Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 01.djvu/295

LEFT ARCTIC EXPLORATIONS 237 ARCTIC EXPLORATIONS August 11, and 22 Eskimos, 246 dogs, and renewed supplies of coal and fresh meat were taken aboard. Winter quar- ters were established at Port Sheridan, a little north of those of 1905. The fol- lowing February, with the return of the Arctic day, a chain of depots was started. Peary's base was the land mass "thought to be nearest the Pole." The march over the ice began March 1st. Ten days later, in lat. 84° 29', a portion of the party returned under Dr. Goodsell ; when 85° 25' had been attained, a second sec- tion under Borup returned. Peary per- sisted with 12 men, 10 sledges, and 80 dogs. A third section under Marvin lessened this party and finally a fourth commanded by Captain Bartlett started back when 87° 48' was reached. Peary now had with him only the negro Henson, four Eskimos, and forty picked dogs. There were 125 miles still to traverse, which was done in five days' marches of equal length, 89° 57' being reached on the 6th of April. Peary collapsed here from exhaustion when within actual sight of his goal. The following day he reached it and planted the Stars and Stripes at the apex of the earth — one of the greatest achievements of the cen- turies. For his exploit Peary received gold medals from numerous scientific bodies, was promoted to the rank of rear admi- ral for life, and received the thanks of Congress. He was given the cordon of a grand officer of the Legion of Honor of France in 1913. His own record of his career is full — including "North- ward Over the Great Ice" (2 vols., 1898) ; "Snowland Folk" (1904) ; "Near- est the Pole" (1907); and the "North Pole" (1910). Later explorations have been con- ducted by McMillan, Stefansson, Amund- sen, and others. These have added greatly to our knowledge of the geog- raphy for the Arctic regions. Antarctic Explorations. — One of the chief features which distinguishes the Antarctic polar region from the Arctic is the constant presence of high and violent winds of a much severer and more pro- longed character than those encountered in the north. Its coasts also are more difficult to approach because of the size and formation of its glaciers, and the presence of frequent oceanic ice-caps. The southern polar region has been little exploited in comparison with the North Pole up to a very few years ago. The latter was almost in the track of the hardy navigators who for centuries tried to find a northeast or northwest passage to the east. The Antarctic region offered no temptation whatever to maritime en- terprise. Ships had rounded South America's most southerly point since Magellan's time — after whom the Straits of Magellan are named — and there was nothing but the vaguest rumor to tempt the mariner farther south. The quest of the South Pole, the exploration of the Antarctic regions, were purely matters of scientific enterprise which were only to be inaugurated after the opposite polar regions had beeen thoroughly mapped. It is a curious fact, however, that both poles were only finally discov- ered within a few years of each other; Peary reaching his goal April 7, 1909, while Amundsen found the South Pole Dec. 14, 1911. The Antarctic area approaching the Pole from all sides is divided by geog- raphers into four sections or quadrants named from adjacent lands and waters America, Africa, Australia, and Pacific. The African quadrant is still an un- known region, as the latitude of 70° S. has not yet been reached, and no land of any importance discovered. Into the American section the continent of Ant- arctica projects its most northerly coast. It was discovered by Captain Nathaniel B. Palmer, an American Yankee sealer, in 1820. It was first called Palmer Land (1882), and through gradual exploration has assumed the dimensions of a conti- nent extending now from lat. 63° to 70° S. and long. 52° to 77° W. There was a short exploratory period following Pal- mer's original discovery. Biscoe (1831) reaching 67° S., 72° W., D'Urville (1838) renaming parts of the land for the French under whose flag he sailed, and Ross, who in 1843 added the vast ex- panse known as Cockburn Island. Exploration ceased for a time, the whaler Dallmann, some 30 years after (1873) reaching 64° 45' S. Twenty years later (1892) Robinson discovered Dundee Island. Larsen, sailing under the flag of Sweden in 1893, found fos- sils on Seymour Land and added land along the east coast of Palmer Land to 68° 10', which he called King Oscar Land. Evensen in the same year at- tained 69° 10' S., 76° 12' W. Sweden had by this time taken up Antarctic ex- ploration very seriously, and a few years later a thoroughly well-planned scientific expedition under Baron Nordenskjold set out for the South Polar regions. Nor- denskjold discovered two flora of the Jurassic and Tertiary periods on Sey- mour Island, and mapped the eastern coast of Palmer Land to 66° 8'. A French explorer, Charcot, on two voyages, 1903 and 1910, extended the coast of Palmer Land to the southwest. He made im- portant discoveries that added much to