The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-03-09

Mighty creyasses threatened to stop
their further progress. but II was not
So serious as II looked.
They had now reached $500 feet al
-tttudr, an utmost Incredible record.
and 1t had taken them only four days
from, the barrier until they were all
on a vast inland plateau. They
canned that right at a height OF TO-
GOO Feel. There AInundsen's heart
was almost broken. for he had to kill
twenty four OF his brave dogs. and
keep only eighteen. six to each OF
his three sledges. He halted there for
four days on account of bad weather.
Push On In Blizzard.
On November 25th, weary Of the
delay. he set out again. On the goth
he encountered furious blizzard. In
the dense drifting snow everything
was obscurei. nothing was to be seen.
But they felt that contrary to what
they had expected. they were going
down hill. Their hypsoneter told
them that they had descended 500 feet
that day.
The march of the band the next day
WAS in a gale, and with the dense
drift 81 snow in their faces. They
were badly frozen. but were In no
danger. They marched on blindly.
taking their course by the compass
and that day reached south latitude
So degrees according to dead reckon
ing. The weather cleared little at
dinner time. and revealed to the men
their surroundings. There was a
mighty mountain range to the east
and not Tar off. They saw II for only
a moment. and then IL disappeared
again in the wonderful drift OF Ant
arctic snow.
The weather Gained down on the
18th. and the sun shone through the
shadow clouds. This was a glad sur
prise for the nlarchers as they were
able to- see that In their course was
a far stretch of glacier formation
running toward the south. AT its
eastern end was mountain range
branching off In a southeasterly d.
rection. Over the western part of it
they could have no view on account
of the dense Antarctic fog.
This glacier was named Devils
Glaciet.'' and at its foot depot for
six days WAS established This de-
pot vas located In SO degrees Il min
utes south latitude, and the hypso-
meter Indicated about 5000 feex above
the sea level.
Amundsen and his men began 10
climb the glacier on November 30th.
They found the lower part OF IL very
difficult. 1t was much broken and
bridged by thin snow formation. which
very frequently broke beneath the
weight of the explorers. From the
point of their camp that night they
we're able to get splendid view ever
the mountain 10 the east. They saw
there Helmar fIansen's Summit. the
sy-1r n La toll
peaks they had encountered. 1t rolled
i2,o0o feet high. and was brilliant
with the facets OF broken glacier ice
IL was so steep and ragged that in
all probability no foothold was to be
found there.
High Peaks Sighted.
Three other peaks. the Oscar Visit
ings Sverre Hansens. and Olaf
Ejaalands also lay before them beau
tigully illuminated in the rays OF the
bright sun. In the distance the FOG
s,ill held. but shifting occasionally
the shadowy form of Mount Nielsen.
its summit peaks about. lS.Ana feet
in the air. eouid be seen. Only por-
tons of this great peak nearest to
the observers We're in range Of their
eyes.
Devils Glacier proved a hardy OBJ
Amundsen and his men to surmount
II. The weather they encountered
was misty. and on December Sd they
gladly left this difficult way in their
path. They had found the glacier
broken and containing nunaberlsss
holea and erevices. Its height rose
800. On this level they reached
the end OF the glacier and that which
lay before them looked In the mist
and thhe drift OF snow like a frozen
sea Instead 1t was light. slipping
plateau. and was filled with small
hummocks OF ice, and in the end
seemed to be frozen inland sea.
Progress over this great lake was
not pleasant. Tho, footing beneath
the ,narchers sounded quite hollow.
and was a new experience for all.
1t was like walking on empty boxes
or casks. What they feared happened.
when one man fell through and then
a couple OF dogs broke the coating.
It was not practical for the marchera
to use their skis on this polished and
hummocky ice. and the eledges had
the best Of II. Amundsen and his
followers named this, curious area
THE Devils Dancing ROOM" az here
they had experienced by far the
most unpleasant part OF their march.
The greatest height attained on this
trip was on DeceMSber 9Th. when their
hypsometer and anerofd showed them
to be 1880 feet above sea level. This
DEATH