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Auction: 1016 - Important Stamps & Covers
Lot: 40

Antarctica 1902-03 Drygalski Expedition 1903 (1 July) Eastern and South African Telegraph Co., Ltd. form from Richthofen in Berlin to Drygalski on board the Gauss at cape Town, asking for news of the panned exploration, and the reply (2 July) on German telegraph form reporting good progress and new discoveries, Drygalski´s draft reply on reverse of the former; 1903 German telegraph form from Kaiser Wilhelm in Berlin to Drygalski in Kiel conveying Imperial Greetings to the crew of the Gauss; 1903 (Aug.) Eastern Telegraph Co. Ltd. St. Helena Station telegraph form from Dr. Lewald in Berlin to the expedition at Jamestown; 1904 (Jan.) German telegraph form from Dr. von Neumayer in Neustadt Haardt to the Expedition in Berlin; 1904 (Jan.) German telegraph form from Sven Hedin in Stockholm to Drygalski in Berlin conveying his best wishes on the expedition, and another similar form from Chun in Leipzig to Drygalski in Kiel with good luck message A remarkable and unique group from the 1st. German South Polar Expedition Estimate £ 10,000-12,000 Note: Drygalski left Kerguelen, not realising that he would be the second ship to overwinter due to being trapped in the ice. The expedition consisted of only five naval officers, five scientists (including himself) and twenty-two crew members. The "Gauss" left Heard Island on 3 February with the Antarctic mainland being spotted on 21 February, Drygalski naming this Kaiser Wilhelm II Land. On reaching the iceshelf the ship was trapped for nearly a year. Although this curtailed his planned expeditions on land he made sledge journeys to Gaussberg and he also made a balloon journey to a height of 500m. to view the surrounding landscape. "Gauss" was only released on 8 February and finally left the iceshelf on 31 March. The expedition travelled back via Heard Island, Kerguelen and Amsterdam Island, and reached Durban on 31 May. The ship stayed in South Africa until September when the "Gauss" made the journey back to Germany, finally arriving in Kiel on 25 November, over two years since they departed In 1904 the "Gauss" was sold to the Canadian Government and made seven voyages under Capt. Joseph Bernier. Renamed C.G.S. "Arctic" she patrolled the Arctic islands to establish Canada´s sovereign rights. She was eventually sold for scrap and broken up

Sold for
£8,500