Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1912-03-09

he set out again. On the 26th ne en-
countered a furious blizzard. In the
dense drifting snow everything was
obscured: nothing was to be seen. But
they felt that, contrary to what they
had expected, they were going down
hill. Their hypsometer told them that
they had descended 500 feet that day.
Devils Glacier. n Serious Obstacle.
DEVILS Glacier proved a hardy OBJ
stacle. 1t required three days for
Anlundsen and his lnen to surmount
it.
The greatest height attained on this
trip was on December 6, when their
hypsometer and aneroid showed them
to be 10. 100 feet above sea level. This
was 81 degrees 40 minutes south lati-
tude. Bad weather was left behind
on December s. The sun shone out
once again n the marchers were able
to get an observation and dead reck-
oning. To their great satisfaction they
found that the dead reckoning and
observation we're exactly alike at So
degrees 16 minutes south latitude.
Found Flat Plateau.
Now they found there an absolutely
fiat plateau. marked only here and
there with tiny sastrugi In the after
moor of this day, December s, Amund-
sen and his party passed S. degrees 20
minutes south latitude, which was
Shackleton's fartherest point south.
They continued on and reached So de-
grees 20 minutes, the farthest south
up to that time. They camped for the
night and OF the morrow established
their last depot not ten minutes
father south thar So degrees 25 min
utes.
To their great satisfaction the after
noon of December Il was clear and
beautiful. There was only "A light breeze
from the southeast and the temperature
was minus % degrees. Sledging was
perfect and the day went on without
noticeable incidents until 8 p. M. when
they came to a halt. According to
their reckoning they had reached their
destination.
SILK Flag Upfurled.
The colors. a beautiful silken flag,
was broken out, n all hands gath
cred around and took hold of the
standard and planted 1t on the spot.
The explorers gave to this 81
plateau WHERE they reached the bot
tom of the earth the name of THE
King Haakon VII. Plateau" 1t APP
peared to be a vast plain very much
alike in all directions.
During the night the explorers circled
their camp mile after mile in a radius
eighteen kilometers. On the fol-
lowing day In the fine weather that
a series Of observations we're
taken which lasted from 6 a. m. to 7
.. m. The result gave them SO degrees
So minutes. This was really at the
pole, but in order to observe the posi-
ton of the pole as closely as possible
they travelled as near true south as
they could for the remaining nine kilo-
on December is they reached
the true pole and there they camped.
1t was an excellent day and they
grasped the opportunity for observa-
ton.
Under the brilliant sun four members
of the party took observations every
hour of the day for t~wenty-four hours.
The exact result of these observations
will be q matter for expert decision,
but there Is no doubt in the minds of
Amundsen and his mel that they
camped on the South Pole and circled
1t many times.
Observations at an end, on Deem
Der II they fastened to the ground a
little tent which they had brought
along with them and broke from its
top the Norwegian flag and the pen
nant from the Fran. It was a Nor
wegian home raised on the SouthsPol
and was given the name of Potheim.
The explorers found that the distance
from their winter quarters to the pole
was about 1,400 ~kilometers, SO that on
an average they had marched twenty
FIVE kilometers n day from the time
they started.
The return trip began on December
II, and was inaugurated in fine
weather. All the way back the weather
proved unusually favorable and made
the journey much easier than had been
the march in search of the pole. The
winter quarters which the party named
Framheim, were reached on January
rs. 1912.
On recapitulation it was found that
the chief results of the expedition
other than reaching the pole are the
determination of the extent and char
acter of the Ross Barrier, the discov-
cry of the connection of the South Vic
toria Land and probably King Edward
Land with their continuation in the
eight mountains running towards the
southeast, which were reobserved as
far as S8 degrees south latitude, but
which In all probability continue across
the Antarctic continent; that the entire
length of the newly discovered noun
tains was about $50 kilometers. This
new range of mountains has been
given the name of Queen Maud's
Range.
The Fran left the Bay of Whales on
January 30. Owing to contrary winds
1t was a long voyage to Tasmania. 1t
arrived safe. however, with all well
on board.