Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-03-14
First Start For the Pole.

|
! setting out
First Start For the Pole.
On Sept. 3 eight men. with seven
sledges. ninety dogs and provisions for
! four months, started. The ground was
perfect. The Temperatures was not bad
The next day it appeared that we had
started too early, as the temperature Of
the following days fell and was kept
steady bet tween minus 80 and 60 Gel
sius (5S degrees and I6 degrees below
zero F). Personally. we did not suf-
fer nt all from this cold. Our good furs
protected us. But with our dogs 1t was
different matter. 1t would easily be
seen that they shrunk from dny to day.
and we understood pretty soon that
| they could not stand the long run to
| our depot ut so degrees south.
We agreed on returning and to wait
| for tie arrival OF spring. The provi.
sons were cached. and off we went for
the hut With the exception Of the
loss of n few dogs and couple Of
frozen heels everything was all right
Only in the middle Of October spring
came in earnest Seals and birds ap-
pearcd. The temperature was steady
between 90 and 20 Celsius 6S degrees
and &C degrees ~.
tho original plan that all Of us should
- toward the south had been changed
I've men had to do this work. while
'hc other three were to start for the
r"St and visit King Edward VII. land,
This last mentioned trip was rot in.
,Ided in orr program. hut owing to
'3r Fact tl!nt the English had not CHI
"a il at least this summer. rs was their
| intention. we agreed that the best thing
| to do was also to make this trip.
On oct. 90 the southern party started
five men. four sledges. ffty-two dogs
and provisions for four months-every.
thing In excellent order.
The Journey to the Pale.
We had made up our minis TO take
-" first part Of the trip as easily as
.shlc in order to give ourselves and
" dogs rational training. and on
I'D we made our depot in so de-
"r"S south. We went right ahead.
= spite of the dense fog an error of
y to three kilometers happened once
awhile, aud we were caught by the
.: marks and found these on our why
!nut difficulty.
;nving rested and fed the dogs on
II the seal meat they were able to eat,
va started again on the Goth, with the
! temperature steadily between minus 20
and 80 Celsius q degrees and 90 de-
grees below zero FL
From the start It was the intention
not to drive more than thirty kilo-
meters n day. hut it appeared that this
was too little for our strong. willing
animals. At so degrees south wc began
10 build snow cairns of q mans height.
IN order TO have marks on our return
lir. On the 31st we reached the depot
ut 81 degrees and stopped there one
day and fed the dogs on as much penn
mican as they wanted.
We reached the depot at s2 degrees
on the 9Th Of November. where the dogs
for the last time got all they wanted TO
eat. On the sth. southwark again. with
daily march Of 80 kilometers.
In order 10 tighten our heavy sledges
we established depots at each degree
of south latitude.
Like q Pleasure Trip,
The trip from SO degrees to 81 de.
yrecs became pleasure trip--excelcnt
ground. fine sledging and an even
temperature, Everything went like n
dance.
On the 9th We sighted South Vie
torla land and the continuation OF the
mountain range which Sir Ernest
Shacklelon mentioned IN his chart as
running toward the southeast from the
Beardmore glacier. and on the same
day we reached SO degrees and estab-