Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1912-03-19
SKETCH OF CAPT. AMUNDSEN
Dream of His Life Since Early
Manhood.

HTSrS exploration HdS Been the
Dream of His Life Since Early
Manhood.
ROAD Amundsen, now about A.
years old, has proved himself one of
the most competent explorers. Be
sides reaching the south pole he is
the hrst and only man to accomplish
the long attempted feat of taking a
ship from the Atlantic to the Pacific
by the northwest passage. He has
made at point within short dis
lance of the magnetic pole the only
set OF complete polar magnetic OBJ
servations ever taken
Amundsen was born at Sarpsburg.
Norway, and in his childhood moved
with his parents to Christiania. His
parents destined him for medicine
For one year he was a medical stu
dent. but at his mothers death, when
he was 10 years old. he gave up the
intended career and went to sea. For
number of years he cruised in the
north as a whaler and sealer on Nor
wegian vessels.
Amundsen had his first taste of
exploration when in 1897 he went as
first officer with the Belgica on Ger
lach's Belgian polar expedition. From
what he learned of the work and ad
venture OF exploring on this trip and
from the second Norwegian polar ex-
petition of 1898, he became filed with
arctic ambitions of his own. He formed
the project not Of attaining the geo.
graphic pole sought by so many, but
of trying the long-neglected northwest
passage and approaching and study
ing while on his way the little-known
magnetic pole.
1t took Amundsen several years to
prepare himself for his trip. For two
years he studied, first in Hamburg IN
der Neumayer, authority on magnet
ism; in Berlin under Schmidt, and
finally at Wilhelmshafen under Bor-
gen in the meteorological station. His
mental preparation over, he spent two
years more in raising funds and out
fitting his expedition.
The Amundsen magnetic expedition
was perhaps the most modestly ap-
pointed that ever went for purposes
of discovery into the arduous field OF
the arctic It's cost was $4,000,
large part of this Amundsen's own
money. Frithjof Nansen, the Norwe-
gian polar explorer, close friend and
faithful helper Of Amundsen, helped
raise another large part. Amundsen
was finally able to put off from Chris
tiania in the little Alton sloop Gjoa
on June IT. 1903.
Voyage of Gjoa.
The Gjoa sailed around the north
end of America, reaching the mouth
of the Mackenzie river about Septem-
Der 8, 1905. 1t went by way Of BAT
fms bay, Lancaster sound. Barrow
strait, Peel sound, James Ross strait
and Rae strait. Twice it wintered in
the ice. For period of many months
during this voyage Amundsen main
tanned an observatory on King Will
liams land, at latitude 68 degrees 30
minutes, longitude 80 degrees west.
within 80 miles, as he calculated, of
the magnetic pole.
The northwest trip, fulfilling the
dream of the early navigator, brought
Amundsen great renown. He then
planned an expedition to drift around
to the North Polar sea, but changed
his mind after starting and went to
find the Antarctic pole.
The last word which was heard
from Amundsen before his dash to the
pole was received in New York on
July s, 1911. After describing tie
splendid qualities of the Fran during
its 16,000-mile voyage, and the care
taken of the 100 Eskimo dogs, which
had become lis at the time of landing,
he said:
I'VE sighted the mighty barrier at
$3.50 p. m. Jan. II. One would be less
than human If one could behold such
a sight unmoved AS far as the eye
can see. from western to eastern hori-
zon, this wall Of ice rises perpendicu-
larly to a height of 100 feet. And yet
it is only very small part Of it that
one Sees What must the man have
thought who first came upon this wall,
and for whom all further advance
seemed an impossibility? 1t was one
of the worlds boldest and cleverest
sailors (not to say the cleverest of
them ALL, James Clark Ross, who
after making his way through the ice
pack with his two sailing vessels, the
Erebus and the Terror, came, In Feb
ruary, 1912, upon this remarkable Ice
wall. Even at that time he observed
the great bay. but, of course, did not
venture into it with sailing vessels,
For years after the Barrier was re-
garded as a bar to all further advance
southwark