The Mena weekly star. (Mena, Ark.) 1904-1977, 1912-03-21

sen determined to return to the
winter quarters and wait for spring.
He lost a few dogs and a couple Of
his men had their heels frozen.
Start in October.
Spring appeared in the middle Of
October, At this time the tempera-
lture was from Z to p degrees be-
How zero. Amundsen. before start
ing. however, changed the plan that
Ian should go south. He determined
to take only four men and the 9TH
Ter three were detailed to start for
1.-THE east and visit King Edward VII
Hand.
On October 20 the party which
was to seek the pole started.
Amundsen, his four men, four
sledges and twelve dogs and provis-
ions for four months was The full
strength of the expedition. The
first part Of the march was made
! in easy stages in order to conserve
the strength Of men and animals.
They made their depot in the S0th
degree on the 23d stopped but a
short time and went on ahead dos-
lpite a dense fog.
The flags they had painted on
their first trip served them in good
stead as guides. The temperature
remained steady from 1 to y de-
grees below zero. He had intended
to drive not more than thirteen to
twenty miles a day. but the dogs
were strong and willing and this
work soon appeared 10 be too slow
for them. The speed was increased
to the easy strength of the dogs.
Picking up the depots one after
the other, they reached the S3d de-
gree and established there depot No.
4. On November 10 they reached
the saith degree and established an
other depot and on the 10th the S5th
degree, where there was set up yet
another depot. All this time they
had been marching due south from
their winter quarters. At this point
they reached the mountainous
country. The nearest SUBMITS
along the barrier ranged from 2000
TO 10000 feet in height. Other
summit further south seemed TO
be $4,000 feet or more.
Climb TO Heights.
At this point they began to climb.
The first part of it was an easy as
cent over Slight slopes and we'll
filled mountain sides and did not
take long for the willing dogs to
work their way up. When they
met some small but very steep gla-
ciers, twenty dogs were hitched to
each sedge and took the four
sledges in two shifts. The first day
they climbed 2000 feet and the sec
ond day camped at the height of
1900 feet.
Axel Heidelberg's glacier, huge
ice formation which divides the
coast mountains and the mountains
further south, was here encounters,
led and the next day they began the
longest part of their climb.
At the height of 10000 feet
Amundsen was compelled to pitch
camp on account of bad weather.
He remained there four days. His
heart was almost broken, for he had
to kill twenty-four of his brave
dogs and keep only eighteen. six for
each of the three sledges remain
ing. On November %, wary of de-
lay, he set out again and on the 25th
encountered a furious blizzard. In
the dense, drifting snow everything
was obscured.
But the marchers kept on and
felt that they were going down hill.
AT night the hypsometer told them
that they had descended 600 feet
during the day.
The next day the march was con-
tinued in a gale with the drifting
snow in the face of the marchers.
Pursuing their course, they reached
&c degrees south latitude, according
to their dead reckoning. At dinner
time the weather cleared a bit and
revealed to the men their sur
roundings.
There was mighty mountain
range to the east and not far off
They saw it for only a moment and
then it disappeared again in the
wonderful drift of antarctic snow.
Sun Through Clouds.
The weather claimed down on the
2ith and the sun shone through the
shadow clouds. This was glad
surprise as the explorers were able
to see their course ahead Of them.
II was far stretch of glacier forma-
ton running almost due south.
This glacier was named Devils
glacier and at its foot a depot for
six days was established. Its loea-
ton was Sc degrees q minutes
south latitude and the hypsometer
indicated 5000 feet above sea level.
The long climb up the glacier began
November 30. The lower part was
very difficult 1t was much broken
and bridged by thin snow forma-
tons which frequently broke be-
meath the weight of men and dogs.
From the camp this night they
had a splendid view of the noun