The Mena weekly star. (Mena, Ark.) 1904-1977, 1912-03-14

from LIFlSlldHd, NOFWdy, tHdL tdpt.
Road Amundsen, the Norwegian
explorer and leading rival of Capt.
Scott did not reach the South pole.
Cable dispatches from New Zea-
land announcing that Captain Scott
had found the South pole came as
startling climax to the race which
five explorers of different nation
alities have been making to reach
this final extremity of the undis-
covered portion of the globe.
Capt. Robert Falcon Scott started
on his expedition from Port Cham
blers, N. T., on November 20, 1910.
He was we'll equipped for this dash
for the fartherest south, having
made a previous expedition under
the direction of the Royal Geog-
raphical society. At that time he
attained record of 80 degrees 80
minutes, which remained the rec
ord up TO the time of Lieut.. Shack
leton's notable exploit. Shackleton
pushed further south, and in 1907
reached SO degrees % minutes, or
about 100 miles from the pole. This
remained the recrod and inspired
the hardy navigators of many ma
tions to attempt the feat Of reach
ing the pole itself.
Captain Scott took the route by
way of Australia and New Zealand.
He sailed due south into Ross Sea,
a great stretch of water reaching
toward the South pole.
His chief competitor in this dash
was Capt. Amundsen, who is COM
missioned by the king of Norway
and the Norwegian government.
Amundsen chose the route by way
of South America. He left Buenos
Ayres toward the close of 1910 He
passed through the straits OF Ma
gellan and then steered for Ross sea,
the same sheet OF water which
Scott had gained by way of the
New Zealand and Australian route.
Captain Scott planned to follow the
same land trail that Shackleton
had taken. This is along noun
tain range thought to be an extern
sion of the Andes range running
Esouthward through South America.
At the furthermost point of Ross
sea, Capt. Scott debarked his party
from his ship, the Terra Nova. Inn
Emediately at the point of debarka-
Ktion stands the great volcano,
Mount Erebus, from which rises
constantly great column OF
steam. II is one of the dreaded To-
Scalities of the antarctic, to which
Enavigators have given the name Of
ETerror bay, for here Nordenskiold's
ship, the Antarctic, was crushed in
Tfhe ice. Back of this bay the steam
wrapped volcano stands out, senti-
nel-like, against the ice-covered
#mountain ranges stretching south
ward.
81 Captain Scott made his first win
Ter quarters on the slope of the
mountains, and there remained I'M
I'll November, 1911. 1t was then
That his dash began. His plan was
to cover the remaining distance by
the end Of December, and then face
about and make the backward dash.
Besides his equipment of food, he
pad placed reliance on score of
ponies with % dogs and one motor
kledge. He designed to use this
sledge in making rapid progress
over the comparatively level
stretches of the foot hills. Due al
lpwance was made for the death of
ponies and dogs, the steady deple-
Hon of stores and the loss of vi
tality of the party making up the
expedition.
Captain Amundsen had no ponies
mo no motor siedges, as his ex-
perience led him to place all his
reliance on Siberian dogs.
From geographical and scien-
pfc standpoint, the discovery of
(he South pole, while a momentous
went, has not the same features of
importance and danger as relates