The Bulgarian participation in the race for the South Pole

In 1878 in the town of Koprivshtitsa the fourth son of Ivan Dushkov – Alexander, was born. Alexander Gerov is a nephew of Naiden Gerov, famous writer of the Bulgarian national revival. He studied in the French college in Plovdiv and there alongside the other sciences falls in love with the novels of Mayne Reid and Jules Verne. At the beginning of the last century he was sent abroad to study commerce. Alexander, however, decided that the monotonous life was not for him and chose the adventure. In 1902 he participated in an expedition in the Amazon. After living in Chile, South Africa and Australia, he met Robert Scott. The English officer told him about his expedition to the South Pole and Alexander decided to participate in it. To be chosen for the only vacancy as leader of the dog team, he used the diploma in veterinary of his brother Dimitar. Therefore, in the records of the expedition he remained with his brother’s name. On November 29, 1910 the ship Terra Nova left from New Zealand to Antarctica. On January 1, 1911 it laid alongside the glacier Ross. After the building of the base camp, group of 13 people, including Gerov, went deeper into the ice continent to make a large supply camp. On January 18, 1912 Robert Scott, together with another four people, at last reached the South Pole. During this time Alexander Gerov was waiting in the latter camp. After reaching the final goal, Scott understood that the pole had been conquered one month earlier by his competitor Amundsen. On the way back the five men were overtaken by an unexpected for the season storm and met their death. Later Alexander Gerov and several other people found them. They buried them and built the tomb of Scott from two sledges. In honor of the participation in the expedition of Alexander Gerov, a small peak in Antarctica was named after him by the deputy of Robert Scott – Priestley. After the end of the expedition the Bulgarian was living in New Zealand and then in Japan, where he died in the early 30's.