Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-05-13
lnundsen May Have To-
Gated the North Pole.
Ills That Provisions Be Sent
To Him at Once.
f,,.dNon Is Soon Expected 10 Appear On
the Pacific Coast.

chicago H.. May PA dispatch to
p..,.orl- Herald. from San Francis
co.says: oo.,,,
,a.., If All order for provision TO be
sant north on whaling Vessel 1or
r,n5 Ronald Amundsen. an Arctic ex-
,,n,.r leads To the belief in the pos
l;L;,,tv that the Northwest passage has
h,.n fouud after quest of more than
"a years and the explorer will soon
o,,ear Oh the Pacific coast.
iuurdsen sailed from Norway. June
= 1909. He passed Greenland bound
.or King William land and is said to
have located the north magnetic pole
and the monument erected by Sir Johii
E,,nxln when that Inflated expedition
pershed.
vew York. May 12.-Under dates of
San Francisco, May 10, the American
nrints the following:
ysns comes from the Arctic that the
s,peJition under Capt. Ronald Amund-
Gel, which sailed from Christiana. Nor
nav June L.. 1903. mas made highly
imnortaut discoveries.
A,oundscn. who set out in 1O-foot
sloop. the ,;ioa. with Il crew or Out
eight men. has found the north mag
petic role " hose discovery is original
" credited. to Ross in 1881, although
many scientists doubt that Ross really
heated this elusive guide to the COM
passes Of the world.
Tb. north magnetic pole has been
generally assumed by geographers as
being on Eoothia. the most northerly
peninsula of the American continent
and close to King Williams land. II is
suproerd to be- shifting sphere of in
fusnce, though its variations are not
great.
II is not to be confused with the ter
restiai north pole, the goal OF expl0r-
ers. which is situated some 1900 miles
TO the true north of the magnetic pole.
Amundsen is said to have made sci
entific observations of the highest val
ue.
In addition to this discovery. the ex-
leGiiinn has gone from Greenland to n
point south of King Williams Land,
and replnS sure Of completing north
west l.aasa:se. which navigatorS have
been unsurresstully trying to do for 4OC
years.
Amdnlson. incident to these achieve
menta. has found the monument erect
ed by Sir John Franklin when the great
explorer atl 1"S of his men were per-
isbin4 is the ice. 49,. .y.--
II the enterrrising Norwegian COM
pleteR a northwestern passage. as now
seems altogether certain, he will come
doAn thrnugh Rehring strait to Sar
Francisro tn receive the plaudits of the
worli
The party that sailed besides the
captain were Lieut.. GOtfred Hansen OF
the royal Danish navy. and six sea
men. The boat WAS but n stOutly built
Maldus yloop. such as the Norwe-
sians use in their hunts for ivory and
blubbcr. Amundsen placed in the lit
tie ship a petroleum engine. which, I'M
der favorable conditions, would prope
her four knots an hour. but his main
reliance was upon the sailing ability
and scaworthness of his craft.
The estimated cost of the expedition
which was to last four years. was on
" 81 800. the greater portion OF which
Capt. Amundscn betrayed from his
own pocket.
This was the expedition that caused
Prof s, hmidt of the University o!
Berlin to say: at is the most import
ant scientific expedition of the cen
tury."
The expedition is especially interest
ing at tie present moment. as il serves
to explain the nature of the magnetic
work which occupies so much of tn
energies OF the discovery and other po
lar expeditions that have been at worf
for years. Capt. Amundsen. who was
first officer of the Belgian South Pola'
expediIinn's ship. the Bclgica. CON
ceived during the long winter month!
of 1897. when his vessel was fast in the
Ice. the desire to examine the distric
surrounding the north magnetic pole.