Reading "The Voyage of the Discovery" by Robert Falcon Scott, I started to become intrigued about who actually was the first on landing on the Antarctic continent. What I believed, so far, was that the first on doing that were the members of the norwegian whale cruise "Antarctica", to which Carsten Borchgrevink had joined in 1894. However, after digging for a while, I have discovered that there were others before him who could have been the first.
This belief was adopted by subsequent geographers who also included this land in their maps like it is believed that Piri Reis did in his map in 1513, though it hasn´t been enterily proved that what he depicted in that map was actually Terra Australis:
1570 map by Abraham Ortelius depicting Terra Australis Nondum Cognita (transl. The southern land yet not known) as a large continent on the bottom of the map
It was not until James Cook second voyage (1772–1775), when Antarctic circle was crossed several times. Cook brought home word of several facts which, quite the opposite to discourage others to venture on those waters, would impulse the exploration of southern seas in the following years.
First, it was demonstrated that there was no land at the latitudes that Terra Australis was supposed to be, something which confused geographers of the time. Second, that it was possible to sail at southern latitudes that formerly was thought possible but also that there was an ice barrier apparently impossible to cross. And third, and mainly the main reason for what followed, the expedition brought news about the abundance of whales which plagued those regions. So it wasn´t, then, curiosity or a spirit of exploration which actually drove civilization to the discovery of the famous and elusive frigid continent, but the high demand of whale oil and possibly furs which reached its peak in the nineteenth century.
So, it is not a surprise that it wasn´t till the beginning of the nineteenth century that mainland was actually seen for first time below the Antarctic circle. The fuel which proppelled whalers and sealers to the south was the same that push them through the north shores of Baffin Bay and through the entrance of the Northwest Passage.
It is not completely clear to me who was the the first on seeing the Antarctic continent. It is said that it could have been Fabien Gottlieb Bellinghausen during the first Russian Antarctic expedition (1819-21) who, on board the ships Vostok (which name would be given to the Russian Antarctic base), and the Mirny, saw allegedly the Antarctic continent the 27 of febreruary of 1820. But other sources give the merit to Edward Bransfield who together with William Smith, landed in South Shetland islands and soon after, the 30th January of 1820, saw the Antarctic continent.
Apparently, after the discovery of South Shetland islands by William Smith a year before in 1819, the archipielago soon become a base for whaling expeditions coming from Britain and America. It seems that Yankee Harbour and deception island offered them particularly good shelter for their flotillas during the following years. The next season of that same year 1819 that William Smith and Bransfield returned to the islands there were two more ships in the area, the american whaler Hersilia and Espirito Santo from Buenos Aires. Months later, on November 17, 1820, Nathaniel Palmer, also saw the continent while looking for new hunting grounds on board the auxiliary sloop Hero. Journals of Espirito Santo were not conserved so it is impossible to ascertain if they could have visited the continent too.
But none of these expeditions landed on the mainland, it would take almost a year after the first sighting of Antarctica land till someone left the first human print in the continent. Here, it is necessary to mention the fact that ship of the line, St Telmo, with more than 600 people on board, was supposed to have shipwrecked on 2nd September 1819 in Livinstong island, being then the first on unwillinly "land" on South Shetland islands shores though, if that was true, no one lived enough to tell the story.
Let´s see the chronology of landings and some other prominent explorers who had an important role in the discovery of the continent:
John Davis sealer First landing on Antarctica (7 february 1821)
There were several John Davis involved in the discovery of polar regions. John Davis the ancient mariner who discovered Falkland islands and penetrated Baffin bay till discover the gates of the Northwest Passage, John King Davis, chief of the Nimrod who accompanied Shackleton and a surprising one, John Davis an American sealer, who apparently was the first on landing the 7th of February 1821 on the Antarctic continent.
John Davis was captain of the ship Huron which was accompanied by Christopher Burdick. captain of the Huntress. It is not a surprise that one of these whalers decided to explore if there was land south of South Shetland islands since the continent is not really that far from them.
In 1955 the document "The voyage of the Huron and Huntress" published a very intersting narration about the events which surrounded John Davis landing in Antarctica and gives a very intersting historical context to it. The journals of the ships Huron and Huntress were found in 1952 by Alexander O. Victor, Curator of Maps at Yale.
The book highlights the role of whalers and sealers in polar the exploration of Antarctica. From it I have excerpted some paragraphs that give a good idea about who actually where the real discoverers of those far shores:
"It Is with the voyages of these mariners among the South Shetland Islands that we are herein chiefly concerned. On this fringe of Antarctic seas, they established camp and rendezvous, sailing through the Ice-filled channels and along the rocky shores of the desolate islands; here they lived incredible lives, plundering the rookeries and exterminating the seal. And here they braved the unknown dangers of the icy, uncharted waters to the south, becoming the first among men to sight, recognize and land where rise the snowy mountains of the last great continent—Antarctica."
Apparently, after news have spread about these new hunting grounds, South Shetland islands were invaded by ships and schooners during the summer season of 1820-21. Among them, John Davis, whose season wasn´t been as good as he had expected in the archipielago, took a decission which will bring him to the glory of being a "first".
The season was finishing and they needed to fill their holds before returning home. If there was any spirit of exploration, it must have been well buried under the more powerful spirit of hunting:
". , . Concluded to make the best of our way for our People that is sta- tioned on the South Beach, and then to go on a cruise to find new Lands, as the Seal is done here . . ."
John Davis started to sail south, southwest jumping from island to island hunting on all those which wasn´t previously occupied by other sealers. From Smith island to Low island and from Low island to Hoseason Island, 20 miles off Hughes bay in the Antarctica peninsula. From here, the final leap to reach te continent was the obvious following step to follow and they made it.
Here, I prefer to paste the description of this historical episode from the The voyage of the Huron and Huntress as it includes the original Davis´s log entries from which I decided to inspire the title of this post and which the author of the paper also decided to name a chapter:
"I THINK THIS SOUTHERN LAND TO BE A CONTINENT"
As it used to happen in the history of Polar exploration (and in history in general), particular individuals participating in glorious events are not remembered, just their leaders.
But, once clarified who were the first, it is interesting to analyze other historic subsequent landings which followed Davis, though not in the continent necessarily, like the one made by James Clark Ross in Possession island.
It is very interisting and strange the fact that, in spite of being one of the expeditions which more extensively and thoroughly explored the shores of Antarctica, making impressive discoveries like mount Erebus and Terror, the Ross ice shelf, etc., Ross didn´t land in the continent. He was pretty close, though, when he landed in Possesion island. A superb painting depicts this historical moment, but more superbly is his account of that day.
According to James account, that wasn´t the best place to land, but he was terribly close to do it.
"...there was a strong tide running to the south, between Possession Island and the main land, and the Terror had some difficulty to avoid being carried by it against the land ice. Future navigators should therefore be on their guard in approaching the coast at this place."
I read James Ross narrative of the voyage long time ago so and I don´t remember another occasion on which they could have risked to land.
From Ross we jump to the story of another whaler, Mercator Cooper.
Ten years after, another interesting character appeared into scene. This again was a whaling-sealing cruise (Levant) which led a man with the surprising name of Mercator to land in Oates´s land. Wikipedia wrongly states that Mercator was the first "visitor" of Antarctica.
The log of this whaling cruise is digitalized and available here.
And finally, we find Carsten Borchgrevnik, who later would command the Southern Cross expedition and who was for some time believed to be the first on landing on Antarctica:
He joined the norwegian whaler Antarctica in 1894, landed first on Possession island (following Ross´s steps) on 17 January 1895, explored and later landed in the continent, as it is described in "The cruise of Antarctica to the south polar regions" by Henrik Johan Bull.
While reading his narative (among miriads of mentions to the absence or presence of whales), I couldn´t avoid to extract this passage with made me feel curious about his true personality:
They kept on sailing south and then decided to come back north. When they passed Cape Adare again, they decided to land:
"January 24. — Cape Adare was made at midnight The weather was now favourable for a landing, and at 1 a.m. a party, including the Captain, second mate, Mr. Borchgrevinck, and the writer, set off, landing on a pebbly beach of easy access, after an hour's rowing through loose ice, negotiated without difficulty. In the calm weather little or no swell was observable against the shore. ...."
Then it comes anoter remark about the annoying lack of whales contrary to what Ross had described in his narrative of his journey to this part of the world:
"The sensation of being the first men who had set foot on the real Antarctic mainland was both strange and pleasurable, although Mr. Foyn would no doubt have preferred to exchange this pleasing sensation on our part for a Right whale even of small dimensions"
And then it comes an interesting reflection:
"Our presence was not much appreciated, considering the millions of years which must have elapsed since the last visit by prehistoric man or monkey — before the glacial period. Our seaboots were bravely attacked as we passed along their ranks."
And then a pole was erected and a box was left which I wonder if it is still there or if someone found by other expeditions:
"To commemorate our landing, a pole was erected, carrying a box, on which was painted the Norwegian colours, the date, and the vessels name.
These weren´t the only ones on taking a "sample" of penguins with them, Ross and others had that mania too.
No land animal like the Arctic bear has ever been observed by any Antarctic traveller — the * mysterious tracks in the snow,' etc., mentioned by one of our number were not observed by anyone else at the time — and certainly the possibility of finding Antarctic nations, etc., is too imbecile to require serious discussion.
"We bade farewell about 3 a.m. to those of our hosts which we did not take away with us for a trip to natural history museums, and passed two very anxious and troublesome hours before regaining the vessel, as they had omitted to keep a look-out for us on board. We thus had the pleasure of seeing the shijp working in towards the land in one direction, whilst we were compelled by the ice to take an opposite one. By shouting in chorus we at last attracted attention, and saw the course altered towards us."
Bull ends his description of the land he visited reporting that the bay at Cape Adare would be a perfect place to land and to stablish a base. This would be the place chosen for Carsten Borchgrevnik to winter during the Southern Cross expedition.
There is an interesting article about this landing here which shows a wonderful picture of both men.
Bull and Borchgrevnik may be not be the first on landing on Antarctica but definitely were the ones who opened the gates to the discovery of its interior soon after in 1897 by the Belgica expedition and after in 1898 by the Southern Cross expedition, both the first on wintering in the Antarctic regions.
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