, 1912-04-24
CAPTAIN AMUNDSEN'S TRIUMPH.
BY Sir Ernest Sbockleton.

Here to the long white road that beckons,
The climb that BATH 5, the risk thas nerves,
And here's to the merry heart that reckons
The rough with the smooth and never sweryes.
Anyone having Il personal acquaintance
with Captain Amuudsen, the dlscoverer of
the geographical South Pole, is not long
before he realisos that virIlity and siren
uousness and indomitable will that we're Of
such value to him IN the ordeal he las Just
come safely through.
Amundsen is, perhaps, the greatest PoIar
explorer OF to-day, in that now the range of
his exploration has been Carried over both
ends of the world. He is the only man who
ever sailed a ship through the North West
Passage, and, though ancient history now,
the voyage Of the little Gj6a will always re-
maln rs one Of the most remarkable teats Of
exploration and navigation.
Before recording impressions Of his great
march to the geographical South Pole one
must remember the men who went with HIM,
whose uutiring assistance and loyalty must
have contributed SO largely to the success Of
the expedition. One would like to know the
names OF these men, and we hope that soon
a later cable wIIl BRING to IiSh; the indiyi
dual names. Some OF those men must have
been familiar to the public, for they were
on other Polar journeys.
The first thing that strikes one is tho COM
pIetencss Of the equipment; then the no
rouShness Of initial preparations before The
long march began, such MS the laying Of de-
pots; then HE rVpIdty with which The lour-
ncy was conducted and the care on Icacipiug
the Pole to asceltaiu ITS exact location by
ASTRONOMICAL mems.
1t is apparent THAT Amuudseu was fortu-
mute in the Weather conditions. though tie
,.n,A,.tp,.. n.,. lAn.. .M,,t, ~ 4
occasions during tie march he was not s.l
ouely hampcled by bIizzards The dogs
were in excellent CONDITION and the malchc@
were long.
The outstanding feature, 70 m, mind, OF
the whole Of this great journey is that
Amuud~eu made for himself I'M entirely new
route. Leaving his winter quarters. he
pushed soutn over an unknown part OF the
barrier surface, and, instead Of journelmg
ives ward to go up the great Bearimoro
Glacier, he still kept his slcdges pointed due
south. In latitude So he commenced his
ascent towards the vast inland plateau up
glaciets and between slant ranges of noun
tuins that Lo one had ever seen before, aud,
by good fortune con blued with exploratory
skill, he gan e the II land ice.
Reading between the lines Of his cable
messages, One set9 thut he had TO make 10
tour, and experienced the same dItfIcHltIeS,
though perhaps not IN so great n degree, Ms
we did, among the crevasses and ice falls O,
the glaciers winch form the dangerous road
to the inland ice cap.
The Dash 70 The Pole
Pushing ever upwards. on December Z
they pissed the head of The glacier, and IN
front lay the South Polar Plateau. In 81
deg. 40nin. south he reached his highest
alutude-10,7 $50 feet above the sea He
now left the mountain behind hmm, and was
marching over the great snow plane. Cap
tam Amundsen'H exp -ri'ntes up the glacier,
both as regards heights and conditions Of
ice, also the condition of ice at the begin
ping Of the plateau, and then on the heights
on the plateau all correspond in conditions
ard measurements to those oil served by us
on our son. hern journey.
On the at ernoon of December s our fur
thest south point, So. %, was pissed, and in