The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1912-03-15

| the eNllTe NllfCn was on DPGeHlDci
6, when the hypsometer and amer
oidm showed them TO be 1850 feet
above sea level This was at 81 de
grees ~ minutes south latitude,
On December bad weather was
left behind, The sun shOne and the
marchers We're able to get an obser-
walton and dead reckoning TO their
great satisfaction they found that they
were exactly alike at So degrees Is
minutes.
Flat Plateau Seen.
Before them now stretched an alb
solutely flat plateau marked only here
and there by tiny mounds Of wind
swept snow. On the afternoon Of
December Amundsen and his party
passed So degrees % minutes, which
was Shacketon's farthest south. They
continued on TO IS degrees % min.
nteS, where they camped, "farthest
SOUTH for the night. On the morrow
they established their last depot at So
degrees 80 minutes.
Here the plateau commenced TO
slope down slowly and very smoothly
toward the other side Of the world
they reached So degrees 80 minutes
on December 8. The next day they
gained S8 degrees Sc minutes; De
cember II, SO degrees 10 minutes, anu
on December II they reached SO de
srees SO minutes, only IS miles from
the South Pole. 1t was ION to the
pole" now, and on December Is the
mark of SO degrees IS minutes was
attained. Up to this time the obser,
Vations and dead reckoning had
agreed remarkably we'll and they fig
ured they should be at the pole Oh
December a.
To the great delight Of Amundsen
and his hardy band the day was cleai
and beautiful and with only slight
breeze from the southeast. The TEN
PNl W do u.O dSSItcS.
Sledging was perfect and they
pushed forward until 8 o'clock in the
afternoon, when they came to halt.
According to their reckoning they had
reached their destination.
siken Flag UnfurIed.
The colors-a beautiful flag-was |
broken out and all hands gathered |
around and took hold OF the standard !
and planted it on the spot. The last
plateau was named for King HaakoD
VII.
During the night the explorers cir
lied their camp mile after mile to a
'adiuS OF y miles. The object of this.
10 doubt, was to find if any record
existed of previous visit by man.
The following day fine weather con.
lnued and observations We're taken
rom o'clock in the morning until I
It night. The result gave them SO
legrees 55 minutes. This was really
It the pole, but in order to observe
he position as closely as possible.
hey travelled south for the remaining
TX miles and camped on the true pols
This was December 16.
Under the brilliant sun members of
he party took observations every
lour OF the day for "a hours. The
Xact result of these observations will
Re matter of expert examination.
nut there is no doubt in the mind of
that they observed the DO.
ltlon OF the pole as closely as It is
within human power to do so.
House Rests on Pole.
On December II the observations
'ere at an end. Amundsen and his
len fastened to the ground a little
ent and broke from it's top the Nor.
'egian flag and the pennant from the
ram. 1t was a Norwegian home
alsed on the South Pole and was
iven the name of Potheim.
The return trip began that day and .
ne weather proved unusually favor.
bic. The winter quarters were
cached on January %, 1912. Thew
yeraged "A miles a day on the re-
i'm trip. The Fran left the Bay of
whales on January 80 and owing to
ontrary winds did not reach Tas.
lanla Tor more than month. II ar
we'd safe, however, with all well on
card, {