The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1912-03-13
SOUTH POLE
FOUND AT LAST
ROaId AmundsOn, Norwegian
Explorer, Announces Success.
STAYED THERE THREE DAYS
Sir Ernest Shackleton Says Amund-
sen and Scott Parties May Have
Met at the Pole Itself, So the
Honor Would Be Divided.

London-The supreme honor Of
planting his nations flag at the most
southerly point of the globe has been
won by Roald Amundsen of Norway.
Definite news has been received ia
London by way of Christiania that
he reached the Pole between the 14th
and 18th OF December
The Chronicle publishes this cable
gram from Leon Amundsen, brother
of the explorer.
"Christiania. - Following telegram
received from Hobart: Pole attained
fourteenth seventeenth December,
1911; all well.-Roald Amundsen.'
Captain Amundsen's brother Leon
says Roald will go on lecture tour of
Australia and Europe, after which he
will head an expedition to the North
Pole. The Fran after making neces-
sary repairs will go to San Francisco
where Amundsen will meet her in
1913.
Christiania.-In special the
newspaper Social Demokrater an
nounces that it has received a private
cable despatch announcing that Capt.
Roald Amundsen succeeded in his
quest for the south pole. Whether he
got there before Captain Scott is not
stated.
London. While intense interest
has been aroused in the results attain
ed by the South Polar expeditions un-
der command of Captain Roald
Amundsen, the Norwegian explorer,
and Captain Robert F. Scott, of the
British Royal Navy, respectively.
which are returning from the Antarc-
tic regions, dispatches which have
reached here on the subject are con-
flicting.
Captain Amundsen has arrived at
Hobart, Tasmania, on the steamer
Fran, and according to the first word
from that port Amundsen declared
that Captain Scott had reached the
pole.
Tho first message with the definite
statement from Amundsen that Scott
had reached the South Pole was re-
ceived from Wellington, New Zealand,
by "The Daily Express"
Sir Ernest Shackleton, who has
been predicting news soon from the
Antarctic, is not surprised at the re-
port that Scott has reached the goal.
lie said he was confident that Scott
and Amundsen met in the narrow pas
sage through which both were obliged
to pass in order to reach the Pole. He
thinks if Scott had been successful
the news of it would most likely be
brought by Amundsen as Scott was
obliged to divert his ships course in
returning to civilization in order to
pick up part of his expedition.
Sir Ernest Shackleton in a special
article on the discovery, says:
"Analyzing somewhat the brief ca.
BILE announcing Amundsen's attain
ment of the South Pole, one, from pre-
vious experience, would assume the
journey was done in extreme rapidity
and under very favorable conditions
as regards weather, assuming that
the latitude of Amundsen's winter
quarters was 1874 south; that is,
only 676 geographical miles from the
pole. This place was named the Bay
of Whales on my expedition.
IF Amundsen did fifteen miles
day and reached the pole on Decem-
Der IA he would have started south
about the beginning of November, but
it is much more likely he did not trav.
ell at that rate, especially for the first
hundred or two hundred odd miles, so
we may assume he started for the
pole about the beginning of October
There is no indication whether
Amundsen followed the route of my
expedition in reaching the mountains
that guard the approach to the pole
1t may be possible he found a new
route and an easier one up to the pla.
teau, which lies about 5000 to 1000
feet above the sea level.
Word that the pole was attained
December IA to II evidently means on
reaching the geographical pole he
waited three days, taking the noon OBJ.
ervations so as accurately to deter
mine his position"
Shackleton said that if Amundsen
left the pole December II he would
very likely, with a fair wind behind
him, return to winter quarters in
about forty-five days.
Amundsen had with him oon the
present expedition a hardy band of
Norwegians, who probably were great
ly aided by skis in traversing the gla-
cial ice, and he put his faith in
great pack of Siberian dogs for the
supply sldeges.