Description
Scarce c.20th map of the west coast of Ross Island, Antarctica from the resulting mapping of Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s expedition to Antarctica 1910-1913. Scott led the Terra Nova Expedition and his ambition was to be the first to reach the geographic South Pole.
Although dated 1912, the map was published in 1923.
The Terra Nova Expedition, also known as the British Antarctic Expedition (1910-1913), led by Captain Robert Falcon Scott, aimed to conduct scientific research and reach the geographic South Pole. They reached the pole on January 17, 1912, only to discover that a Norwegian team led by Roald Amundsen had beaten them by 34 days. Tragically, Scott and his four companions perished during their return journey from the pole.
The map was made by the Australian geologist, Frank Debenham. Debenham began his geological and cartographical work on the western side of McMurdo Sound, where he visited the Koettlitz and Ferrar glacier, and the foothills of the Royal Society Range. An injury to his knee playing football in the snow prevented him from going on the ill-fated polar attempt, going instead to the Mackay Glacier and Granite Harbour. His party explored and mapped some 100 miles of coastline, extending in places up to 30 miles inland. One of his most significant contributions to the Terra Nova expedition “was his expertise in plane-table mapping. He convinced Scott and other members of the expedition of its value not only at base camps but also on sledge journeys. Scott in his diary recorded that Debenham was ‘a well-trained, sturdy worker, with a quiet meaning that carries conviction; he realises the conceptions of thoroughness and conscientiousness’
Collections:
State Library New South Wales: Call Numbers: Q989.8/D
State Library South Australia: 998.9 D286 c
National Library New Zealand: P q919.9 BRI 1923
York University Library: Call number GA 257 D43
