Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1912-03-14


grees dead reckoning. The hypsome-
ter indicated a fall of 500 feet.
The next day was similar. The
weather cleared a little at dinner
time and exposed to our view a mighty
mountain range to the east and not
far off, only for a moment, and then
1t disappeared in the dense snow
drift. On the goth it Gained down
and the sun shone, though it was not
the only pleasant surprise he gave. In
our course stretched a big glacier run-
ming toward the south. At its east
ern end vas the mountain range 60
the western part Of ii no view was to
be had, it being hidden in the dense
fog. At the foot of this glacier, the
Devils Glacier" a depot for six days
was established, at 1921 degrees south
latitude. The ~hypsometer indicated
5000 feet above sea level.
sPLENDID MOUNTAIN VIEW.
On Nov 80 we began TO climb the
glaciers, and on the 9Th of Deem
Der we got our greatest height, &C
cording to the hypsometer and ane-
roid 10,750 feet, at 81 degrees 40 min
utes south. On Dec. s we came out of
the bad weather. Once again the sun
smiled down OF us. Once again we
could get an observation. Dead reck-
oning and observation were exactly
alike-SS degrees, SIS minutes, 1876
seconds south, Before us lay an alb.
solute plain plateau, only here and
there marked with a tiny sastrugi.
In the afternoon we passed So de-
grees % minutes (Shackleton's furth-
est south was IS degrees rs minutes).
We camped and established our last
depot, depot No. 10. From IS degrees
% minutes the plateau began to
slope down very gently and smoothly
toward the other side.
On the next day we reached SO
degrees 80 minutes, OF Dec. 10 SS de-
grees Sc minutes, Dec. IL SO degrees
15 minutes, Dec. IL SO degrees 80 min
utes, Dec. Is SO degrees As minutes.
Up to this time the observations
and dead reckoning agreed remark
ably well and we made out that We
ought to be at the pole on Dec. IA.
That day was a beautiful one-a
light breeze from southeast, the tenn
perature minus % celsius (29.4 degrees
below zero Fahrenheit) and the
ground and sleighing were perfect.
The day vent along as usual and at
3 p. m. we made a halt. According to
our reckoning we had reached our
destination. All of us gathered around
the colors--a beautiful silk iag-ail
hands taking hold Of it and planting it.
IN HONOR OF HAAkoN.
The yast plateau on which the pole
II standing got the name of the King
Haakon VII. Plateau" 1t IL . vast
plain, alike in all directions, mile after
mile.
In the fine weather we spent the fol-
lowing day taking q series of observa-
tons from 6 a. m. to z p. m. The re-
suit gave US SO degrees So minutes.
In order to observe the pole as
close as possible we travelled, as near
south as possible, the remaining nine
kilometers.
On Dec. 18th there we camped. II
was an excellent opportunity. There
was q brilliant sun. Four of us took
observations every hour of the days
twenty-four hours. The exact result
will be the matter of a professional
private report.
On Dec. IL everything was in order
on the spot. We fastened to the
ground a little tent we had brought
along, . Norwegian flag and the Fran
pennant on the top of it. The Norwe-
gian home at the South pole was
called "Polheim."
The distance from our winter quar-
tiers 10 the pole was about 1,400 kilo-
meters. The average march a day
was twenty-five ~kilometers.
We started on the return trip on the
18th of December. Unusually favorable
weather made our way home consider
ably easier than the journey to the
pole. We arrived al our winter quar-
tiers. "Framheim." on Jan. 25, 1912,
with two sledses and eleven dogs. all
we'll. ROALD AMUNDSEN.