The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1912-03-16

oNNitH ihAlHlHE btlNNtN minus '' N'N.
60 Celsius.
Did Not Suffer Bad Storms.
The lowest temperature was on Au-
gust l3-minus 50 Celsius the weather
was then calm.
On August Is it was minus 81 Gel.
sius, the wind blowing 9 dlometers
$3.50 miles, an hour On August
it was minus 56 Celsius; the mean
temperature for the year was minus
PC Celsius.
Amuudsen had expected hurricane
after hurricane, but experienced only
two moderate storms. There wers
many beautiful aurora Australis in
all directions
Sanitary conditions were of the
best all through the winter and when
the sun returned on August "a j
shone upon men sound in mind and
body, ready to set about the tremend-
Gus task that had to be performed
In the beginning of September they
took their sledges to the starting
place they had chosen for the march
toward the south. The temperature
rose so much that there was no Ques-
ton about setting out. So on Sep
TENDER Q eight men and seven sledges,
ninety dogs, and provisions for four
months started on their quest for the
pole.
Protected from the Cold.
The ground was perfect. The tenn
perature was not extreme. But the
next day it appeared that they had
started too soon, for the temperature
fell, and on the following days kept
steadily down between minus 50 and
minus 60 degrees Celsius. Personally
Amundsen and his men did not suffer
any from the cold. The fine furs
with which they were provided pro-
tected them. But it was a very diff
ferent matter with their dogs, which
shrank visibly from day to day.
Amundsen soon realized that the
dogs could not stand the long run to
his depot in so degrees of south lati.
tude, so he determined to return to
his depot and await the arrival o.
spring Provisions were cached and
off he went back to his hut. He lost
few dogs, and a couple Of his men
had their heels frozen, But every
thing else was all right.
1t was only in the middle of Octo
Der that spring came in earnest
! seals and birds appeared, the TEN.
Derature was steady between 20 and
80 degrees Celsius.
On October 20 the party going
south started. 1t consisted of the
leader, four of his men, four sledges
and fifty-two dogs. They took with
them provisions for four months.
Everything was in excellent order
Amundsen had determined to make
the first part of the trip with as lit
tie labor as possible so as not tc
take too much out of his men and
dogs and to give them an opportun
ity to get fat.
Go in Dense Fog.
They made their depot in the SOtl
degree on the 29d and went righ
ahead, although there was a dense
fog. Because of the fog an error O
two or three kilometers happened
once in a while. They got out of tn
way, but found it again by catching
sight of the flags that marked thei
depots
Having rested and fed the dogs OIL
all the seal meat they would eat, tn,
party started again on the 26th. TIL
temperature remained steady at be
tween minus 20 and minus 80 de
grees Celsius.
1t had been Amundsen's intention
not to drive more than twenty t
thirty kilometers a day, but it 500
appeared that this was too slow, TO
their dogs were strong and willing.
In so degrees south they began t
build up snow cairns of the heigh
of a man so as to mark the way TO
their return. On the 31st the
reached the depot in 81 degree
south. They stopped there a da
and fed the dogs as much pemmica
as they wanted. They reached tn
depot in 50 degrees south on Noven
Der 5, where the dogs for the las
time got all they wanted to eat
Merely a Pleasure Jaunt.
! On November 8 they started south
ward again, making a daily march o
so kilometers. To tighten their heav
sledges they set up depots as the
completed each degree. The tri
from the S2d to the SD degree wa
little more than a pleasure jaunt
The ground was in excellent condi
ton for shedding and the tempera
ture was all that could he asked for
Everything went on like dance,
exclaimed Amundsen in telling the
story.