Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1912-03-15

feet. The third day we were obliged
to go down on a mighty glacier,
"Axel Heibergs Glacier" which divided
the coast mountains and the noun
tains farther south.
The next day began the longest part
of our climb. Many detours had to Ne
made In order to avoid broad cracks
and open crevices.
Glaciers Source Of Peril.
These were apparently mostly filed
up, as the glaciers in all probability
had long ago stopped moving. but we
had to be careful. never knowing for
certain how thick was the layer that
covered them.
Our camp hat night lay In pic
turesque surroundings at a height OF
5000 feet. The glacier here was mar
rowed in between the two $4,000 e
high mountains, the Fridtjof Nansen
and the Don Pedro Christophersen.
From the bottom of the glacier rose
Mount Ole Englstad, a big snow cone
Is, 500 feet high. The glacier was
much broken in this comparatively
narrow pass. The mighty crevices
seemed to stop us from going farther,
but it was not SO serious as it ap-
peared.
Dogs in Record Feat.
Our dogs, which up to this time had
covered a distance of about 700 kilo-
meters, the last days very hard work.
ran this day t~hirty-fve kilometers, the
ascent being $500 feet-an almost In
credible record.
1t took us only four days from the
barrier to get up on he vast inland
plateau.
We camped that night at a height
Of 10000 feet. Here we had to kill "a
Of our brave companions and keep IS,
six for each of our three sledges.
We stopped here four days on &C
count of bad weather. Tired of this.
We set out on the 25th Of November.
On the Goth, in a furious blizzard
and in a dense snowdrift, absolutely
nothing was to be seen, but we felt
that, contrary to expectations, we
We're going fast downhill. The hypso-
meter gave us that day a descent OF
600 feet.
TeCCS ETOLSH DufilS No'~'
We continued our march the next
day in a gale, and a dense snowdrift
got our faces badly frozen. We could
see nothing.
We reached that day sc degrees
dead reckoning. The hypsometer in
dicated a fall If 500 feet. The next
day was similar.
The weather cleared a little at din
e time and exposed to u view a
mighty mountain range to the east.
and not far off, only for a moment,
snowdrift.
On the 29th it Gained down and
the sun shone, though it was not the
only pleasant surprise he gave US. In
our course stretched a big glacier run
ming toward the south.
Discover Mountain Range.
At it's eastern end was the mountain
range going in a s~outheasterly direc-
tion. OF the western part Of it no
the dense fog.
At the foot OF this glacier, the Dew
IFS glacier, a depot for six days was
established at 1921 degrees south lati-
tude. The hypsometer indicated
5000 feet above sea level.
On November 80 we began to climb
III glacier. The lower part Of it was
much broken and dangerous. More
over, the snow bridges often burst.
From our camp hat night we had a
splendid view over the mountain top
to the east.
See Many Great Peaks.
There was "Helmer Nansen's sum-
nit" the most remarkable of them all.
1t was 10000 feet high n covered
with such broken glaciers hat In all
probability no foothold was to be
found. Oscar Wistings.' "Sverre-
hasses," and "Oiav Hjanlands" noun
tains also lay here beautifully illum1-
mated In the rays of the bright sun.
In the distance, only alternately to
be viewed in the fog, appeared from
time to time Mount Nelson with its
SUBMITS and peaks, about $4,000 feet
high. We only saw the nearest sur
roundings.
It took us three days ~ surmount
the Devils glacier, always in misty
weather.
On the first Of December WI left
this broken glacier, with holes and
c~revices without number, with its
height Of 9,1OO feet. Before us, look
ing, in the mist and snowdrift. like a
frozen sea, appeared a light. sloping
ice plateau filled with small hum
mocks.
Man and Dogs Fall In Sea.
The walk over this frozen sea was
not pleasant. The ground under us
was quite hollow, and 1t sounded as
though we were walking on the bot
toms of empty barrels. AS it was. a
man fell through, with a couple Of
dogs. We could not use skis on
this polished ice. Sledges had the
best Of it.
~ 49, %lo