The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1913-02-18
Captain ROaId ATnundSen to
Try Arctic Next.
WILL USE WIRELESS SYSTEM

! captain ROAD AmundSen, the Nor
wegian explorer who discovered the
south pole in December, 1911, arrived
in the United States recently and is
delivering interesting lectures about
his experiences. He has given out an
! entertaining interview on his future
plans.
Speaking of his proposed trip to the
arctic, he said he hoped to leave San
Francisco in August, 1914, and get
back to civilization in 1920. He plans
! to drift with the ice north of this con-
| tinent and be the first man to go from
| the Pacific to the Atlantic by the
northern channel.
| He intends to equip his ship, the
Fran, with wireless apparatus in or
der to keep in communication with
the rest of the world and to use it in
his scientific work. 1t may come in
] handy should the party get in trouble.
"The Fran" said Captain Amund-
sen, will remain in Buenos Aires
about a year. 1t will be put in dry
dock shortly. If the Panama canal is
working by the time she comes out she
will be taken through it and up to San
Francisco. If the canal is not work
ing she will be carried around through
the strait of Magellan.
May Reach the North Pole.
1--WE will go directly up the coast to
Alaska, where we will take on board
some dogs and maybe an Eskimo or
two. We will just drift around and
may reach the north pole, although we
won't try especially hard to. That has
| been discovered once, and that is plen-
| ty. We will study the currents of the
ocean and the air, which will be of
great help to weather forecasters The
Fran will be equipped practically as
she was for the trip to the south pole.
"On that trip we carried 120 dogs at
the start, but we ate some and fed
some of the others to the remaining
dogs. We got them in Greenland and
carried them to the south pole. We
took them back to Australia, and now
thirty of them have gone back into
the antarctic circle again with the
Australian expedition. Dog meat is
fairly good. 1t is a little tough but
at that it is better than lots of steaks
you get right here in New York.
There was one peculiar thing about
the trip to the south pole. After we
crossed the great ice barrier there was
no sign of animal life. Just before
reaching the barrier we saw great
schools of whales-thousands of them
in a single school-but the other side
Of the barrier absolutely nothing. not
70 I,,ilt Of
snow every three miles and in them
put piece of paper telling the exact
longitude and latitude of the pile.
There are at this time leading from
the barrier direct to the pole these
piles of snow. We cut out about 5000
pieces of snow crust to build them
with.
Only Six Men at the Pole.
"There were but five men with me
from the time we left the station I'M
til we reached the pole. At the pole
and on the return trip we gathered
much material, such as minerals,
corals, and the like. None of the min
erals, so far as l know, bore precious
metals, and the whole time | was
within the circle | did not see any
coal. 1t has been reported there are
vast coal fields on the hidden CONT
nent. IF they are there l didn't see
them. Only once did we run into the
Shackleton party, and then l did not
see them myself Some of Shackle-
toms men called on the men in my
camp, more out of curiosity than any
thing else, imagine.
"As food the men and myself had
hot chocolate and biscuits for break
fast and pemmican, granulated milk
and chocolate for dinner We had but
two meals a day. The men ate two
pounds of pemmican a day, and each
of the dogs was given pound until it
ran out. and then we began to eat
dogs"
Motor sledges do not appeal to Cap.
tain Amundsen. Only dog sledges he
thinks suitable to ice travel.
"The Franz" said Captain Amundsen,
''1s practically unsinkable. 1t cannot
be crushed. 1t cost the government
about $4,000, and Norway has been
amply repaid by the work that has
been accomplished. do not know what
the trip to the south pole cost, as |
have not looked over the accounts yet
The trip to the north will cost some
thing over 100000, of which 100000
has already been appropriated by Nor
way. There has been some talk of
establishing wireless stations on Point
Barrow and in Siberia, so that observa-
lions may be taken with the apparatus
on board the Fran. l do not know
whether this will be done or not"
Captain Amundsen, who laughed at
the idea Of wearing an overcoat in a
climate so balmy as New York's, had
very bad cold when interviewed. He's
wearing his overcoat now. He will re-
main in the United States delivering
lectures and accepting gold medals un-
I'll the first of June Then he'll go