Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1905-12-11
,AMUNDSEN'S feat
NORWEGIAN CAPTAIN RE.DISCOV.
ERS MAGNETIC POLE.
Sailed His Ship Through Northwest
Passage From East to West.
Overland to Dawson From I'm.
priSOned Shlp-Feat Places Him
On Front Rank.

Dawson, Y. r., Dec. 7.-Captain
Amundson, commander of the Norwe-
gian polar expedition which staretd
three years ago, and one man, reached
Eagle Tuesday, after walking hundreds
of miles overland and enduring terri
BILE privations since June. They hoped
to leave the Arctic on American whal-
ers, but found them imprisoned. The
men then struck south overland. They
reported the whalers safe for the win
ter.
Amundsen visited the north magnet
ic pole with the sloop Gjoa, which was
imprisoned by ice and had to be left
at Simpson $ straits He is expected
at Dawson Saturday.
A mounted police expedition is as
sembling here to leave for Herschel
island on December 20.
The Varicle party arrived yesterday
from Seattle.
Seattle, Dec. From advices re
ceived here there is no doubt that Capt.
Road Amundsen' has accomplished the
two great objects of his expedition.
He has sailed his ship from Baffins
bay, via Leopold harbor, North Som
erset and King William island to the
mouth of the Mackenzie river. And
more, his vessel is safe in winter quar-
ters and his men are we'll. He has To-
Gated anew the north magnetic pole
and is further able to verify and prove
his observations.
When Mcclure traversed this region
in 1881 and claimed the honor of be-
ing the dicsoverer of northwest pass
age, he went from west to east, aban-
doned his ship and walked through.
Amundsen has sailed those seas in
safety.
1t is great feat, so great that the
whole scientific world is already agog
with excitement over its accomplish
ment.
A Year Ahead OF Time.
His statement as published in Ter
restrial Magnetism, and commented
upon by the National Geographic Mag
azine, as compared to the message to
Nansen from Fort Egbert shows that
he is nearly a year ahead of the time
which he set for the completion of the
work in the King William island OBJ
servations and at Herschel island.
The comment from the National Geo
graphic Magazine Oh Amundsen's an
ticle, setting forth the plans of his
expedition, follows:
1.-THE leader, Amundsen, took part
III the magnetic observations of the
Beligca south polar expedition, and SO
has already some experience i'll mag
netic work in polar regions. His ship,
the Gjoa, which has been specially
built for Arctic exploration, is seven
ty feet long, twenty feet broad, and
has tonnage of about forty eight.
She is provided with a small petro-
leum motor, and makes about foul
knots an hour. She will carry 30, 00C
liters of petroleum stored in iron yes
sells to serve for heating, cooking and
to furnigsh the motive power. The
vessel will be provisioned for four OF
six years and carry crew, with Off
GERS, of eight men.
MIR. Amundsen $ instruments
which will serve for making both alb
solute and relative magnetic observa
tons, We're constructed and tested un
der the direction of Prof. Neumayer
while director of 'Deutsche Seewarte.
His outfit also includes two self regis
tering Instruments
Washington, Dec. 1.-Ctilbert H
Grosvenor, Editor National Geographic
Society, has made the following state
ment:
Amundsen is the first man III histor,
to succeed in making the northwes
passage from east to west.
Fifty years ago, two Englishmen
Mcclure and Collinson, in search O
Frank lin, made the Northwest pas
sage. but they travelled from west t.
east. from Boring strait to Greenland
Amundsen has accomplished a fea
which for two centuries was the goa
of English and Scandinavian voyagers
and which was given up years ago "A
impossible of achievement.
When Amundsen left Christian;
two and half years ago, he statet
that his object was to locate anew
and, if possible, to reach the nortl
magnetic pole, which was located il
Bootha Felix land, about two hundred
miles north of the mouth of the Grea
Fish river, by James Ross, seventy
five years ago
The north magnetic pole does NOR
or less travelling each year. so that
careful redetermination of it has lonI
been necessary
Evidently Amundsen succeeded il
his work and also obtained many valu
able surveys of the North American
Arctic coast.
His party numbered seven, his shil
is tiny and his financial backing
slender.
His remarkable success is due t.
pluck, scientific training and prea1
rangement Amundsen will rank Il
Arctic history with Greedy, Nansel
and Peavy.
HeneV to Take Entire charge.