The Princeton union., 1912-03-21
He Was the First Sailor to
Take Ship Through North
west PASSAGE.
ENOALD AMUNDsEN, discoverer
"a Of the south pole, who is now
Az only forty years old, has long

~ oA1y IOrIy years old, mas long
been considered one of the
most competent of the northern ex-
plorers. He is the first and only man
so far to accomplish the long attempt
ed feat of taking a ship from the At
lantic to the Pacific ocean by way of
the Northwest passage, which, by the
way, Columbus was looking for when
he accidentally hit upon America. He
made, at point within a short dis
tance of the magnetic north pole, the
only set of complete polar magnetic
observations taken before Peary's
discovery of the north pole. These
achievements were accomplished in
1908 and 1905.
Amundsen's expedition at the time
was made, at cost Of only $4,000, in
tiny whaling sloop, the Gjoa, only sew
enty feet long and Of only forty-seven
tons burden
Amundsen was born in Sarpsburg,
Norway, on July 16, 1872, and in his
childhood moved with his parents to
Christiania. His father was Jens
Amundsen, a skipper. His mothers
maiden name was sahlquist. His par
ents destined him for the medical pro-
fess1on; but, after studying medicine
for one year at the University of Chris
tlania, on the death Of his mother he
Went to sea at the age of nineteen,
cruising for several years as a whaler
is a tall, spare man, with the appear
ance of typical Scandinavian sailor.
He is bachelor.
His First Taste Of Exploration.
He had his first real taste of explo-
ration when in 1897 he went as first
officer with the Belgica on Gerlach's
Belgian south polar expedition. 1t was
this trip, which lasted from 1897 to
1899, that filled him with aspirations
to make discoveries in the arctic re-
glon and especially to discover the
long sought Northwest passage. First
he decided to prepare himself by
studying two years in Hamburg under
Neumayer, the expert On magnetism,
and finally at Wilhelmshafen under
Bergen in the meteorological station.
Then he proceeded to raise the mod
est funds necessary for his expedition.
A large part of the $50, 900 was Amund-
sens own money. Fridtjof Nansen, the
Norwegian polar explorer, a close
friend Of Amundsen, helped him raise
another part.
Amundsen was finally able to put out
from Christiania in the Gjoa on June
II, 1908. He sailed around the north
end of America, reaching the mouth of
the Mackenzie river about Sept. 3,
1905, and then by way of Baffin bay,
Lancaster sound, Barrow strait, Peel
sound. James Ross strait and Rae
strait. Twice the Gjoa Wintered in the
ice. For many months Amundsen
maintained an observatory on King
William Land. within ninety miles of
the magnetic pole, taking daily obser-
vations
A Long Sought Goal.
The Northwest passage was for more
than three centuries the lure of adven-
turous sailors Of all lands. Martin
Frobisher 300 years ago had declared
1t the only thing that still remained to
be discovered in the world. Perhaps
it was John Cabot who first set out for
it in an endeavor to find new way
east by sailing west. AS far back as
1903 Sir Hugh Willoughby and Rich
ard Chancellor sailed from England to
search for that same passage. Fro
bisher followed in 1916. John Davis
IN 1881. Barents of Amsterdam in
1896 and scores Of others, including
Sir John Ross, in 1918, and Sir John
Franklin in 1859.
AmundSen sailed from Christiania.
Norway, on June 16, 1903, in the little
GJoa' mere eggshell of a vessel, with
but eight men all told upon her. The
Gjoa registered only forty seven tons
and was seventy feet long and twenty
broad.
Amundsen made his way through
Lancaster sound to Beechy island and
sailed to Cape Adelaide, thence east
ward of King William Land by enter
1uS5 llOSS SL1 u1L he Iedcuou G1OH mar
Dor, in latitude north 6S degrees and
50 minutes, on the south coast of King
William Land, Oh Sept. II, 1908. There
the vessel was laid up safely for the
winter
From that time until Aug. Is, 1905,
Amundsen made daily observations of
magnetic conditions day and night for
twenty months.
On Aug. 13, 1905, the Gjoa started
on her westward way. She had come
some no miles from Baffin bay, anG
only 76O remained to Cape Bathurst
the American whaling station, and the
completion of the Northwest passage
At one point in Simpson strait there
WAS barely room for her to pass and
ut another point there was water to a
depth of only three fathoms. Dense
ice was encountered in Victoria strait,
but she elbowed her way through.
News of the Discovery.
IN A7o- &C pooe;,,~-