The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1912-03-14

with its SUBMITS and peaks about 49,
600 feet high. We only saw tho nearest
surroundings. It took us three days
to surmount the Devils Glacier, A.
ways in misty weather.
On the LIST Of December we left this
broken glacier with holes and c~revices
without humber, with Its height Of
S.100 feet. Before us, looking, in the
mist and snowdrifts, like a frozen sea.
appeared a light, sloping ice plateau
filled with small hummocks.
The walk ove this frozen sea was
not pleasant. The ground under US
quite. hollow and it sounded as
though We were walking on the bot
toms of empty barrels. AS it was, a
man fell through, then a couple of
dogs. We could not use our skis on
this polished ice. Sledges had the best
of it.
The place has the name of the
Devils Dancing Room" This part of
our march was the most unpleasant.
On December 9th we got our greatest
height, according to the hypsometer
and aneroid, 1880 feet, at 81 degrees
4 minutes south. On December 9Th we
came. out of the bad weather. Once
again the sun smiled on us. Once
again We could get an observation.
Dead reckoning and observation We're
exactly alike-88 degrees SO minutes
1876 seconds south.
Before us lay an absolutely plain
plateau, only here and there marked
with tiny sastrugie.
In the afternoon we passed SO de.
grees % minutes (Shackleton's fur
thest south was 88 degrees rs minutes
We camped and established our last
depot, No. 10. From SO degrees
Is minutes the plateau began to slope
down very gently and smoothly to.
wards the other side.
On December 9 we reached Sc de.
| grees 80 minutes; on December 10
88 degrees Sc minutes; December II
80 degrees Is minutes; December IL
80 degrees 80 minutes; December 10
SO degrees IS minutes.
op " LA1S I1Auc LuC OUSSIVdIlO1l
and dead reckoning agreed remarkably
well, and we made out that we ought
to be at the pole on December IA in
the afternoon.
That day was a beautiful one, a
light breeze from southeast, tempera-
i ture minus 23 Celsius (9.4 degrees be-
low zero Fahrenheit), and the ground
and sledging were perfect. The day
went along as usual, and at 3 P. nj.
we made a halt. ,
According to our reckoning we had
reached u destination. All of us
gathered around the colors-a beau
tiful silk 1ag-all hands taking hold
of it, planting it. The vast plateau on
which the pole is standing has the
name of king Haakon VII Plateau"
1t is a vast plain, alike in all direc-
tions; mile after mile during the night
We circled around the camp.
In the fine weather we spent the
following day taking a series of OBJ.
servations. from 6 A. M. to 7 P. M.
The result gave is 80 degrees IS
minutes.
In order to observe the pole as
closely as possible we travelled, as near
south as possible, the remaining 9 kilo
meters.
On December 16 we camped. 1t was
an excellent opportunity, as there was
servations every hour of the days
twenty-four hours. The exact result
will be the matter of a professional
private report.
This much is certain-that we OBJ
served the pole as closely as it is in
human power to do it with the instru-
ments we had-a sextant and an arti.
fetal horizon.
On December 18th everything was
in order on the spot. we fastened to
the ground a little tent we had
brought along, a Norwegian flag and
the Fran pendant on the top Of it.
The Norwegian home at the South
Pole was called "Polheim." The dis.
lance from our winter quarters to the
pole was about 1,4OO kilometers. The
average march a day was 25 kilo.
meters.
We started on the return trip Dec.
ember II. Usually favorably weather
made our way home considerably east
err than the journey to the pole. We
arrived at our winter quarters, FRAN
HEINZ" January 25, 1912, with two
sledges and eleven dogs, all we'll.
The daily average speed On the re-
turn trip vas SO kilometers; the low
est temperature was minus 81 Celsius
(23.S degrees below zero Fahrenheit),
the highest minus 5 degrees Celsius,
/ (23 degrees above zero ~Fahrenheit).
i Among the results are the deter
mination of the extent and character
of the Ross Barrier, and the discovery
of the connection of South Victoria
Land and probably King Edward VII
Land, with their continuation in the
mighty mountains running toward the
southeast, which were observed as far
as 88 degrees south, but which in all
probability continue across the an
tarctic continent.