found about fifty clay balls, perched on pillars of the same material, on Seymour Island, off the eastern coast of Grahamland. “These,” said Larsen, “had the appearance of having been made by human hand.”

There is one train of industries for which the antarctic and sub-antarctic regions offer the best conditions of the globe. This is the farming of fur-bearing animals. It is an industry which is still in its infancy, but the recent experiments upon the barren Alaskan islands have been eminently successful. There are thousands of isolated islands in the southern oceans which offer just the conditions for the cultivation of such life. These islands, though almost barren of vegetable life, are fertile with birds and seals and smaller forms of marine life, which will offer food to prospective generations of transplanted animals. So far as I know, this is a new suggestion to the future south polar possibilities, but the conditions which I have seen are too favourable to be ignored. The antarctic lands lie isolated in a deserted and frozen sea. The drift-ice and the overland mass of glacial ice bar the passage to adventurous travellers who seek to penetrate the mysteries of the frozen south. But it is just these barriers which fence the “land of promise” for the coming fur-farmer, who is to take the place of the life-destroying hunter. I am sure that in the near future these wild wastes of the antarctic, with their million of bird-inhabited islands, will form an island empire of thrifty fur-farmers. What nation shall guard the interests of this coming race of hardy pioneers?

Independent of material results, a continued exploration of the antarctic will certainly disclose priceless scientific acquisitions. A region of the globe nearly eight million square miles in extent, into which the foot of man has not yet trodden, is not likely to prove barren of scientific data. The polar question is not a problem of adventure, as it is ordinarily thought to be, nor is it a matter of dollars and cents. It is a problem of science, and has for its principal objects an exact knowledge of the limits of land and water; a careful study of the physical condition of the earth and of the life; in short, it aims at perfecting that network of lines with which comparative science seeks to surround our planet even at the poles. The prosecution of this labour will add to our knowledge of the physical laws which regulate climates, which indicate the origin and destiny of atmospheric and sea currents, and which serve as analogies for geology and other natural sciences. The Gulf Stream was discovered by a study of polar phenomena. Our present knowledge of the glacial system, which, at some distant time, covered not only the poles, but the lands we now inhabit, would not have been conceivable without a knowledge of the present polar ice. Who will say that new gems will not be added to the annals of science by antarctic explorers?

Specifically, terrestrial magnetism, geography, meteorology, geology, and oceanography are to be most enriched by the results of far southern exploration. Magnetism has an important bearing upon the navigation of the southern hemisphere, and even upon the land surveys. If the bearings of the compass cannot be accurately deduced, evidently the course of a ship or the base-line or fixed point of a survey must be unreliable. For greater accuracy of the all-important compass, more continued and more prolonged magnetic observations in various parts of the antarctic are indispensable. Even the seemingly simple task of fixing by calculation the location of the south magnetic pole is, with our present knowledge, impossible. The positions assigned by the best authorities differ several hundred miles from each other, and the work of the _Belgica_ placed it approximately two hundred miles east of the spot designated by Ross, whose observations have been generally accepted.

Closely associated with the magnetic pole is the mysterious phenomenon, the aurora australis. It would be interesting to have a prolonged series of auroral observations to add to the first records taken by the _Belgica_. Perhaps this information would help to solve the puzzling questions of the physical character and the origin of the mysterious celestial lights. Some of these questions are: What is the difference between the aurora australis and the aurora borealis? Is there any coincidence in the appearance of the phenomena at both poles? What is the relation of the exhibits with the sun-spots? What relation have auroras with meteorological phenomena--the weather, the clouds, the atmospheric electricity? What are the connections between auroras, earth-magnetism, and telluric currents?

The geographical possibilities have been indicated in our discussion of the known lands. It would be interesting to know if the various traces of land, so close to the polar circle, are or are not connected to form one large continent. What are the physical conditions of this great unknown area of land or sea? Geographically, this is the only remaining unknown expanse of our globe where great discoveries may be expected.

The interior south polar lands are likely to prove the coldest part of the earth. This is contrary to what might be expected, because the great circular sea which surrounds the entire globe should warm the comparatively small expanse of land. In the region of the _Belgica’s_ drift, however, the indications were otherwise. Our position was in a restless sea of ice, far from land, with large open lanes of water constantly about us. It follows, then, that we should have had a mild marine climate. But our temperatures were persistently low, from -5° to -45° C., rarely above the freezing-point. And, following southerly winds, the mercury at once sank into the bulb. The suddenness and intensity of cold which came with interior winds bespeaks a very high and a very cold area. This question and a hundred others will be solved by meteorological studies. Problems of weather are associated with neighbouring phenomena. For the proper understanding of the climate of the southern hemisphere there is necessary a long-continued series of meteorological studies within the limits of perpetual ice.

In geology nearly everything remains to be done. Here are indications of some very interesting problems. Among them are the numerous open questions of the great ice age. In the period immediately preceding the ice age the polar regions were not, as they are now, submerged under a continental sea of ice, but had a somewhat profuse growth of plants, extending even to the base of the mountain glaciers. The fossil remains which have been found in the north and in the south prove that at this time there existed, among these growths, plants which are now found only in subtropical regions. This period was a noteworthy epoch in the history of our planet. It was the time when man first appeared, and it was the time when the earth was dressed in her best mantles. The continents then had a greater extension, the life a curious diversity, and the forests were much more luxuriant than they are to-day. The antarctic is likely to throw new light upon this interesting period. The fossil finds may establish the previous existence of a life of which we now have no indication. In the many departments of geology we may expect startling discoveries.

To zoology the south offers less flowery prospects than to the other sciences. The study of the organic life is important for the understanding of the earlier life of our planet, but some of this has been gathered. The work which remains to be done is the detail of anatomy and physiology and the study of microscopical forms of life. It is not probable that there remain large animals of which we have found no traces.

Probably the most important results of immediate practical use to both science and commerce, will be the gain to the newly born science, oceanography. The ever-increasing usefulness of the ocean for the needs of modern commerce or warfare, of cable service, and as a nursery for food, makes it necessary that we know as much as possible about it. We must know not only the surface, but the bottom and intermediate waters. We must know not only the warm seas, but the cold as well. There is a constant interchange between the water of the tropics and that of the poles, just as there is an interchange of the winds. The cold, ice-laden waters have a tendency to flow into the warmer regions. The overheated torrid waters flow poleward. This is the theory, and in part it is supported by observation; but what is the mechanism?

It is evident that the missing keystones to the rising arches of science are many, and the material for some of these will certainly be found in the neglected blank around the under-surface of our globe. The reasonable certainty of these results is likely to arouse a south polar enthusiasm within a few years, and in anticipation of this I wish to offer a preliminary word of warning. Up to the present, antarctic history has to record no great loss of life, no awful calamities, like the arctic tragedies. If due precaution is taken, none should be reported. The arctic and the antarctic are alike only in degrees of cold and in the quantities of ice. Even in these they differ somewhat, and in every other respect there is little resemblance. From this it follows that an antarctic explorer should be differently equipped from the man who travels in the far north. The hopeless isolation and impossibility of retreat make a fixed outline, a permanent station, and strong vessels imperative.

Should an expedition risk their fortunes, as did the crew of the _Belgica_, in a single vessel, and in the unknown drift lose their ship, which is always possible, the disaster would mean certain death for nearly everybody. It is true that the _Belgica_ experienced no great damage by pressure, but that we escaped with our vessel is a matter due quite as much to accident as to any wisely prompted construction of the ship. If a field of ice two miles in diameter should press upon any vessel in the wrong situation, it would certainly crush her. This is always to be expected in antarctic navigation, and it makes a companion ship desirable. The south, also, is a hard school for explorers. Young men who wish to engage in this work should take their schooling in the more congenial arctic regions.

From what we saw of the antarctic lands south of Cape Horn, it is clear that the previously conceived impossibility of landing on south polar lands is a misconception. The _Belgica_ made twenty debarkments, and it was discovered that it was possible to land on nearly every island and neck of land offering a projecting northerly exposure. From the experiences of the _Belgica_ it would seem that a permanent base of operations might be established far south, either in Weddell or in Ross Sea. These are the only regions offering a promising route to the south pole. The possibilities of reaching it will depend upon the character of the inland ice. If it is a smooth, even surface, without mountain ridges or extensive crevasses, such as the interior of Greenland, and if this land ice extends to the pole, then it is within the power of man, with present means, to tread on the spot; but if it is otherwise, then there is only a small prospect of reaching the southern axis.

In the future exploration of the south polar regions there is the prospect of universal association which has long been the golden dream of science. Indeed, just at present such international alliances are the topics of the hour. The final filaments of the fabric which will bind together the three greatest nations of the earth are being spun. It is not a triple alliance in an ordinary sense; it is one of the products of the evolution of nations. It is a natural selection of the three peoples best fitted for each other. England, Germany, and the United States are, at present, held together by a sort of matrimonial bond, and this bond must be strengthened. Could there be a more fitting seal to this family union than a triple alliance to explore the last great unknown area of the globe? England and Germany are organising expeditions. Will Americans, who have carried the Stars and Stripes to the farthest reaches of the earth, stand aloof and look on? If we are to have a well-equipped expedition, ready to work with England and Germany, some merchant king must come to our rescue. The present government indications are not favourable to such a venture, but with the liberal hand of a Bennett, a Harmsworth, or a Jessup, we could work hand in hand with the subjects of the Queen and the Kaiser. The combined armies of peace could, in this way, march into the white silence, the unbroken, icy slumber of centuries about the south pole, and there collect the needful scientific spoils.

INDEX

A

Adelaide Island, impression as to, 164

Agassiz, Professor, 54

Argentine Republic, offer of, 97

Air charged with drift snow, 258

Alaculoofs, 98, 99

Alarming physical condition, 327, 328

Alexander Islands, 166, 167, 186, 198

Alexanderland, charted Alexander I. Land, 164

Alexanderland, inlet north of, 169

Alcohol, 90

Alcohol, deleterious effect of, 334

Ambition, 392

American discovery, remarkable fact in, 23

American topics, 327

Amusement, uncomfortable, 313, 314

Animal life, 128, 132–134, 140, 141, 183, 186, 198, 201, 210, 236,
239, 242, 243, 248, 255, 256, 258, 260, 269, 270, 273, 274,
277, 287, 293, 294, 313, 327, 334–337, 350, 356, 359, 360, 368,
369, 383, 384, 392

Amundsen, Roald, mate, appearance of, 42, 127, 136, 141, 147, 158,
244;
presence of mind of, 246;
patching boots, 259;
investigates a light, 286, 287, 300, 335, 349, 378;
resolve of, 382, 383

Ancient explorers, contrast to, 240

Antarctic, mainlands of the, 128–131

Antarctic midnight past, 323

Antarctic, first camping experience in the, 143

Antarctic pack, striking peculiarity of, 174, 175

Antarctic tent, 349

Antipodes, different surroundings in, 131

Anvers Island, 148

Appearances of land deceptive, 272

April 1st, 244;
2d, 245;
3d, temperature, 245;
4th, latitude, longitude, and temperature, 246;
5th, 246;
temperature, 247;
6th, 247;
8th, 248;
9th, 249;
10th, 253;
11th, 255;
12th, temperature, 257, 269;
latitude and longitude, 270;
14th, temperature, 258;
15th, 258;
16th, 258;
20th, temperature, 259;
21st, temperature, 260;
latitude, 261;
22d, temperature and position, 261;
23d, 25th, 261;
temperature, 262, 263;
latitude and longitude, 264;
26th, temperature and sounding, 267;
28th, temperature, 268;
30th, 269;
latitude and longitude, 270

Arc Aurora, 242, 253, 254

Arc snowshoes, 353

Arctic, redeeming features in the, 295

Artificial light, 316, 318, 367

Arctowski, Henryk, geologist, 42;
on Auguste Island, 132, 133, 136, 139, 141, 158, 175, 181;
interviewed by sea-leopard, 211;
in the crow’s-nest, 216;
arranging a new system, 241, 248, 280;
working in the laboratory, 299, 300;
saying of, 334, 335, 336;
on deck, 337, 347;
record of, 391

Astrup Eivind, 147

Atmosphere, clearness of, 145

Auguste Island, 138;
landing at, 131–133

August second, 358

Aurora, patches of, 236

Auroras, 212, 214, 225, 226, 258, 296, 297, 324, 335, 337, 343

Auroras, antarctic, average strength of, 262

Auroral display, 238

B

“Baking treatment,” 22, 331, 336, 351

Balaenoptera Sibbaldi, 369

Banquet, Rio Belgian, 9, 10

Barrier, 356

Barros, Trudente de Moreas, President, 9, 13;
attempt to assassinate, 28

Bay-ice, 186

Bay of Rio, parting view of, 15

Beagle Channel, eastward through, 119

Beauty contest, 250;
official record of, 251, 252;
disputes arising out of, 254

Bellinghausen, 164, 266

Belgian Consulate, visitor from, 28

Belgian national feasts, 336

Belgians, modesty of, 240

_Belgica_, expedition ship, 4–6;
on board the, 13;
leaves Rio, 16;
sleep on the, 17–19;
young bachelors of, 36;
purchase of, 41, 42;
public exhibition of, 44;
flag of, 46, 48;
crowded decks of, 46;
appearance of, 50, 51;
construction, 51–53;
equipment, 53, 55;
laboratory, 55;
library, 56;
quarters, 56, 57;
life on, 58;
leaves Montevideo, 59, 62, 63;
through the _pampero_, 64;
garb for the south pole, 65;
Chaplain’s duties on, 69, 70, 72, 76, 77, 97, 98;
strikes a reef, 119–121, 137;
anchoring to an iceberg, 140;
cruise to the south, 143, 154, 164, 170;
ploughs between heavy masses of ice, 178, 179, 183, 187;
refuses to mind the helm, 191, 192;
runs before the storm, 194–196, 205;
fear for, 220, 234, 240, 246, 249;
housing of, 256, 257;
serious drift of, 264, 274;
settling of, 268;
in icefloe, 275, 278–280;
normal air of, 290, 293, 296, 297;
in ice-walls, 298, 304, 306, 312;
alive with weird noises, 314, 318, 320, 333, 343;
only speck of human life, 352;
position of, 359, 361;
prepared for sea, 369, 371, 375;
injurious effect on, 376;
in huge drift, 380, 381, 384, 385;
liberatingthe, 393–399, 405

Belgica Strait, 135;
position and landmarks of, 146–149;
navigation of, 147, 154, 192

Belgium, Royal Society of, 406

Bird, a new, 377

Bird’s-eye view, pictures of, 217

Biscoe, Captain, 129, 147

Birds, resting places for, 141

Bismarck Inlet, 169

Bismarck Strait, 154

Blackness, effect of, 281–283

_Blake_, the, exploring ship, 43

Blessing, Dr., 321

Blow-holes, 328

_Bon voyage_, wishes for, 12, 14, 16

Borgen Bay, debarkments in, 146

Bransfield Strait, 128, 147

Brazilian Coast, 16, 18, 19

Brialmont Bay. See _Weddell Sea_

Bridges, Lucas, Mr., 120

Bridges, Thomas, Mr., 97

British explorers, custom of, 240

Brooklyn Island, 144, 148

Brussels, municipality of, 406

Brussels, Royal Geographical Society of, 40, 406

Buls Bay, 141

Bunks, 65

Butter, substitute for, 61

C

Calculation, careful, 281

Calm, unexpected, 224

Camping equipments, impracticability of, 274

Camp, site for a, 353

Canal, entering a, 144

Canal-making, 396–399

Canned foods, disgust with, 302, 303

Canvas suits ineffective, 325

Cape Anna, debarkment at, 140, 141, 145

Cape Castillo, 22

Cape Eivind Astrup, 146

Cape Errera, 147

Cape Horn, south of, 121–123

Cape Lancaster, 147

Cape Murray, off, 143

Cape Polonio, in harbour of, 21;
ashore at, 25–27

Cape Reclus, rounded, 144

Cape Reynard, 147

Cape von Sterneck, altitude of, 135

Castillo Island, off, 20–22

_Castine_, cruiser, 32

Cheerlessness, 319

Chenal de la Plata, 144

Christensen, Mr., 42

Christmas in midsummer, 385, 386

Chronometers regulated, 324

_Cincinnati_, cruiser, 13

Circumpolar ocean, characteristic ice of, 170

_Cleopatra_, the, wreck of, 69

Clouds, luminous, 270;
stratus and altro stratus, 193

Coaster, Brazilian, 18, 19

Coast, following the, 138

Coast-pilot, French, budget of, 72

Colchichoali, 107

Cockburn Channel, in, 94

Coldest period of the year, 362, 363

Cold metal, contact with, 262, 263

Cold not a serious cause of suffering, 257

Colony, Belgian, 59

Colours sparingly distributed, 184

Cornet, 382

Coming of the night, preparing for the, 208

Comparisons, 172, 173

Complaints, 206, 207, 231, 330

Conclusion, one, 374, 375

Constellations, new, 17, 18

Contrast, weird, 196

Cook, Captain, 223, 266

Cook, Frederick A., Dr., joins antarctic expedition, 3–5, 7, 19,
21;
volunteers services to expedition, 47, 48;
on the _Belgica_, 50;
visits sheep farm, 72–76;
efforts to return to the _Belgica_, 76, 77;
aids Wiencke, 127;
attempts to land, 132, 133, 158;
responds to call, 141, 179;
rescues Gerlache, 189;
plans of, 192;
sleeping on a floe, 212–215;
views ice-pack from crow’s-nest, 216–218, 239, 243, 248;
gives aid, 249, 272;
impressions, 287;
literary work, 300;
omits breakfast, 304, 305;
sees Danco’s illness, 309;
birthday of, 313, 314;
experience of, 321;
method of treatment, 322;
diagnosis of Lecointe’s case, 331;
treats Lecointe, 333, 378;
resolve of, 382;
plans ship’s release, 393

Crab-eating seals, 229, 242, 243

Crow’s-nest, 53;
view of pack from, 216–218

D

Dallman, German sealer, 129, 155

Danco, Emile, magnetician, 42, 43, 56, 136, 141, 142, 143, 149,
239;
unable to journey farther, 240;
building a hut, 241, 259, 263;
contrivance of, 273;
observatory of, 280;
illness of, 287, 292;
steadily failing, 296;
keeping up, 300;
sinking rapidly, 303;
failing, 309;
death of, 310;
burial of, 311, 312, 331

Danco land, 137, 143, 144, 149, 174

Darkness, soul-despairing, 295

Darkness, veil of, 276

Darwin, 96

Dawn, a long, 334;
shades of, 335

Day of departure, guesses at, 378

Day, the darkest, 323

Days and nights, change in length of, 221

Days of misery, 160;
rapidly getting shorter, 184, 248;
the darkest, 323;
of promise, 342, 343;
of feasting, 343

Debarkment, ready for, 29;
fourteenth, 145

December second, latitude and longitude, 378;
temperature, 379;
sixteenth, temperature, 381

Deception Island, 126, 192

Deep-sea creatures, 268, 269

De Gamboa, Pedro Sarmiento, survey’s Magellan Strait, 83

De Gerlache, Adrian, Commandant, 4, 5, 22;
projects exploring expedition, 39;
secures the _Belgica_, 41, 42;
visits Norway, 41, 43;
sinks financial support, 44;
room of, 56, 57;
attempts to land on Auguste Island, 132, 133, 141, 142, 158, 183;
inclines to winter in the pack, 191, 239, 244, 248, 287;
work on ship’s log, 300;
order of, 327, 335;
opinion of, 349, 372

Departing day, last signs of, 286

Deplorable condition, 336

Depth, increase in, 276

Despondency, 312

Destination, deceptive nearness of, 352, 353

Destiny, doubtful, 199–201

Destruction, threatened, 280

_Detroit de la Belgica_, 147

Diet, 351

Discoveries, names affixed to, 131;
on the threshold of, 154

Diurnal range, greatest, 381

Dobrowolsky, Ass. Meteorologist, 182;
assists Lecointe, 263, 336

Doyle, A. Conan, 308

Drake, Francis, Sir, 24;
through Magellan Strait, 83

Dredges, trawls and, 54

Drift, 209, 210, 262–266, 269, 271, 276, 297, 315, 337, 338;
longitudinal, 367, 378

Drift-snow, 227

_Dulce de leche_, 61

E

Easter Sunday 254, 255

Edges of the fields, difficulty in determining, 363

El Cerro, Mount of, 29

Electric glow, 247

Electricity, 273

Elizabeth, Queen, 24

Elizabeth Island, debarkment at, 77;
sheep-farming on, 77, 78;
discovery by Drake, 78

Embalmed meats, 208, 232

Energy decreasing, 300

Escapes, narrow, 150

Eskimo model, 336, 337

Evaporation, 351

Exact latitude, uncertainty of, 342

Excursion to iceberg, 286–288

Expedition, entire success of, 406

Extended outing, longing for, 345

Exercise, 334

Expedition, Belgian Antarctic, in Rio, 4, 6, 7;
farewell to, 12;
project of, 40–45;
feast for, 44;
leaves Antwerp, 45;
at Ostend, 46;
accepts Dr. Cook’s services, 47;
leaves Ostend, 48, 49;
prepared for scientific study, 53;
discomforts of, 93, 96

Expedition, Danish East Greenland, 43

Expedition, Vega, 45

F

Favourite temperature, 297

Feast, subscription, 44

February 7th, 8th, 144;
9th, 146;
12th, 150–152;
13th, 152;
14th, 156–159;
15th, 159;
16th, 162;
longitude, 164;
17th, rate of speed, 167, 168;
18th, 169;
19th, longitude, 172;
sounding, 175;
20th, temperature, 177;
21st, 180;
temperature and position, 183, 184;
22d, 184;
temperature, 187;
23d, 188–192;
latitude and longitude, 189;
24th, 192;
25th, temperature and position, 193;
27th, latitude and longitude, 193, 194;
28th, 194

Fire, excitement of a, 21, 246

First duty, 208

Fishing through a sounding-hole, 284

Fish, pelagic, 193

Fiskabolla, 233;
hatred of, 244

Fissures, large, 268

Fletcher, Rev. Mr., notes of, 24, 25

Floes, mysterious turning of, 210;
tendency of, 239;
disheartening change of, 278–280;
grown to encouraging dimensions, 305;
protecting, 306;
charged with bergs, 375;
lessening slowly, 381

Flores Island, heading for, 28

Food, dissatisfaction with, 231–233, 397, 398, 405

Force expended, 297

Fuegian life, studies of, 192

Fuegians, the unknown, 98

Fuel, necessary to economise, 256

Fur sealers, American, 129

G

Game, difficulty of bringing in, 243

Gaston Islands, 138

Geographical problems proven, 265

Giant petrels, 222, 223

Glaciers, 124

Gold-mining, 86, 89, 90

Government, Chilean, 100

Grahamland, 148, 151, 152, 155, 192;
questions as to coast of, 163

Grand Island, 148

Gray days, 204

Greenland, regions about, 295

Gregory Bay, landing in, 69–72

H

Hail storm, debarking in, 30

Halos, 363

Harry Island, landing on, 136, 137

Health, 301, 302, 307, 334, 335, 362

Heart action, 291, 292

Heated discussions, 327

Heavens, brightness of the, 247

High temperature, danger of, 296

Highway, 147, 197

Hoarfrost, fur of, 351

Home-going, 400, 401

Hope Harbour, in, 92

Horizon, cheerful glow of, 336

Horses, Patagonian, 72, 73

“Hotel,” captain’s, 280

Hotel Oriental, night’s rest in, 31

Housebuilding, 248, 249

Hovgaard, Captain, 45

Howard, Mr. Thomas W., U. S. Consul to Uruguay, 37

Hughes Inlet, in, 133, 134

Humidity, suffering caused by, 257

Hummocks, 273, 287

I

Ice, wall of, 128, 130, 135–139;
varieties of, 153;
new world of, 154, 155;
start out over the, 179;
rambling through, 202;
signs of pressure on the, 225;
crevassed, 239;
commotion in the, 253;
spreading of the, 255;
new, 328;
purple, 335;
experience of greenish yellow, 353;
now most continuous, 363;
studying the changes of, 386–388;
thickness of, 388

Icebergs, the first, 122, 129;
grazing on, 168, 169;
seventy-eight, 175;
different forms ascribed to, 180–182, 195–198;
disturbing element of, 229, 230;
huge tabular, 239;
changing positions of, 305;
winter effect upon, 330, 384

Ice-blink, 161, 195, 198

Ice crystals, 245, 260, 287

Ice-fields, 287

Ice-flowers, 237, 238

Ice-pack, colours of the, 225

Ice pans, size of, 197

Ice-plain, snowless, 380

Ice-ramming, two days of, 198

Ice-surface, condition of, 350, 351

Ice-haze, opaque circle of, 371

Igloo, 357, 358

Imprisoned in sight of open sea, 400

Incident, startling, 285, 286

Indian huts, sites of, 95

Individual floes, movement among, 274, 275

Insomnia, 374

Islands, 94, 95

J

Jackson apparatus, 354

January 1st, 386;
5th, 390;
9th, 391;
sounding, 392;
12th, 393

Johansen, 336

Journey due north, 239, 240

June 1st, 303, 304;
2d, temperature, 304;
3d, 305;
temperature, 308;
4th, 309;
5th, 310;
7th, 311;
temperature, 312;
10th, 312;
temperature, latitude and longitude, 314;
10th, temperature, 329;
12th, temperature, 214;
19th, temperature, 318;
22d, temperature, 323;
24th, temperature, latitude and longitude, 324;
26th, 325;
29th, 326

July 4th, Independence Day, 327;
8th, temperature, 328;
12th, 330;
14th, temperature, 333;
15th, 334;
17th, 334;
21st, temperature, 335;
latitude and longitude, 337;
22d, 339;
23d, 342;
temperature, 343;
24th, 343;
temperature, 344;
25th, 344;
31st, temperature, 350, 354

Jupiter, 324

K

_Kartenaar_, the, cruiser, 46

Keeping watch, 360, 361

Killing a seal, 222

Knudsen, 125, 336

Koren, Y., 182, 242, 243

Kydbolla, 232, 233

L

Labours appreciated, 406

Lamp chimneys, substitutes for, 318

Lamplight necessary, 269

Lamp specialist, 318

Land life, forms of, 18

Larder, addition to, 330

Larsen Islands, debarkment on, 138, 139

Latitude and longitude, 189, 198

Latitude, 194;
farthest south, 297

Laurys, Consul, 8

Lawrence, John, Mr., 97

Leads, large, 235;
large open, 236;
converted into lakes, 237;
breadth of, 239;
green colours of, 262;
general direction of, 353, 368, 379

Lecointe, George, captain, 4;
describes final departure, 48, 49, 56, 57;
victim of _Mal de Mer_, 66;
visits sheep farm, 72–76;
efforts to return to the _Belgica_, 76, 77;
volunteers to rescue Wiencke, 127, 128, 136;
reports discovery of islands, 143;
sees first south polar star, 162, 164, 181;
obtains an observation, 189, 215, 221;
pays a forfeit, 244;
puts up box-shaped house, 248;
first observation in new house, 249;
mending instruments, 259;
tries observations, 261;
sighting the stars, 262, 263, 276;
sees inexplicable light, 285;
deduces position, 297;
completes details, 300;
certificate presented by, 313;
experiment of, 314;
in the “baking treatment,” 321;
good humour of, 330;
bad symptoms of, 331;
recovery of, 333;
elation of, 337;
appearance of, 341, 349, 378;
observations, 391, 395

Legation, Belgian, 3

Leopold, King, 41;
visits the _Belgica_, 47;
birthday of, 249, 250, 386, 406

Leptonychotes Weddelli, 383

Le Maire, navigator, 83

Lichens, moss and, 141

Liege Island, 137, 145, 148

Life, only cheerful, 183;
on the pack, 202;
value of, 372

Livingston Island, 123, 124

Light daily increasing, 330

Loboden Carcinophaga, 368, 383

Londonderry Island, on, 95, 96

Long night, commencement of, 278;
fifth day of, 288

Low Island, 128

M

Machine, Monacho, 55

Magalhães, Fernão de, 67–69

Magelestris, 186

Magellan, 82, 98

Magellan Strait, fortification of, 83

Magdalene Sound, through, 93

Mail, reading the, 405

Mainland, continuation of, 162

_Mal de mer_, 65, 66

March 1st, latitude and longitude, 264;
4th, 201;
sounding, 202;
13th, 206;
15th, 211;
16th, 214;
temperature, 218;
17th, temperature, 221;
18th, 221;
19th, 223;
20th, temperature, latitude and longitude, 227;
21st, 230;
22d, temperature, 234;
23d, temperature, 234;
25th, 236;
26th, temperature, 237;
27th, 238;
28th, 241, 401;
29th, 241;
31st, temperature, 243

Maury, Lieutenant, 54

May 1, 274;
16th, latitude and longitude, 281;
17th, 283;
temperature, 284;
18th, 286;
health and spirits, 289–292;
22d, temperature, 292;
27th, temperature, 294;
29th, 296;
temperature, 297;
31st, latitude, 367;
latitude and longitude, 297;
temperature, 298

Meal, a needed, 354;
time in preparing a, 356

Medicament of little service, 331, 332

Megaptera Boops, 369

Melaerts, J., 336

Men, humorous and sorrowful sight of, 173;
kept busy, 305

Menendez, Alexander, Chilean sheep-farmer, 72, 73–75, 107

Mending, 259

Meteorological work, 300

Michotte, the cook, importance of, 182;
strength of, 331

Midnight, darkest days of, 318–321

Midnight thaw, 318

Mirage of the moon, 299

Mirages seen for the first time, 184

Mission, success of, 390, 391

Mist, opaque, 361

Monotony, effect of, 301

Mount Allo, 130, 138

Mount Brugman, 137

Mount Buena Vista, form of, 22

Mount Pierre, 130

Mount Sarmiento, glaciers of, 94

Mount William, 147

Montevideo, cable message to, 405;
in the harbour of, 28;
city of, 29, 31–33;
University of, 33;
time spent in, 35;
promenades of, 36;
charming women of, 36, 37;
general impressions of, 38

Monte-Video, San Felipe de, 31

Month of August, disappointment in, 362

Months, happiest, 270, 271

Moon, anomalous faces of the, 206;
curious attraction of the, 247;
first glimpse of, 269, 270

Monotony, 326

Mother Earth, substitute for, 306

Murray, John, “Antarctica” of, 265

Mysterious land signs of, 185, 186

N

Nansen, Fridtjof, Dr., 43;
wires Belgian expedition, 45;
health of crew of, 321;
pattern of, 347;
tent plans of, 348

Nansen Island, 144, 148

“Nansen,” the mascot, 325, 326

Narratives, part suppressed of, 290

Nautical observations, conditions permitting, 172

Navigation, extreme difficulty of, 185

Navigation, season for, 188

Neumayer Channel, 148

Neumayer, Dr., 45

News, happiest, 338

Newspapers, 404

Newly discovered land, formal taking possession of, 240

New Year’s Day, 386–389

Nights, character of, 176, 177

Night of special interest, 151, 152

Noises, 132, 187, 197, 198, 297

Noonatak, ascent of a, 141–143

Noonataks, 138

Nordenskiold, Professor, 39

Notable sights, 146

Northerly winds, characteristic of, 261

November 4th, 18;
7th, 19;
8th, 20;
10th, 27;
9th, 373;
16th, storm on, 61–64;
25th, latitude and longitude, 373;
26th, 274, 376;
temperature, 375;
27th, temperature, 377

O

Observations, 263

Occupations, 269, 382

Oceanography, 54

October 15th, 367;
29th, 30

Officers and men, work of, 397, 398

Official holidays, 336

Official weather forecasts, 350

Ogmorhynus Leptonyx, 383

Omnatoplesca Rossi, 392

Onas, notes on the, 97;
the giant, 99;
homes of, 99, 100;
trouble with, 100, 101;
population, 102, 103;
physical development, 103, 104;
mental equipment, 104;
language, 105;
food, 105, 106;
delegation to sheep farm, 106–108;
weapons, 108, 109;
chase, 109, 110;
clothing, 110;
house, 111;
family, 112;
Ona girl, 112–114;
marriage relations, 114–116;
unwritten laws, 116, 117;
morals, 117, 118

Open leads, no, 336

Open sea, heading for the, 400

Open spaces of water, special study in finding, 363, 364

Opinion, difference of, 206, 207

Ossifragea gigantea, 383

Ossifrages, 186

Osterrieth, Madame, 44

Osterrieth Mountains, 146

Outhouses, 273, 280

Outlook, melancholy, 294

P

Pack, expansion of, 228, 229;
appearance of, in drift snow, 235;
danger of venturing over the, 268;
movement in the, 374, 375

Pack-ice, southward through the, 163, 164;
in the, 183;
travelling over, 386;
last latitude of, 400

“Pack Loafer’s World,” 232

Pagodroma nivea, 381

Palmer archipelago, 148

Palmer, Nathaniel, Captain, 129, 148

_Pampero_, 61–64

Panorama, view of new, 163

Pans separated, 359, 360;
diminution of, 379

Paraselenas, 247, 258, 363

Parhelias, 245, 247, 258, 260, 363, 371

Patagonia, along the coast of, 64–66;
sheep farming in, 73–75

Paths, 273

_Patria_, the, 41

Peary, Arctic Expedition, 331

Peary, Lieutenant, 147, 316

Peary, Mrs., 7

Peculiar phenomena, 389

Pedersen, Captain, 41

Penguins, 78, 79;
city of, 143, 186, 187;
royal, 193, 198, 201, 202, 210;
weird response of, 224, 229;
meat use of, 234;
group of, 235;
tracks, direction of, 239;
meat, 333, 334;
hunting, new system of, 382

Peter Island, 202, 265

Petrels, 193, 198, 201, 218, 229

Phosphorescent snow, 286

Phosphorescence, tests of, 367, 368

Photographic, day, a, 145

Photographs, feeble light for, 262, 293, 373

Photograph, midnight, 144

Physical appearance, 398

Physical loss, 291

Physiognomies, curious, 404

Polar anæmia, 302, 321, 322, 331

Polar farm, 279

Polar night, attractions of, 366

Polar regions, reasons for fascination of, 218–220

Polar river, great, 356

Polar summer, passing into, 370

Polar work, Brazilian versions of, 7

Port Famine, 84

Predecessors, historical record of, 129, 130

Premonitions, 190

Presidents, methods for changing, 28, 29

Pressure, great, 298

Prismatic effects, 260

Programmes, long series of new, 192, 372

Puntas Arenas, growth of, 80;
astonishing character, 81, 82;
history of, 82–86;
street scenes, 86–88;
location, 88;
result of discoveries, 88–90;
architecture, 90;
immigrants, 90, 91;
leaving, 92;
in port at, 401–405

Q

Questions, 315

R

Racovitza, Emile, zoölogist, in advance of expedition, 8, 42;
arrangements made by, 81, 132, 133, 136;
discovery of, 143;
finds sea algae, 175;
plans of, 192;
studies, 241, 242;
kills seals, 243, 244;
patches pantaloons, 259;
fishes, 267, 268;
in the laboratory, 299;
plans a book, 300;
humor of, 337;
plays whist, 344;
sees new bird, 377;
gets specimens, 391;
remark of, 395, 405

Raleigh, Walter, Sir, 83

Recreation, 239

Recuperation, backwardness in, 365, 366

Regions, disheartening series of, 351

Renewed interest, 342

Resting place for the night, 150

Results, 390, 391

_Retribution_, H. M. S., 32

Reynard, H. I., Mr., originator of first Magellanic sheep farming,
77, 78

Rhodes, 91

Ridges, 272, 273

Rio de Janeiro, city of, 10–12

Rio de la Plata, importance of the, 22, 23;
in the, 59, 60

Rio, from Madeira to, 17

Rio Grande do Sul, province of, 20

Rising, difficulty of, 303, 304

Ross seals, 392

Routine, regular, 301

Royal Geographical Society opens subscription list, 41

S

Sail Rock, 125, 126

Samples of sea life, 299

Sanarelli, I., Dr., Italian bacteriologist, 33–35

Sandy Point, first sight of, 79

Schollaert, Mr., Minister of the Interior, 44

Schouten, navigator, 83

Scene, a despairing, 196;
fairy-like, 352

Scientific staff, short excursions of, 227;
return home of, 405

Sea algae, 175, 217, 286

Sea-ice, 229, 230

Sea lanes, 217

Sea-leopard, 210, 211

Seals, 186, 198, 201, 202, 210, 328, 329;
examine tent, 360;
killed, 277;
means of obtaining, 382

Sealers, Norwegian, 40

Sealing, 27

“Seal, new,” 180

Seal shooting, 293

Securing game, efforts in, 364

Sensation, a strange, 199

September 8th, temperature, 363

Settlement, penal, 84, 85

Sheep farming, 73–76, 86, 89, 100, 102

Ship arranged for the winter, 271, 272

Short-lived hilarity, cause of, 372, 373

Sierra Du Fief, 147

Sight, an exciting, 204–206

Signs, constant, 203;
deceptive, 186;
of nearness to open sea, 275, 276

Silence, 343

Situation, a curious, 199

Ski, on, 235, 239, 248, 274, 306, 319, 320, 329, 353, 384

Ski-travelling, excellent, 239

Skis and sledges, difficulty of using, 242

Skis, Norwegian, 228

Sledge journeys, 349

Sledges, lesson learned regarding, 244

Sledging party, return of, 359, 362

Sledge-shoeing, 351

Sledging-party, 349

Sledge travelling, 350–353, 355, 356, 359–362

Sleep, character of, 201

Sleeping bag, 212, 214

Smith Island, 123

Snowfall, total, 379

Snow, filled with, 371, 372

Snowhouse, building the second, 356, 357;
sojourn in, 358

Snow made adhesive, 242

Snow-shoes, 222;
travel on, 228

Snow showers, 376

Social enthusiasm worn out, 385, 386

Society, Rio Geographical, 10, 12

Solid ground, longing for, 386

Solvay, Mr., promoter of science, 40

Sophie Rocks, opposite, 144

Sounding, 202;
deep-sea, 189

Soundings, 121, 122

South America, milk and butter in, 60, 61;
most noted man in, 33

South American cities, growth of, 25

Southern cross, 315

South polar exploration, season for, 43

South polar lands shielded, 203

South Shetland Islands, 121–125, 128, 129

Special feast, 313

Star, first south polar, 162

Steaming slowly westward, 152

Staten Island, final adieu at, 121

Steubenrach, Mr., 100

Storm, a melancholy, 126–128;
demons, 62–64;
effect of, 220–224;
off Patagonia, 61–64;
on edge of the pack, 194–197

Storms, temperature after, 227

Stoves, 316–318

Strait of Magellan, in the, 69–71

Suits, different styles of, 347

Summer nightless days, 373, 374

Sun, a peep at the, 224;
unreliable as a fixed point, 261;
sight of the returning, 339–342;
normal face of the, 344, 345;
highest altitude of, 387

Sun effect, 283, 284

Sunset phenomena, 187, 188, 190;
strikingly beautiful, 19, 20

Sunday jaunt, 293

Sunday, observance of, 296

Sunburst, slight suggestion of, 277, 278

Sunshine, rarity of, 376

Surroundings, new charms of, 201

Surprise, ornithological, 171

Survey, 145

System, American Sigsbee, 54

T

Tabular iceberg, deceptive nearness of, 352;
distance and appearance of, 355, 356;
reached, 383–385

Task, first large, 121

Temperature, 137, 209, 210, 218, 224, 333;
maximum and minimum, 363, 372, 373;
normal, 377, 383

Temperatures at various depths, 189

Tent pitched, 353, 354, 360, 361

Tents, 348

Terre de Danco, 149

Thaw coming, 222

Tierra del Fuego, 186, 390

Tollefsen, 179;
permanently deranged, 385

Top line, 287

Tonite, 53;
explosive power of, 394, 395

_Torro_, the, gunboat, 92

Tracks, 335

Transformation, rapid, 208, 209

Treatment, system of, 332

Trenches, cutting, 393, 394

Triangulation, sights made for, 138

Trophies, 385

Tropical night, approach of, 16

Twilight, bright blue, 344;
midday, 288, 299

Two days gale, 370–372

Two Hummock Islands, 136

U

Undercurrent, suggestion of an, 375

Uruguay, sandy beds of, 27, 28;
population, 31;
imports, 32;
fruit and vegetables of, 60

Ushuaia, small town of, 97

V

Van der Steen, Count, Minister of Belgian Legation, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9,
12, 16

Van Mirlo, desperate effort of, 361

Van Wyck Island, 148

Van Wyck, Mayor, 148

View, general aspect of, 272, 273

Vapour, peculiar, 287

Ventilation, best means of, 256

Vessel, desperate attempt to reach, 361, 362

View, superb, 136, 137

Volunteers called for, 141

Visit of penguins and seals, 210

W

Walk, awkward, 402, 403

Wandel, Commander, of Copenhagen, 43

Warm weather, constant complaints of, 277

Watches, 355

Water-sky, 171, 185, 187, 217, 305

Water supply, 139, 140

Wauwermans Islands, 147

Weather unendurable, 308

Weddell sea-leopards, 356

Weddell Sea, search for opening into, 135

Welcoming the day, 342

Westerly, a chance to push, 193

Whaleboat Sound, in, 94, 95

Whist, game of, 304

White House, 8

White rainbow, or fog-eater, 262

White Squadron, 32

Wiencke, loss of, 126–128

Wiencke Island, 147

Wild life, stirs of, 165

Wilhelmina Bay, 143

Wilhelmina, Queen, 46, 386

Wilke, 266

“Williwaws,” 93

Wind, fury of the, 20, 21;
weather depending on the, 258, 310;
service of, 388

Winter campaign of work, 241

Wintering in the pack, opposition to, 191, 192

Work, first and most important, 271

Women, first glimpse of, 403

Y

Yacht Club, Antwerp, 46

Yahgans, 99

Yankee Harbour, 192

Yellow fever, germ of, 33–35

FOOTNOTES:

[2] G. Neumayer, “Die Erforschung des Süd-Polar Gebietes.” Berlin, 1872.

G. Neumayer, “Ueber Südpolarforschung” (Report of the Sixth International Geographical Congress, London, 1895).

Sir John Murray, “The Renewal of Antarctic Exploration” (“Geographical Journal,” January, 1894); and the “Narrative” of the _Challenger_ Reports.

K. Fricker, “Entstehung und Verbreitung des Antarktischen Treibeises.” Leipzig, 1893.

K. Fricker, “Antarktis.” Berlin, 1898.

For bibliography, see T. Chavanne, “Die Literatur über die Polar-Regionen der Erde” (Wien, 1878); and the Antarctic Number of the “Scottish Geographical Magazine” (October, 1898).

[3] Bull. Soc. Géol. de France [3], xxiii, p. 589.

Transcriber’s Notes:

1. Obvious printers’, punctuation and spelling errors have been corrected silently.

2. Where hyphenation is in doubt, it has been retained as in the original.

3. Some hyphenated and non-hyphenated versions of the same words have been retained as in the original.

4. Italics are shown as _xxx_.