The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-03-11
AMUNDSEN SAW No
TRACE OF SCOTT
Found Nothing, He Says, to
Indicate Any Previous
Discovery
POSSIBLY ARRIVES
LATER, HE ADDS
Storms Might Have Destroy
ed Memorials If Left
by the Eng
lishman


Captain Raold Amundson. on his ar
duous journey from his winter quarters
to the South Pole and back again,
saw no trace whatever Of Captain
Scott and the British Antarctic expe-
dition.
Captain Amundsen. himself. set the
disputed question whether he had
scott at rest today.
II found nothing whatever TO prove
that Captain Scott or any one OF his
expedition had been at the pole he
said. Then the brave Norwegian
naasnaaiHleasis. but ~ is soss-
sible that Scott had been there. and
left some substantial memorial, which
the storms destroyed.
This expression seems to have been
dictated by Amundsen's admiration
of worthy rival. For during the
three days that Amundsen was at the
Pole the weather was calm and still.
THE season was very favorable
said TIE Norwegian explorer. there
fore 1t is exceedingly likely that Scott
did reach the pole iater-if not sooner
than / did.
Il most sincerely hope he did ar
rive there. for he we'll deserved sue
cess"
Tried Out New Plan.
Amundsen added some new interest
Ing and valuable particulars 10 his
vivid description OF his conquest of the
Pole, which has been told in these
dispatches. He says he tried new
plan on his sledging journey. On his
first expedition he travelled fifteen
miles In five hours each day, then
passed two hours in resting. eating
and In feeding the dogs. then tried
to spend another seventeen hours In
sleeping. II was found that after a
rest so long both men and dogs had
difflculty in getting into their stride
again. So ths new plan was put into
operation. Anauudsen travelled fifteen
miles each day In about Six hours. then
TsuHsed two hours In eating and feed
INK the dogs. then slept six hours. then
hreakfasted, then went on the march
again.
by this plan he found that the en-
erEr OF both men and dogs was con-
served. the result being that the ex-
petition attained the marvellous speed
of twenty miles day on the return
Journey.
Great Attitudes Encountered.
The great difficulties Amundsen
and his 1mrades experienced were
caused hy the lofty heights which
they encountered during the latter
part of the dash to the pole. For
nearly six weeks they were at ali
altitude which sometimes reached six
teen thousand seven hundred and
fifty feet.
Amundsen established beyond
question that the pole itself is at an
elevator OF ten thousand FIVE hundred
feet.
Working and travelling at such an
altitude in an atmosphere SO rare the
leader and his companions found
great difficulty in breathing. but their
courage did not fall them and pant
Ing. they struggled along. All the
way they had what soldier on an
easy march would call full rations."
hut they found that In that climate
full rations are not all that man
wants to eat. The arduous paths they
pursued, the frigid air, the muscle
waist. so whet their appetites that
there seemed no limit to the amount
that they could tuck under their furs.
But on the return journey. when all
danger OF a lack Of provisions had
passed. they had not only fun ra-
lions, but as much as they could eat
from the depots which they had es-
tablished.
Dogx Proved Delica,e Sforsels.
For the first time some of the dogs
\ fh4y took along were eaten by tne
men in latitude IS degrees south.
when twenty-four dogs were killed.
Although the dogs had not been al
ways fully fed. they proved really
delicate morsel to meh with such APP
petites.
1T is anything but real hardship
to eat dog fiesh," says Amundmen.
They saw two skuagulls at lati-
tude 81 Ia degrees south. A small
cAirn had been erected there pre-
siously to. guide the party on Its re-.
l.