The Thibodaux sentinel. (Thibodaux, La.) 1905-1912, 1912-03-16
A Graphic and Simple Story Of the
Iip to Bottom Of Earth.
EXPLORERS SPENT THREE DAYS THERE
rTheH stari and as,,Iia 70 lss.er .laI,ers
Climbing the Great Ice Peaks
Planting Of the Flag, Etc.

| but a short while and went on ahead
despite dense fog.
| Flags as Guides.
The flags they had planted on their
first trip served them in good stead
as guides. The temperature remained
steady at from to % degrees below
zero. He had intended to drive no,
more than 13 o~20 miles a day, bu1
the dogs were strong and willing and
this work soon appeared to be toe
slow for them. The speed was in
creased to the easy strength of the
dogs.
Picking up the depots. one after the
other, they reached the SD degree
and established there depot No. 4
On November 13 they reached the
Saith degree and established another
depot, and on the 10th the 85th de
gree, where there was set up yet an
other depot. All this time they had
been marching due south from theil
winter quarters.
At this point they reached the
mountainous country. The nearest
SUBMITS along the barrier ranged
from 1000 to 10000 feet in height
Other SUBMITS further south looked
to be $4,000 feet or more.
Climb Is Begun.
At @iis point they began to climb
The first part of it was an easy ascent
over light slopes and well filled noun
tainsides and did not take long fol
the willing dogs to work their way
up. When they met some small bu
very steep glaciers twenty dogs were
hitched to each sledge and took ths
four sledges in two shifts. The frs
day they climbed 1000 feet and the
second day camped at the height O
4,500 feet
| Axel Heidelberg's glacier, hug.
| ice formation which divides the coas
mountains and the mountains sfnrthel
south, was here encountered md th'
next day they began the longest par
of their climb.
At a height of 1O,600 feet Amundse1
was compelled to pitch camp on &C
count of bad weather. He remained
there four days. His heart was al
most broken, for he had to xii
twenty-four of his brave dogs ant
keep only eighteen, six for each 0
three sledges remaining. On Nc
vember 25, weary Of delay, he set ou
again and on the Goth encountered |
furious blizzard. In the dense, drift
ing snow everything was obscured.
But the marchers kept on and fel
that they were going down hill. A
night the hypsometer told them tha
they had descended 600 feet during
the day.
| Gale and Snow.
The next day the march was con
tinued in a gale with the driftinl
snow in the face of the marchers
Pursuing their course. they reache'
Sc degrees south latitude, accordin
to their dead reckoning. At Dime
time the weather cleared bit an
revealed to them their surroundings
l
to the east and not far off. They say
lit for only a moment and then it dis
lappeared again in the wonderful drift
of Antarctic snow.
The weather Gained down on tn
l29th and the sun shone through tn
shadow clouds. This was a glad Sui
prise, as the explorers were able t
see their course ahead Of them.
1t was a far stretch of glacier fol
nation, running almost due south
This was named Devils glacier, an
, at its foot depot for six days was es
tabllshed. Its location was sc DE-
grees II minutes south latitude, an
the hypsometer indicated 5000 fee
!, above sea level.
, The long climb up the glacier wa
begun November 80. The lower par
was very difficult. 1t was muc
broken and bridged by thinHnow fol
nations, which frequently broke bt
meath the weight of men and dogs.
View Over Mountains.
From the camp this night they ha
a splendid view over the mountains t
the east. They saw Helmar Hansen
; summit, the most remarka BILE of a
the mountain peaks they had encour
tered 1t rose 10000 feet and wa
brilliant with facets of broken glacie
| ice
, Devils glacier proved very hard
. obstacle Amundsen and his me
, we're three days in surmountin3 i
and on December 3 they left 1t, A
height of 9100 feet they found
. level plateau. which looked in the mis-
and the drift Of snow like troze
. sea. AS nearly as they could observ
j. it was an inland sea, and progres
over it was far from pleasant. Th
; footing beneath the marchers sounde
quite hollow, and some Of them con
pared it to walking on empty boxe
, or casks. One man fell through. an
then I couple Of dogs broke through