The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1912-03-16

Amundson and his men began to
climb the glacier ON November 800
They found the lower part of &C. ycr
difficult u was much broken and
bridgcd by thin snow formation
which very frequently broke bcucat
the weight of the explorers.
From the point OF their camp that
might they were able to get splen
did view over the mountains to the
east They saw there Holmar Han
sens summit the most remarkable
Of all mountain peaks they had en-
countered II rolled 10000 feet high
and was brilliant with the facets o
broken glacier ice 1t was SO steep
and rugged that in all probability nc
foothold was to be found there.
Proves a Hardy Obstacle.
Three other peaks, the Oscar Wis
tinge Sverre Hassels and Olaf Biaa
lands, also lay before them, beauti-
fully illuminated in the rays Of
bright sun.
In the distance the fog still held.
but shifting occasionally, the shad
owy form of Mount Nielsen, its sum
nit peaks about $4,000 feet in the
air, could be seen. only portions O
this great peak nearest to the observ-
ers were in range of their eyes
OWLS glacier proved a hardy OBJ
stacle. 1t required three days fc
Amundsen and his men to surmoun
it,
The weather they encountered was
misty and on December they glad
ly left this difficult way. They had
found the glacier broken and con-
tanning numberless holes and crew
asses. It's height rose 300 feet. On
the level they reached the end of the
glacier and that which lay before
them looked in the mist and the drift
of snow like a frozen sea Instead it
was light, sloping plateau and was
filled with small hummocks of ice
and in the end seemed to be a frozen
inland sea.
Fall Through the Ice.
Progress over this great lake was
not pleasant. The footing beneath
the marchers sounded quite hollow
and was a new experience for all. It
was like walking on empty boxes or
casks. What they feared happened
when one man fell through and Their
couple of dogs broke the coating.
1t was not practical for the march.
ers to use their skis on this polished
and hummocky ice and the sledges
had the best of it. Amundsen and
his followers named this curious area
the devils dancing room," as here
they had experienced by far the most
unpleasant part of their march.
The greatest height attained Oh
this trip was on December 6, when
their hypsometer and aneroid showed
them to be 1880 feet above sea
level. This was at 81 degrees 40
minutes south latitude.
Bad weather was left behind on
December s. The sun shone out once
again and the maTchers were able to
get an observation and dead reckon.
ing. To their great satisfaction they
found that the dead reckoning anG
observation were exactly alike at IS
degrees 16 minutes south latitude
Flat Plateau Is Found.
Now they found before them an
absolutely fiat plateau, marked only
here and there with tiny sartrugi.
In the afternoon of this day, De.
cember 8, Amundsen and his party
passed IS degrees % minutes sout.
latitude, which was Shackleton's
farthest point south. They continued
on and reached IS degrees IS min
utes, the farthest south up to thai
time. They camped for the night
and on the morrow established theil
last depot, not ten minutes further
south than So degrees 25 minutes
Here the plateau commenced t.
slope down quite slowly and very
smoothly toward the other side. They
reached So degrees 80 minutes OF
December 8. On December 10 they
gained SO degrees Sc minutes; De
, cember II, SO degrees Is minutes
, and December ~, SO degrees 80 min
, utes, within half a degree of tn,
r pole
I King Haakon Sends Message.
CHRISTIANIA, March S.-Whel
= Captain ROAD Amundsen's brother
o Leon, personally took the explorer
= telegram announcing that he had at
n tanned the South Pole to Kink Haa
?. kon yesterday, His Majesty was al
/; tending the maneuvers at Sandwich
@ King Haakon Immediately read tn
= dispatch and addressed one t
Amundsen at Hobart, Tasmania, say
ing: