Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-31

to the pole became little more than
pleasure jaunt.
The expedition was we'll supplied.
II had left at convenient points along
the way plenty of provisions for use
on the way back. The party made
about II miles a day across the pla-
teau, and on December Ia obServa-
tions of the sun showed them they
were at the pole. They had arrived
at the same conclusion by dead reck-
oning.
1t was mild and pleasant. The eX-
petition stayed at the southernmost
point Of the earth for two days, estab'
| fishing a 10-mile circle Of cairns sur
mounted by black flags around the
Norwegian flag, which they had placed
at the pole itself. The return to the
| Winter quarters on Ross Sea, 1868
miles, was without incident. They
made about 90 miles day. Most of
| the time the temperature was above
freezing. In 80 days after the start
| they were back at Framheim.
Meantime. Scott and his men had
met a far different fate. The British
expedition also had established Winter
quarters on the ice barrier and set out
| for the pole in a much more preten-
| tious manner than Amundsen with the
return of the equable weather of late
| Spring. They used as transport ice
motors. Manchurian ponies and Es-
kimo dogs, placing little reliance In
| the latter because Of the commander
| unfortunate experience with them in
his previous Antarctic expedition.
The motors broke down almost at
| the start. The ponies, as had been
planned, were killed along the route
and their meat stored to furnish pro-
visions for the return Journey. Each
| time a pony was killed and a cache
| established some Of the men turned
back. Scott was following out the
same program used by Peary in his
conquest OF the North Pole. The last
of the four ponies, however, fell
| through an ice chasm and was lost
on the day before it had been planned
to kill it. The little accident probably
cost the lives Of the five men who
continued on to the pole. When they
were $50 miles from their objective.
the last supporting party, with the
| dogs, turned back and the others went
on, dragging a hand sledge. They
reached the pole on January II. and
the first sight that greeted them was
one of Amundsen's black flags, telling
them that all their labors had been in
vain.
| The Norwegians had found a COM
paratively easy route over the noun.
| tains, and probably were in better
physical condition on the return jour-
ney than when they started. But the
Englishmen had encountered rough
| going from the first. They were tired,
and the bitter disappointment which
| they met depressed their spirits.
Everything went well, however, until
they were across the mountains. They
| had no difficulty in locating the food
depots. Apparently, there was little
doubt in the minds Of Scott and his
men that they would get back safely.
But when they struck the ice barrier
again luck turned against them. Some
of the depots had not been filled with
the requisite Today supply. They
struck rough ice, over which they
could make painful progress Of only a
few miles a day. One Of the party,
Evans, collapsed and died on the ice,
causing a days delay. Cold and wet
still further depressed the spirits of
the others. Among them was a cav
airy lieutenant, Titus Oates, who had
come with the expedition in charge of
the Manchurian ponies. His feet were
frozen and he was unable to keep up
with Scott and Wilson. Sometimes
they pulled him on the sled. Oates,
realizing that he had no chance,
begged his companions to put him in
his sleeping bag and leave him to die.
This they refused to do.
Then Scott began to realize that
his little party had no hope OF
getting back alive. He was the com