Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1912-03-14

tain how thick was the LAWYER thai
covered them.
Our camp that night lay In very
picturesque surroundings at height
Of 5000 feet. The glacier here wal
narrowed In between the two $4,000
feet high mountains, the "Fridtjoi
hansen" ana the Don Pedro Christie
pherson." From the bottom of the
glacier sose mount "ole Englstad"-
big snow cone 1880 feet high.
The glacier was very much broken
in this comparatively narrow pass
The mighty crevices seemed to STOP
us from going further, but 1t was not
so serious as 1t appeared. Our dogs,
which up to this time had covered a
distance OF about 1000 kIlometers, the
last few days very hard work, ran
this day 35 kiIometers, the ascent be-
ing $500 feet, an almost incredible
record.
1t took us only four days from the
barrier to get up on the vast inland
plateau. We camped that night at q
height OF 10000 feet. Here we had
to kill twenty-four of our brave COM
panions and keep eighteen, six for
each of our three sledges.
We stopped here four days on &C.
count Of bad weather. Tired OF this
we set out on the 28th Of November.
On the 26th in a furious blizzard and
in a dense snow drift absolutely moth.
ing was to be seen, but we felt that
contrary to expectations we were go
Ing fast down hill. The hypsometer
gave us q fall of 500 feet.
The next day was similar. The
weather cleared a little at dinner
time and exposed to our view mighty
mountain range to the east, and not
far of, only for a moment, and then
1t disappeared in the dense snow.
drift. On the Goth 1t Gained down
and the sun shone, though 1t was not
the only pleasant surprise he gave.
In our course stretched a ihjgs glacier
running toward the south. 'Ats Its
eastern end was the mountain range
going in southeasterly direction. OF
the western part OF 1t no view was TO
be had, 1t being hidden in the dense
fog. At the foot Of this glacier, the
Devils Glacier" a depot for six days
was established, at 1921 degrees
south latitude. The hypsometer in
dicated 5000 feet above sea level.
On November 80 we began to climb
the glacier. The lower part Of 1t was
very much broken and dangerous.
Moreover, the snow bridges very often
burst. From our camp that night we
had a splendid view over the mountain
to the east. There was "Helmer Han.
sens Summit" the most remarkable
of them all. 1t was 10000 feet high
and covered with such broken glaciers
that in all probabilities NO foothold
was to be found. oscar Wistings,"
"Sverre Hassels," and "Olav HAN
lands" mountains also lay here,
beautifully Illuminated in the rays OF
the bright sun.
In the distance, and only alternate
" to be viewed In the fog, appeared
from time to time "Moupt Nielsen"
with its SUBMITS and peaks about
$4,000 feet high.
We only saw the nearest surround
ings. 1t took us three days to sur
mount the DEVILS glacier, always in
misty weather.
On the LIST of December we left
this broken glacier, with holes and
crevices without number, with its
height of 9,1OO feet Before us, look
ing in the mist and snowdrift, like
frozen sea, appeared light, sloping
ice plateau filed with small hum
mocks.
me walk over this frozen sea was
not pleasant. The ground under us
was quite hollow, and 1t sounded as
though we were walking on the bot
toms of empty barrels. AS 1t was,
man fell through, then couple of
dogs. We could not use our skis on
this polished ice. Sledges had the
best OF 1t.
The place got the name the Devils
Dancing Room" This part of our
march was the most unpleasant. On
December we got our greatest height,
according to the hypsometer and ane-
roid-1O,75O feet at 81 degrees 40
south.
On December we came out of the
bad weather. Once again the sun
smiled down on us. Once again we
could get an observation. Dead
reckoning and observation were ex.
actly alike, SS degrees, So minutes,
1876 seconds south.
Before us lay an absolutely plain
plateau, only here and there marked
with a tiny sastrugi.
In the afternoon we passed SO de-
grees 20 minutes. (Shackeleon's fur
therest south was SO degrees, 25
We camped and establish
ed our last depot, depot No. 10. From
so degrees Is minutes the plateau be-
gan to slope down very gently and
smoothly toward the other side.