The Washington times., 1912-03-08

New Zealand that the Terra Nova, af-
ter returning year ago, put back
again to meet Captain Scott on his way
back from his dash for the Pole. New
Zealand was also Shackleton's point of
departure.
1T seems to be definitely established
now" added Admiral Peary, that Cap
tain Amundsen is now at Hobart, Tas-
mania, and that he will send further
word from that port. cannot under
stand how correspondents in Auckland
and Wellington, in New Zealand, can
have had word with him. 1t is from
them that the first dispatches came
saying that Captain Amundsen had de-
Clared Scott to have reached the Pole
This and other uncertainties can only
be cleared up by word from Captain
Scott himself. We probably shall have
this before long"
Officers and members of the National
Geographic Society are waiting with In
tense interest for further information
from the South Pole voyagers.
The South Pole region Is the last
of the unknown spots,' said John La
gorse, assistant editor of the National
Geographic Magazine today and II
scientific data Is anything IKE INC
brought back about the 100 miles inter-
vening between his 'farthcst south and
the Pole itself, the geographic world
will be richer by far than 1t has been.
reached the Pole first, a good deal of
feeling Is bound to result according to
the unanimous prediction today OF men
interested in polar exploration. lrcdic-
lions are already at hand that adverse
comment will be nade or Captain
Amundsen for lack of sportSmanship In
invading suddenly a region winch Cap
tain SCOTS friends think he had pre-
cmpted by reason or pioneer work. ana
in this connection is recalled tho sudden
change of plans by Captain Amundsen,
who had intended To try for the North
Pole when word came that Ecary had
that field of exploration.
Amundsen Visited Here.
Captain Amundsen is not a stranger
in this city. In January, 1908. he lee
tured before the National Geographic
Society and was luncheon guest of Gill
bert II. GrosvenOr, editor of the Ma
tional Geographic Magazine and an
on Antarctic matters.
Captain Amundsen came TO Washing
ton to talk just after he had completed
the conquest of the Northwest passage
the time of Cabot and Frobisher.
Chance for bitter discussion of Ant
artic honors has called to the mind Of
every newspaper reader the bitterness
of the conflict which ragged in WASH
ington in particular, and the whole civ
ilized newspapsr-readtnS world in gem
eraI, when first word came OF the dis
covery of the North Pole. The general
desire among men of science is that
some of this feeding may be avoided
in the present case.
"Coptain Amundsc1 is a man of such
physical attainments,' said Mr.. eros
vcHor this afternoon. "that it will not
be surprising IL he is narrated to have
made great speed on the Artic Ice.
IN respect to ability to travel fast over
A loo
Nansen, and his feat of trnversing the
murth"rn part of Alaska in the fall of
19G5 is almost unparailel@I. IT VIII be
recalled that Amundscn left his ship Tor
two months at the mouth of the Nc
Kcuzie river and went inland on snow
shoes to get to 4 Yukon telegraph sta
tiOn. and in communication with the
civilized world
Amundsen's Startling Feat.
This expedition of Amundsen was de-
scribed us follows in the National Geo
graphic Magazine of January, 1906:
AT the Mckenzie river, where he ar
rived in September whalers caught in
the ice told Amundsen that the political
situation in Norway and Sweden was
strained, and bein ganXiouS to learn
what had happened, as well as to hear
from his family, he determined to
march south to the The yukon on teiesraph
shoes, and had been made only once
or twice before by trappers, but Amund-
sen calculated he could get there. spend
a few weeksNat the station and return
to his ship before spring. So with
Captain Mugg, of the whaler n. Bo-
ANA, Amundsen set out.
-Four weeks later the people of Eagle
City were startled to be told by one of
two white men who came in on snow
shoes that he had come from Europe
via the Arctic ocean.
ITO cross in the dead of winter the
immense eXpanse of ice stretching from