The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1912-03-11
Aimb.

glaciers, camping at height of $500
feet The third day we were obliged
to go down on a mighty glacier, "Axel
Heiberg's glacier" which divided the
coast mountains and the mountains
further south.
Our camp that night lay In very
picturesque surroundings at height
of 5000 feet. The glacier here was
narrowed in between the two $4,000
feet high mountains, the "Fridtjof
Nansen" and the Don Pedro Christie
pherson." From the bottom of the
glacier rose Mount "Old Englstad,"
q big snow cone 1880 feet high
1t took only four days from the
barrier to get up on the vast inland
plateau. We camped that night at a
height of l0,600 feet. Here we had to
kill twenty-four of our brave compan-
ions and keep eighteen, six for each
of our three sledges. We stopped
here four days on account of bad
weather Tired of this we set out on
the 25th of November. We contin-
ued our march the next day in
gale and . dense snow drift and got
our faces badly frozen We could see
nothing. We reached that day S6 de-
grees dead reckoning. The hypsome-
ter indicated a fall of 500 feet.
The next day was similar. The
weather cleared a little at dinner
tiy,,c nrl rvnngad ~ o,,r ,,iaut a ,,,iobtv
mountain range to the east and not
far off, only for a moment, and then
1t disappeared in the dense snow
drift On the 29th it calmed down
and the sun shone, though it was not
the only pleasant surprise he gave. In
our course stretched a big glacier run
ming toward the south. At its east
ern end was the mountain range go
ing in a southeasterly direction. OF
the western part of it no view was to
be had, it 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 indicated
5000 feet above sea level.
SPLENDID MOUNTAIN VIEW.
On Nov 30 we began TO climb the
glaciers, and on the 9Th of Decem-
Der we got our greatest height, ac-
cording to the hypsometer and ane-
roid 1O,750 'eet, at 81 degrees 40 min
utes south. On Dec. We came out OF
the bad weather Once again the sun
smiled dow on us. Once again We
could get an observation. Dead reck-
oning and observation were exactly
alike-SS degrees, SS minutes, 1876
seconds south.
Before us lay an absolute plain
plateau, only here and there marked
with a tiny sastrugi.
In the afternoon we passed SS de-
grees % minutes (Shackleton's furth-
est south was SO degrees % minutes).
We camped and established our last
depot. depot No. 10. From IS degrees
25 minutes the plateau began to
slope down very gently and smoothly
toward the other side.
On the next day we reached sS
degrees 80 minutes, on Dec. 10 So de-
grees 56 minutes, Dec Il So degrees
15 minutes, Dec. IL SO degrees 80 min
utes, Dec. IL SO degrees As minutes.
Up to this time the observations
and dead reckoning agreed remark
ably well and we made out that We
ought TO be at the pole on Dec 14th
In the afternoon.
That day was a beautiful one-a
perature minus % celsius (294 degrees
below zero FahrenheiD and the
ground and sleighing were perfect
The day went along as usual and at
D. m. we made a halt According to
our reckoning We had reached our
destination All of us gathered around
| the colors--a beautiful silk fag-al
hands taking hold of it and planting It.
| IN HONOR OF HAAkoN.
| The vast plateau on which the pole
Is standing got the name of the King
| Haakon VII. Plateau" 1t is a vast
| plain, alike in all directions, mile after
| mile
In the fine weather we spent the fol
lowing day taking series of observa
tions from a. m. to d. m. The re
suit gave us SO degrees So minutes.
In order to observe the pole al
close as possible we travelled. as neal
south as possible, the remaining nine
| kilometers.
| On Dec. 18th there we camped Il
was an excellent opportunity. There
| was a brilliant sun. Four of us tool
observations 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 oh
served the pole as close as 1t Is II
human power to do with the instru
ments we had-a sextant and artificia
horizon.
On Dec. IL everything was In orde
On the spot. We fastened to th,
ground a little tent we had brough
along, Norwegian flag and the Fran
pennant on the top of it. The Norwt