Evening star., 1926-06-02
AMUNDSEN'S
=. OF POLAR EIGHT
Explorer Tells of Early Fail
ure in Effort to Conquer
Arctic.
Continued from First Pace.)

outlook over bigger areas in "a hours
than he before could explore during
Years
Therefore when I. in 1914. stayed in
America to buy different things for
the expedition | was. planning to the
Arctic regions. | bought F'arma n
airplane to take with me on board the
Fran. having already obtained a GER
tficate as an aviator after receiving
instruction from Norwegian military
avtatoGs
However. the war commenced and
so many difficulties arose that we had
to postpone our expedition.
At last we were able to start from
Norway in the Summer of 1918 on
board the ship Maud rebuilt in place
of the Fran. which proved to be too
old for a new and long expedition
through the ice. On this expedition
1t was also my intention to take on
board flying machine. but the war
still went on and | could get no new
plane. Consequently my Comra des
and myself had to sail through the
Northeast Passage on board the Maud
and arrived in September. 1921. AT
Seattle without being able to make
observations from the air Of the re-
eions we had pa assed through
Finally, In the Winter of 192l-l922,
when we equipped the Naud for the
second time we succeeded In buvinc
two airplanes for the new expedition
"a big Iunker machine and a small
rurtiss machine--and with these two
planes on board the Maud started fo~
the North in the Summer OF 1922
Fails With Planes in 1923.
Tn Rerins Strait the expedition was
divided. The Maud, under comman nd
of Capt. Willing. went into the ice
in order to try to pass through the
north polar basin over to Spitzher-
gen. On board the Maud remained
the small Curtiss machine and the
aviator Omdahl. The intention was to
make short flights with the Curtiss
over the ice during the drifts. thus COM
pletinC the observations made from
the ship. Some short flights were
made over the ice. but in the Summer
nf 1928 the pla ne was smashed against
the ice in take-off and il was i'm
possible to have it, repaired.
I left the Maud and went ashore at
Wainwright. on the northwest coast
of Alaska, together with the aviator.
0mdahl. to try to fy with the biz
Junker machine that same Summer
from Point Barrow over the north
polar basin to Kings Bay in the north
western part Of Spitzbergen.
For various reasons we did not try
70 start that year and Omdahl and
myself stayed during the Winter Of
1928 in Wainwright. Our intention
was to start in the Spring of 1923
for SpitZbergen. When Spring arrived
we made some trial flights. but the re-
suits of these were bad. The plane
on landing after one fight was very
much damaged, and we thought it best
20 stop trying The Junker was sent
back to the States and Omdahl and |
returned Is Norway.
| was a little downheartod. being
Just AS far from my goal. to try to
give. answers from the ai'- ON tho nllcs-
TONS that for centuries had intrigued
Scientists and eXplorersif there OK
isted continents or islands in the inn
mense area between .ila%ia and SnitT
hergen--as | had heen when. in 19l+.
| took the first step to have tho ques
tions answered.
In spite of all, | went on With my
efforts to organize the expedition and
made up my mind to carry il out.
After my return to Norway ] at last ,
met two of the men who assisted me-
In carrying my plan out and toward
whom J forever shall feel graft ude.
namely the two lieutenants in the
members of the navy flying corps. th"
Skillful. coura geous aviators. Hjalmer
Riiser-Larsen and Left Dietrichson.
Planned Pisa Spitzbergen Flight.
Energetic and with keen interest.
they went in for the expedition and /
worked hard during the Winter of
1924 to organize it. At last in the |
Spring of 1924 it seemed as if we |
should succeed
We had ordered flying boats made /
ny Doniel Wallin of Pisa. and our in !
tention was to fly these planes from |
Pisa to SpitZherSen. our base for the !
Pole flight was to he Virgo Earbnr |
on the Danish island in the northwest !
ern part Of SpitZhercen. from whence |
the Swede. Andre. started in lS97 with |
his free balloon and from where also !,
the American, Wellm#n. some years !
later. tried to reach the North Pole !;
with an arship.
Rut before. in Northern Norway. | !
embarked on the ship that should he /
our motherShip in Virgo Ilarbor -pi !
The surprising message that we again :
had TO postpone the expedition. All /
the money was spent. we could not |
get more, and the flying boats were |
not yet paid for. Again had to go |
home, apparently further from my
and | as well as my comrades got |
many proofs that people considered /
our plans a bluff and that we did not |
mean 1t seriously when we spoke !
about exploring the north polar basin i
with flying machines.
However, in Norwegian we have a !
proverh saying want. the greatest as !
SiStance. is approaching. And what |
has happened since the dark year in !
my life as explorer in 1925 proves that |
concerning me the proverb. in any !
case, is correct.
We went on in our efforts to get |
money for an expedition in 1925. Tn !!
dersta nding, after all our disappoint |
ments, that we needed more assis- T,
tance, we addressed an institution !
that. more than any other institution I
or single person, has heipe" ne. |
namely. the Norwegian Aero tl,in
We asked the Aero club if it would
undertake managing a flying eNpedi- !
ton over the polar basin and procure |
some of the money we wanted if ] I
should try to get more by lecturing in /
the United States. The Norwegian |
Aero Club whose president is the well
known Norwegian editor. Mr.. IIolf |
Thommessen. answered that it would
Try. and commenced Immediately the |
work in Norway.
Ellsworth Joins the Expedition.
went to America to do what [ |
could And in the United States | |
got another proof Of the truth of the |
Norwegian proverb. The American |
citizen. Lincoln Ellsworth. came TO me
one day when I was just on the point |
of giving up the possibility Of being |
able to accomplish my part of the |
agreement with the Norwegian Aero |
Club and without condition he offered |